A new phenomenon, courtesy of the television, has been making the rounds on Twitter: some children who watch Peppa Pig are starting to talk with a distinctly non-American accent.
Dubbed "Peppa Pig Syndrome" or "The Peppa Effect," many American and Canadian parents have noticed their little ones starting to use words they definitely haven't picked up from them. Some parents just report vocabulary differences, such as "torch" instead of "flashlight," while others have noticed a difference in the way their children pronounce words.
Not all of the characters from the show speak with the same accent, so it seems to be up to chance which one kids will pick up on.
There are quite a few parents reporting their children adopting a new accent and vocabulary.
Apparently the accent isn't the only thing kids are picking up from Peppa.
Comic book writer and film director Greg Pak pointed out that Peppa Pig is only the first in a long list of excellent British media children are likely to encounter and mimic.
Not everyone thinks this is a bad thing.
British parents pointed out that American and Australian television and movies have the opposite effect on their children.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers are still actively developing their language skills, so it makes sense that they would be easily influenced by accents they hear regularly. Nobody expected it to be this adorable though!
