Timestamps:

0:00 - Arthur the Rat

2:00 - KIT List and Major Players

5:58 - Extemporaneous Speech

Interview year: 2024

Collected by: Colleen C.

Demographic information:

Gender: male

Race and ethnicity: White, British

Age (at recording): 50

Birth year: 1973

Birthplace: Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England

Grew up in: Cannock, Staffordshire, England. Just north of Birmingham, England

Place(s) lived: Staffordshire, just north of Birmingham until 18, University in East Midlands in Loughborough, Tokyo 1 year, Worcester, Worcestershire (southwest of Birmingham) for last 23 years

Language(s) spoken: English

Education: PhD

Occupation: civil servant

Occupation of caregiver(s): dad: engineer; mom variety of jobs

Influences on accent: Made a conscious decision to adopt a more "neutral" accent, not strongly regional. Did not want a "Brummie" accent as a child because conscious that it had a stigma, deemed less "intelligent", but it is still there when he's relaxed or speaking with folks from there. Parents from West of Birmingham - they have Birmingham accent. Where grew up in Staffordshire (Northern edge of Birmingham) there were a mixture of accents, Black Country.

Tags: Brummie; Birmingham, West Midlands, England; Staffordshire; Worcestershire; UK; United Kingdom; accents; dialects