American Parents Blame Peppa Pig For Their Kids’ British Accent, Expert Says Otherwise


peppa-pig
Photo by Junkee

Cartoons are a big part of a child’s development and it can even give children an opportunity to learn. Of course, that depends on the cartoon, some of them can be downright weird. As such, parents should be mindful since children might pick up weird mannerisms, such as Americans adopting a British accent after watching Peppa Pig.

Recently, parents have been taking to Twitter to tell the world of a weird phenomenon concerning their children. Dozens of moms and dads have been reporting that their kids have begun speaking in a Southern British accent after watching Peppa Pig. The reports were quite numerous and it was even named the “Peppa effect.” Here it is in action:

Some of the accent nuances were quite noticeable too, with children saying “wie-ard” in of the usual American “weird” and saying “tomatoes” and “zebras” in British accents instead of American. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, some even find it adorable because who doesn’t love a kid with a British accent?

So, why was this happening? According to the parents, Peppa Pig, according to the experts, however, it’s not Peppa Pig, nor is it Hogwarts, you muggles.

“Typically, you would develop the accent of the community around you. You will learn the dialect that’s around you, which is learned by interactions, not by watching,” explains Susanna Levi of communicative sciences and disorders at New York University. Levi did suggest that children do and can pick up individual words that they like from the show and mimic them.

via GIPHY

Another linguist, Dr Lisa Davidson, also claims that it is highly unlikely for them to develop a second dialect based off a TV show alone.

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Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a seasoned professional with a strong background in growth strategies and editorial responsibilities. Kokou has been instrumental in driving companies' expansion and fortifying their market presence. His academic credentials underscore his expertise; having studied Communication at the Università degli Studi di Siena (Italy), he later honed his skills in growth hacking at the Growth Tribe Academy (Amsterdam).

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