What’s in an accent, really? Why does a spicy little ‘au fait‘ with a cigarette-toting gaston get you all hot under the frills? What makes a foreign whisper get your head twisting to catch a glimpse of that elusive agent provocateur? What is it about a classic Italian or Spaniard that makes you swoon, or bumble through your next sentence until you start sounding decidedly foreign yourself?
Whether it be through a combination of history and demographics or simply down to naughty mnemonic ticklers, there are certain accents that always come out tops, and others that, well don’t.
We asked our Getaway Facebook community what they thought the world’s sexiest accent was. Here are the ones that made you weak at the knees, the ones that had you gagging for a hot date on the riviera and the ones that got you talking in tongues (see above for chart of results).
1. No surprise, the French took the top spot with a healthy chunk of the pie. Somehow those continental baguettes, truffles and macarons, when passed off with that ‘je ne sais quoi’ quality, come across all the more sweet.
2. A close second was the amicable Irish. Whether it is their penchant for a healthy dose of humour or a just dash of whiskey, Irish seems rolls off the tongue and into your hearts smoother than a bottle of genuine single malt.
3. Notably, in third spot, the South African accent held its own. And, according to many of our Facebook fans, is a great ice-breaker when travelling. So much so that it has even been the closing factor in more than one of those late-night European hostel hook-ups!
4 and 5. Italian and Spanish pretty much share the spoils in fourth and fifth, and whether it’s tossing paella or splashing pesto, it seems the quickest way to some of your hearts is not through the stomach but through the tip of a Mediterranean-tanned tongue.
6. The Scots settle in for a well deserved sixth place – and we mostly blame Sean Connery for that.
7, 8 and 9. With a handful of votes each, filling out the chart was Croatian, Russian and German. Languages that didn’t quite cut it, but got a fair nod from some of our fans, were Welsh, Swedish, Israeli, Hungarian and Dutch. So even if you’re not out there looking for the classic linguistic romance, it’s good to know there is something for everyone.
10. Also, definitely worth a mention, is the surprising number of votes that came in for the classic Cape Town bergie accent! We, of course, tallied it up with the other South African accents to give us the boost, but it just goes to prove that you don’t ALWAYS need front teeth to be sexy!
So there you have it. The sexiest accents as voted by you. And, whatever it is that makes you swoon, go weak at the knees, or has you got you fumbling your words … we just love it when you talk foreign!
