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THE LAST WORD You say tomato What creates accents? Is it purely psychological, or is there some physiological element in play?
n Accents develop from the relative isolation of populations. The pronunciation and language of each population changes in different ways and accents are the result. This happens in much the same way that isolation of populations leads to different evolutionary outcomes. Changes to language and pronunciation come from a range of sources: immigration, the introduction of new words, the popularity of different influences like music, random changes, and so on. The root cause of most accents is psychological not physiological. While the shape of the mouth and jaw can affect our voices, we can adapt easily – think of actors who change accents for roles. And our accents usually match that of the area in which we were raised, not necessarily the accents of parents, whose physiology we inherit. Lewis O’Shaughnessy London, UK
though. For example, when people speak alike, who are they imitating? Most of us generally speak like the people around us. But people also imitate those they look up to and want to be like. For instance, if you want to belong, you will talk like your neighbours. If you want to get ahead, you might talk more like the people in centres of prestige, such as your country’s capital. You might not notice you are doing it, but to linguists, these alterations in speech stick out like a sore thumb. David Cordiner Birmingham, UK
n For an animal to feed using a hit-and-run strategy requires it to locate, stalk and then attack a ferocious or fleeing animal. And this is all for a limited amount of food. The attacker would spend less energy overall by killing the prey and enjoying a sumptuous feast at its leisure. Peter Guinan Llangors, Powys, UK
Why aren’t hit-and-run attacks common in the animal kingdom? Surely a barracuda or shark could take a meal-sized chunk out of the back or belly of a whale before it could respond. The same goes for smaller pairings of animals.
n The reason such attacks aren’t common is fear. The prospect of getting hurt while taking a bite out of an animal much larger than you would put most predators off. They are at risk of being belted sideways, eaten alive, damaged for life and so unable to survive, just for one, small mouthful of a whale’s behind. Relying on hit-and-run feeding could bring evolutionary consequences for a species, whether you are a barracuda, a cockroach or a human being. Linda Latham Biggar, South Lanarkshire, UK
n There is no one true language or pronunciation from which people diverge. English, for example, has always been a gaggle of related dialects and different accents. Also, language is always changing. There is no reason why everybody should change in the same way at the same time. The driving forces behind an individual’s accent are varied
n Hit-and-run attacks are seen in the animal world. Wounds from the teeth of cookie-cutter sharks have been seen on migrating whales that passed through the sharks’ habitat. One sei whale had more than 100 bite marks on it. Other fish arguably qualify too. For example, white sea bream have been reported to take nibbles out of people paddling in the Mediterranean and waters off the western coast of Africa. Chris Simms Banwell, Somerset, UK
n Hit-and-run tactics are suited to victims that are too formidable to confront but easily evaded. However, it takes some doing to bite pieces off whales, so you need to be suitably equipped. The jaws and teeth of tiny cookie-cutter sharks are adapted to slicing out pieces of skin and blubber. They sneak in on the slipstream of a large fish or whale, grab a mouthful, and scoop it out as the host jerks, leaving a characteristic – and horrible – hollow wound. Many other fish, including
We pay £25 for every answer published in New Scientist. To answer a question or ask a new one please email [email protected]. Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address. You can also send questions and
answers to The Last Word, New Scientist, 25 Bedford Street, London, WC2E 9ES. New Scientist Ltd retains total editorial control over the published content and reserves all rights to reuse question and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format and at any time in the future. All unanswered questions and previous questions and answers are at newscientist.com/lastword/
Take a bite
Watch 100 fascinating science talks! Watch mind-expanding talks from Anne-Marie Imafidon, Carlo Rovelli, Tim Peake, Megan Rossi, and many other inspiring scientists. Visit newscientist.com/nsltalks
some piranha and cleaner wrasse, use similar hit-and-run tactics. The jaws of one species in Lake Tanganyika in east Africa actually grow asymmetrically to the left or right. This helps in grabbing a mouthful when quickly passing prey sideways on.
“Cookie-cutter sharks sneak up on large fish and scoop out a mouthful, leaving a horrible wound” On land, pack hunters such as wild dogs and wolves hit and run cooperatively, taking turns, not directly to feed, but to confuse, exhaust, injure and kill big prey. Jon Richfield Somerset West, South Africa
This week’s questions SPACE REFLECTORS
Does the space junk orbiting Earth have any effect on the amount of solar energy reaching the surface of our planet, either by absorbing or reflecting it? Alastair Mouat Kilbucho, Peeblesshire, UK LIGHTER EARTH
We have sent a large number of spacecraft and satellites into space. This must reduce the mass of the planet, albeit by a small amount. Does this reduction affect Earth’s gravity with respect to the sun and moon? Ben Spannagle London, UK
THE LAST WORD You say tomato What creates accents? Is it purely psychological, or is there some physiological element in play?
