Cows 'moo with an accent'

Members of the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers group has noted accent shifts in Somerset cows, the Midlands, Essex, Norfolk and Lancashire.

John Wells, Professor of Phonetics at the University of London, said: "This phenomena is well attested in birds. You find distinct chirping accents in the same species around the country."

Dr Jeanine Treffers-Daller, reader in linguistics at the University of the West of England in Bristol, said the accent may be learned from relatives.