It might be worth noting that the author is English. The English have a very peculiar relationship with accent, in that one's accent is one of the prime indicat

It might be worth noting that the author is English. The English have a very peculiar relationship with accent, in that one's accent is one of the prime indicators of social class in their country. As such the author may be unknowingly over-emphasizing the role of distinct vowel pronunciations, assigning their importance to intelligibility or understanding rather than merely to accent.