n Accents develop from the relative isolation of populations. The pronunciation and language of each population changes in different ways and accents are the result. This happens in much the same way that isolation of populations leads to different evolutionary outcomes. Changes to language and pronunciation come from a range of sources: immigration, the introduction of new words, the popularity of different influences like music, random changes, and so on. The root cause of most accents is psychological not physiological. While the shape of the mouth and jaw can affect our voices, we can adapt easily – think of actors who change accents for roles. And our accents usually match that of the area in which we were raised, not necessarily the accents of parents, whose physiology we inherit. Lewis O’Shaughnessy London, UK
though. For example, when people speak alike, who are they imitating? Most of us generally speak like the people around us. But people also imitate those they look up to and want to be like. For instance, if you want to belong, you will talk like your neighbours. If you want to get ahead, you might talk more like the people in centres of prestige, such as your country’s capital. You might not notice you are doing it, but to linguists, these alterations in speech stick out like a sore thumb. David Cordiner Birmingham, UK
n For an animal to feed using a hit-and-run strategy requires it to locate, stalk and then attack a ferocious or fleeing animal. And this is all for a limited amount of food. The attacker would spend less energy overall by killing the prey and enjoying a sumptuous feast at its leisure. Peter Guinan Llangors, Powys, UK
Why aren’t hit-and-run attacks common in the animal kingdom? Surely a barracuda or shark could take a meal-sized chunk out of the back or belly of a whale before it could respond. The same goes for smaller pairings of animals.
n The reason such attacks aren’t common is fear. The prospect of getting hurt while taking a bite out of an animal much larger than you would put most predators off. They are at risk of being belted sideways, eaten alive, damaged for life and so unable to survive, just for one, small mouthful of a whale’s behind. Relying on hit-and-run feeding could bring evolutionary consequences for a species, whether you are a barracuda, a cockroach or a human being. Linda Latham Biggar, South Lanarkshire, UK
n There is no one true language or pronunciation from which people diverge. English, for example, has always been a gaggle of related dialects and different accents. Also, language is always changing. There is no reason why everybody should change in the same way at the same time. The driving forces behind an individual’s accent are varied
n Hit-and-run attacks are seen in the animal world. Wounds from the teeth of cookie-cutter sharks have been seen on migrating whales that passed through the sharks’ habitat. One sei whale had more than 100 bite marks on it. Other fish arguably qualify too. For example, white sea bream have been reported to take nibbles out of people paddling in the Mediterranean and waters off the western coast of Africa. Chris Simms Banwell, Somerset, UK
n Hit-and-run tactics are suited to victims that are too formidable to confront but easily evaded. However, it takes some doing to bite pieces off whales, so you need to be suitably equipped. The jaws and teeth of tiny cookie-cutter sharks are adapted to slicing out pieces of skin and blubber. They sneak in on the slipstream of a large fish or whale, grab a mouthful, and scoop it out as the host jerks, leaving a characteristic – and horrible – hollow wound. Many other fish, including
We pay £25 for every answer published in New Scientist. To answer a question or ask a new one please email [email protected]. Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address. You can also send questions and
answers to The Last Word, New Scientist, 25 Bedford Street, London, WC2E 9ES. New Scientist Ltd retains total editorial control over the published content and reserves all rights to reuse question and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format and at any time in the future. All unanswered questions and previous questions and answers are at newscientist.com/lastword/
Take a bite
Watch 100 fascinating science talks! Watch mind-expanding talks from Anne-Marie Imafidon, Carlo Rovelli, Tim Peake, Megan Rossi, and many other inspiring scientists. Visit newscientist.com/nsltalks
some piranha and cleaner wrasse, use similar hit-and-run tactics. The jaws of one species in Lake Tanganyika in east Africa actually grow asymmetrically to the left or right. This helps in grabbing a mouthful when quickly passing prey sideways on.
“Cookie-cutter sharks sneak up on large fish and scoop out a mouthful, leaving a horrible wound” On land, pack hunters such as wild dogs and wolves hit and run cooperatively, taking turns, not directly to feed, but to confuse, exhaust, injure and kill big prey. Jon Richfield Somerset West, South Africa
This week’s questions SPACE REFLECTORS
Does the space junk orbiting Earth have any effect on the amount of solar energy reaching the surface of our planet, either by absorbing or reflecting it? Alastair Mouat Kilbucho, Peeblesshire, UK LIGHTER EARTH
We have sent a large number of spacecraft and satellites into space. This must reduce the mass of the planet, albeit by a small amount. Does this reduction affect Earth’s gravity with respect to the sun and moon? Ben Spannagle London, UK