Scottish accent is 'opposite of Australian' explains dialect coach in viral video

A language expert has said that the Scottish accent is the "opposite of Australian" in a video that has been viewed more than 360,000 times online.

Last week, American comedian, actor, and dialect coach Mason Sperling shared a clip explaining the difference between the two accents. The online influencer posted the video onto his TikTok account, where he has more than 1.4 million followers.

In the video, Sperling states: "I think a Scottish accent is kind of like the opposite of an Australian accent. Like, if you think I'm crazy, hear me out."

The expert then reveals why he thinks the two vastly different accents have similarities. He explains that to speak in both you need to pay attention to the four vowel sounds 'ah', 'eh', 'ih', and 'ee'.

According to Sperling, to speak in a Scottish accent, all you have to do is swap the vowel sounds around. One example he gives is the word 'this', which he pronounces as 'thes'.

Meanwhile, to speak in an Australian accent, according to Sperling, you move the vowel sounds in the opposite direction. For example, he pronounces the word 'lever' as 'liver'.

Since being shared on TikTok, the clip has received more than 53,000 likes. It also has more than 840 comments, with many fans keen to give their thoughts on the video.

One TikTok user wrote: "You have just helped me finally do the Scottish AND Australian accent. Two accents I could never get!"

A second joked: "So you’re saying the Highlands are the opposite of the land down under? Works for me!"

"This feels like forbidden knowledge," a third commented, while a third posted: "I'm a linguist studying sound patterns and this observation is spot on".

However, not everyone in the comments was convinced by Sperling's Scottish and Australian accents.

"Your Australian accent sounds more like a new Zealand accent honestly," one critiqued, while a second joked: "Is the Scottish accent in the video at all?"

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