You might’ve noticed your child who enjoys online gaming, particularly formats like Fortnite’s Battle Royale, sometimes sounds a little, well, different. It might be that they’ve switched to what linguists call ‘Fortnite accents’ – high-pitched and fast-paced accents with an upward inflection at the end of each sentence, almost as if everything is being said in the tone of a question. According to experts at the English language classes platform Preply, the accent “mimics the sound of an overly excited or frustrated child’s voice”. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement“The accent is fuelled by the intense, sometimes chaotic nature of the game, especially when players get knocked down,” they said. “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.

Source: Huffington Post February 02, 2026 07:55 UTC