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American Kids Are Picking Up English Accents From Watching 'Peppa Pig'

Peppa Pig is this adorable little pig with a British accent who appears on the children's animated television show of the same name. Unfortunately, the character's accent has started to rub off on American kids, and the results have been mixed.

'The Peppa Effect'

Ladbible says the Peppa Pig accent phenomenon has been called "The Peppa Effect." People are taking their comments to social media. "My 3 yr old cousin has an English accent from watching Peppa Pig and i'm jealous," said one. "Thanks to Peppa Pig my 2yo, who has never been outside of Washington, Oregon and California has a solid British accent," according to Ladbible.

Let's All Talk Like Peppa, Shall We?

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But others whose child started talking like a Brit also started snorting, like a pig -- because while Peppa is British, she's also a pig. Can't have one without the other, it seems. "Thanks to Peppa Pig my 2yo, who has never been outside of Washington, Oregon and California has a solid British accent," wrote one parent.

Peppa Pig Voice Actor Hardly Gets Noticed

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Ladbible writes that the voice actor for Peppa Pig, Harley Bird, 17, earns £1,000 per hour to talk like a pig. Bird says she doesn't get noticed too often while in public, which is probably a good thing.

Peppa Pig World So Very Popular

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One place she does get noticed is at Peppa Pig World; that's actually a place. Peppa Pig World is in Paultons Family Theme Park in Romsey, in Hampshire, England. It contains several rides, some of which are named "Daddy Pig's Car Ride" and "Grampy Rabbit's Sailing Club."

Perhaps You're Too Big For the Rides?

So Bird was at Peppa Pig World and was going on the rides. She's 17 by the way, and was apparently getting some stares for being on the rides.
"I went with my brother and my mum the other weekend and I mean I was on the dinosaur ride which is my favourite ride at the moment, but I was on the rides with my brother and everyone was giving me slightly odd looks 'why is there a 16-year-old riding a dinosaur?' " Bird says.

Kids Are Starting to Snort

Coventry Live, a British website, makes note of other parents who have found themselves in the same position. One wrote: "After 21 hours of flight time spent binge-watching Peppa Pig episodes on the iPad, my kid had adopted Peppa Pig's plum British accent, calling me 'Mummy' and finishing her sentences with Peppa's trademark snort.

"Two years later, she still oinks in conversation. Call it the Peppa effect."

Picking Up What Peppa's Putting Down

The "Peppa Effect" is not only affecting American parents but British ones as well, since there are different accents throughout England. CoventryLive writes that parents in the northern part of England are noticing they're children picking up what is Peppa's southern English accent.

Yay, Nay or Oink?

coventrytelegraph.net

Coventry Live even took a poll. The results so far indicate a tight race: 54 percent said speaking Peppa indicates the child is watching too much of it, while 46 percent say the accent is quite lovely, though they can do without the oinks.

The Pig's Got Range

The language program director at Dartmouth College in England said that yes, due to the popularity of the show, kids in the U.S. are picking up British accents. Robert Rey Agudo says: "Peppa Pig has been such a phenomenon with the 2 to 5-year-old crowd and it's considered cute, whereas I don't know what other shows have that kind of currency right now."

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