US children speak British English because of a TV pig – Politics

In order to grasp the full scope of the drama that American parents are dealing with these days, it takes a little narrative detour. Imagine the four-year-old Lizzy, a clever, bright girl who lives with her family in the beautiful Berchtesgadener Land. At home they speak a light Middle Bavarian, just like the people in the region have always chatted – until that day in summer 2021 when Lizzy sat up in front of her parents, pointed to her panties and said: “Mutta, I have to pee!” One can visualize the horror that went to the parents in the face of such Prussian verbal aberrations.

Admittedly, the story is made up, and yet: In the USA it has come true in the last few months, day after day, a thousand times over. Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, children have suddenly been speaking in strange tongues, using words that their parents barely know, wanting to wear crowns and Sherlock Holmes hats and, on top of that, parlating with a British accent that sounds just as aloof to American ears as he does From the British point of view, this should probably sound like this: Anyone who wants to be served butter in Texas, for example, demands the “baddr”. The tongue is pressed firmly against the roof of the mouth, which makes a sound like having a hot potato in your mouth. The fine Oxford Englishman, on the other hand, leaves the tongue where it belongs and asks for the “ba’a”.

“Biscuit” instead of “cookie”

“Peppa Pig” is to blame for the confusion of languages, a rosy pig girl with a human face, who was once invented by British cartoonists and is called “Peppa Pig” on German television. With her preschool friends, Peppa has many adventures that have been inspiring two to six year olds around the world for a decade and a half. Most recently, “Peppa Pig” was the second most viewed cartoon after “Sponge Bob”.

Even in pre-Corona times there were isolated reports in the USA that children suddenly grunted or spoke with a British accent. Since the daycare centers remained closed in the wake of the pandemic and the little ones were parked in front of the television day after day, the number of reports has multiplied. The gas station is suddenly no longer called “gas station” for the children, but rather “petrol station”. If you want a biscuit, call for a “biscuit” instead of a “cookie”. And when little Dani from California recently found out that her mother had to see an “eye doctor”, the five-year-old asked: “You go to the ‘optician’? – a word the parents had never used.

While many mothers and fathers are appalled, others post funny videos of their British-speaking diaper wearers on social networks like Tiktok. Because it’s not all bad: Tess Darci, mother of little Cecilie, recently reported that Wall Street JournalThat the four-year-old suddenly became “a little lady” who kept saying “lovely”, “please” and “thank you”. However, parents must expect to be addressed by the Peppa-enthusiastic offspring as “Mama Pig” or “Papa Pig” – but at least in the elitist, perfectly swinging Oxford tone.