- 15 February 2011
- 3:43pm
- Filed under
Other
What’s the world’s sexiest accent?
Jane NethercoteLonely Planet author
We recently asked our Lonely Planet Facebook pals ‘What’s the world’s sexiest accent?’ Because, in the light of Valentine’s Day, we wanted to know which particular accents made them swoon.
Nothing if not scientific in our approach, we tallied over 700 responses to come up with the sexiest accent you can have. (We advise you use this information with caution – or complete abandon, whichever works for you. Just remember, a French accent might be sexy, but a really bad impersonation of one? Not so much. So play to your strengths.)
So whose accent won the most hearts? (Click on the image for a larger view of the graph.)
Graph by Andy Murdock.
* her mum voted for her
The Spanish accent came in at top spot, beating perennial title-holder French to the hot language crown. Spanish was buoyed by the accumulated sexiness of its regional variations (Colombian and Mexican Spanish were big factors in the win).
Similarly, 8th-place getter Portuguese was pushed into the top 10 by its Brazilian incarnation.
Canada was notable in its absence – looks like our readers have done an aboot-face on the nation – though the Newfoundland accent did get one vote.
Some other statistical outliers (accents with ‘un point’ worth a mention) included: West-Flemish – Belgium, Serbian, Chinese, Sicilian, North Korean, Scottish-Jamaican and Natalie Tran‘s Australian accent. Which just goes to show there’s conversation out there for everyone. (Weird supermodel trans-Atlantic accents did not rate a mention however. Probably because they’re just a bit creepy.)
So now do you want to brush up on your Spanish? Download our free language cheat sheet featuring some very handy phrases. Results have been vetted by independent election observers from the UN.
Also check out:
Travel etiquette 101: body language
Airline safety videos: from safe to sexy (AOL Travel)
The Playboy Jet: How Hugh Hefner Traveled in Style (Gadling)
You combined Mexican and Columbian into Spanish, yet you separated Irish, Scottish, Australian, and I assume Welsh, South African, Canadian, and all of the American regional accents from English? Why?
They’re talking about English accents. English spoken by Columbians and Mexicans sounds extremely similar, so there’s no need to make a distinction.
What about the rest of the world? to me Greek is also so sexy…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYD_NVyyfWE&feature=related
There are other cute accents too, just people dont know them or there are too few people speaking that accent in order to vote and win…
Is there a difference between Columbians and the real country COLOMBIA?
Scottish and Irish? Really? Yuck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEJgQ99LRpg Colombia accent… the most beautiful…Claro que sí señor!!! :-)
I love an Irish accent. I think there’s nothing sexier than an Irishman. I recently read that only 27% of them would cheat on their partner compared to over 40% in Southern England. Makes them even sexier somehow! ;^)))
I don’t think Spanish English is sexy at all. It’s too strong. I have headache after listening it for a while. I mean I like Spanish as a language but not accent. I would say Israeli accent is sexy. And I absolutely love posh British-English accent.
I second Natalie Tran’s Australian accent.
It seems to me it’s a matter of who’s listening (listener’s first language) and who’s speaking (a sexy hunk or hunkette)…
I still think a list of vegetables recited in French is great…
guys its ColOmbia with an O not a U!!! go spanish!!
Catherine Zeta Jones & Richard Burton; WELSH.
I think the Spanish language itself sounds very sexy, but when we’re talking about accents in English, I think Russian is hands-down the absolute winner for being sexy.
As a veteran world traveller and English teacher, this survey is nonsense. The ‘sexiness’ of an accent depends on the voice of the speaker. Even German can be sexy with the right voice. English, as spoken by the British, is my favourite accent because of the musical way it is spoken. After 12 years in France I do not think French is
anything to write home about: it can be gutteral and staccato. And probably the worst accent I ever experienced was female Australian.
what about the BERBER language with its 3 accents?
What is rein90 saying? you DO NOT speak Spanish, doesn’t you? Mexican and Colombian are really different if you hear them!
By the way, viva el español!
Kakchikel Maya spoken in the campo by a 4 ft tall Guapa sounds like birdsong that tickles the brain! Superlative sonics.
Which English accent? Which Scottish accent? Which Irish accent?
There’s a huge range within each group. Not to mention the difference between a Sydneysider and a Queenslander.
What? The Kiwis aren’t mentioned here? Now, that’s just terrible! But in all fairness, for me and speaking only for me, it’s a toss up between the Aussies and the Kiwis.
Every accent has a plus side. Accents that fail to seduce are often great for putting people in their place. The harshness of my mangled Anglo-South African comes into its own in a heated argument. Likewise Northern Irish and, of course, German. Being criticised by an Afrikaner really hurts too. On the sexy side it has to be the delicious southern drawl of where Tennessee Williams meets Elvis, somewhere around South Carolina.
I guess we can all agree that the customer service people have ruined the “Indian accent” for everyone.
Spanish
where’s south africa? outrageous omission…
I know it sounds odd or it’s merely unknown but in Spain people don’t speak Spanish but Castilian. Spanish is spoken by the rest of countries. Otherwise, English from Liverpool becomes in something orgasmic to me… or I think so :)
Glad someone at least mentions west-flemish, which is undoubtedly the sexiest dutch accent :-)
@jvtempo: Just a clarification: In all the Spanish-speaking countries the language spoken is Castilian and it is called that way. The official language in Spain (in most of their territory at least) is also Castilian. The name Spanish is generally used by non-Spanish speakers to refer to the language the Spaniards have spread all over their former colonial territories.
The top end blokes have the best Aussie accents. Just came back from the mount Isa rodeo with all them bucking tough cowboys. blogged here. http://www.flippingcrikey.com
AUSTRALIAN!!!!!!
I nearly fell of my seat laughing…. ‘G’day mate…how’s it going” It’s horrible, just as bad as ours……New Zealand
I wish I know how to speak Spanish, well..some of our words in dialect are Spanish…:-)
I wish that Philippines is on the list…hehe
http://lonelytraveler.asia/
The Australian accent is the roughest on the planet?
I would say an Irish accent.
Polish
Every accent can be wonderful and sexy it really just matters who it belongs to… Example: I swoon for Scottish accents – real reason why? One answer -Gerard Butler.
English spoken by an East African, or Jamaican
Come on, we in Spain, actually we say we speak spanish.
Yes, castillian o castellano is the original.
Un español aragonés who has been living in Barcelona, Basque country and now in Madrid.