Quote Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee View Post
Yes, but it doesn't then explain the Kairdiff accent at all, which is hardly influenced by the Valleys or the Vale of Glam!
I thought it has something to do with the smoke from the factories, so most cities have harsh vowel sounds, such as Cardiff and Liverpool which have then created the habit from that. The exception is Bristol which (apart from slavery) produced Tobacco which doesn't produce factory smoke, so their accent is similar to a more "country" one. That might not be correct but it's a theory I have heard.