American Versus British: English Accent Choice by Dutch Popular Music Artists and English Accent Preference of Listeners

While the choice of accent in British popular music has been subject of debate for many years, there is still little known about the choice of accent in Dutch popular music. This thesis sets out to describe the trend in the choice of accents among Dutch artists when singing in English and it sets out to examine how this choice correlates with the choice of topic and the stylistic choices. An analysis of one hundred songs by seventy-three Dutch artists revealed that the vast majority of the Dutch artists adopt a primarily American accent. The analysis also disclosed that there is not an obvious correlation between the choice of accent, the choice of topic and the stylistic choices in these songs. Previous research also did not really include the listener’s preference for an accent. Therefore, the second aim of this thesis is to examine whether listeners have a preference for one accent over the other and what their motivations are for this preference. A survey was conducted involving...Show moreWhile the choice of accent in British popular music has been subject of debate for many years, there is still little known about the choice of accent in Dutch popular music. This thesis sets out to describe the trend in the choice of accents among Dutch artists when singing in English and it sets out to examine how this choice correlates with the choice of topic and the stylistic choices. An analysis of one hundred songs by seventy-three Dutch artists revealed that the vast majority of the Dutch artists adopt a primarily American accent. The analysis also disclosed that there is not an obvious correlation between the choice of accent, the choice of topic and the stylistic choices in these songs. Previous research also did not really include the listener’s preference for an accent. Therefore, the second aim of this thesis is to examine whether listeners have a preference for one accent over the other and what their motivations are for this preference. A survey was conducted involving fifty-eight participants. The results of the survey showed that a large majority of the listeners preferred the British recording over the American recording. The motivations for the preference for the British recording are mostly based on the accent of the singer, the comprehensibility and the overall sound of the recording. In conclusion, this study offers support for the use of a British accent in Dutch popular music songs.Show less

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American Versus British: English Accent Choice by Dutch Popular Music Artists and English Accent Preference of Listeners