By ‘eck! Regional accents could be ‘wiped out by technologies like Apple’s Siri’

Many of us unconsciously put on a more ‘correct’ accent when we’re talking to computerised voice systems - just so the computer understands what we’re saying.

This sort of technology is likely to become more and more widespread, with the launch of devices such as Amazon’s Echo, which allows users to speak to home electronics from across a room.

A new HSBC report suggests that in the long term, this may mean the death of regional accents - as we all learn to ‘speak machine’.

‘In the future, our voices will become ever more crucial and we’ll use them to interact with the majority of machines and devices in our daily lives,’ said Dr Dominic Watt of the University of York.

‘With so many innovations in computing come from California, laid-back American English will be increasingly prominent.

The researchers said that in 50 years’ time, 'Keyboards will have become obsolete and we will become completely comfortable speaking to our cars, washing machines, fridges, taxi apps and online banking services.’