People say that regional accents are disappearing, which is true to some extent, but I've also noticed a shift towards emphasising regionalism, perhaps as a result of broader national identities collapsing. The Scouse accent is thicker now than it ever was, and I've noticed some people stressing their accent more for comic effect. I sometimes deliberately emphasise my way of speaking because my idiolect is an important part of who I am, and differentiates me from everyone else. So as society progressively coagulates into the same bland beige, I think people are emphasising the parts of themselves which make them unique.

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