By Michaela Gordoni
If you’ve noticed you child has been talking a little funny, it might be because it’s part of current gaming culture.
Linguists have identified “Fortnite accents.” They’re high-pitched, fast-paced accents that end in upward inflections at the end of each sentence, Huff Post reported.
The accent “mimics the sound of an overly excited or frustrated child’s voice,” said English language platform Preply. “The accent is fueled by the intense, sometimes chaotic nature of the game, especially when players get knocked down.”
“When you die in Fortnite, you have to start from scratch, losing all the loot and perks you’ve built up. That can lead to a lot of high-pitched shouting, panicked chatter, and exaggerated expressions of frustration,” they explained.
Self-proclaimed etymology nerd Adam Aleksic said many Fortnite users have “response cries…almost like they have to communicate a feeling of excitement or shock.” He says the cries serve “an important meta-linguistic function, both as reactions to stimuli in the game and as a kind of social performance for the other people in the voice chat”.
Related: Disney Junior’s BLUEY Causing Children to Develop Australian Accents
Interestingly, Aleksic observed that the inflections serve a function like saying “over” on a walkie talkie.
There is also research that suggests gamers switch into different accents or “ludolects” based on each game they play.
Aleksic explained, “So the ludolect for Fortnite might be similar to the ludolect for Valorant [another first-person shooter game], but both will have their subtle differences as their users will basically build a new language together.”
Preply explained why the accents occur: “It’s a subconscious way of adapting our speech to fit in, helping us feel more connected and accepted by the group. It builds a sense of belonging and shared identity through language.”
Preply said the accents likely won’t stick around.
“Children’s and teens’ interests and hobbies are constantly evolving, and chances are that as they grow older, they’ll find themselves in different social settings than online gaming lobbies,” said Preply’s team.
“Most changes that happen through social mirroring aren’t hard-wired, and in most cases, they’ll naturally grow out of it,” they added.
This phenomena has happened more commonly with young children after watching TV shows. Americans have reported their children talking in British or Aussie accents after watching PEPPA PIG or BLUEY, respectively.
Last fall, many Australians reported their kids were speaking with American accents.
“Increased YouTube, social media (TikTok in particular) and streaming have meant a lot of kids have had it normalised following American content creators,” one Aussie parent wrote.
These could be signs that your kid has had too much screen time, but don’t worry too much, as experts say they will grow out of it.
Read Next: Gaming Addiction Likely Takes Hold at This Key Age
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