Why Is Lisping so Common in England?

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Luitpoldt

I lived in England for 13 years and was astonished at how often I noticed people lisping there.   Perhaps one in ten persons there lisps, and it must be very common, since people hardly notice it as anything strange.  But if someone lisps in America or Canada, it is thought profoundly odd, and occurs only very rarely, so that the few lispers, such as Barbara Walters, really stand out.  Israelis speaking English sometimes seem to lisp, but that I think is just an accent.  I wonder if the English list is a result of the Norman invasion, which was followed by a long period during which French-speakers were assumed to be upper class, so that trying to imitate a French accent, even just by doing a lisp, was a way to suggest higher status? 

DEFAULT-DANCE-MANIA

Eh, I mean you are kind of right but its more like one in a hundred people.

Ziggy_Zugzwang

Right. No more England Canada détente. Capture a Bigfoot then instead of making loads of films about it then we'll put our lisping house in order !

Mr_Alex_Pims
Wow! Astonishing!
HippotoBaron6

I've lived in England all my life and lisping is so rare here that i can't even remember the last time i heard someone lisp irl. On TV it's common though, as is 'mincing about' and having upward-pointing, spikey haircuts. At least, that's how i remember it, as i no longer have a TV. meh.png

Carla-Magnusson

It is common in the under 5 age group...