70% of words in voicemails are slang

New research finds Queen's English is waning

22 April 2008 12:16 GMT / By Katie Scott

The team testing a software application that turns phone voicemails into texts has foind that 70% of the language we use when leaving messages aren't in the English dictionary.

The researchers used the SpinVox system to analyse the words used in thousands of voice messages.

And they found that nearly three quarters of the words we use aren't recognised in the English language.

The top 10 obscure words were docky, which is used in Norfolk to mean a snack; the use in the Midlands of blart instead of cry; brammer, which means "an outstanding person or thing" in west Scotland.

In the North of England, gennell is used for alleyway; apparently dreckly means immediately for those living in the south west; while hoy is a Cumbrian term for "to throw".

The system also now recognises hacky as dirty - a term used in Tyneside; jangle which is Liverpudlian for gossipping; spogs, which means a confectionary in Yorkshire; and last up, apparently people in Stoke-on-Trent called food "snappin".

The SpinVox D2 system uses artificial intelligence, voice recognition and natural linguistics to learn and recognise the language used on the telephone so that it can turn it into the written word; and so learning regional slang as been part of this process.

In fact, D2 can learn new words at an average of 150 words a week.

The SpinVox system also lets users update their Facebook, Twitter or Jaiku page or a personal blog by speaking into their phone.

The service is available in English, French, Spanish and German.

Full tags

Phones, Voicemail