Marseille Hosts Festival of Accents Celebrating Regional Speech Diversity

Marseille and Aix-en-Provence will host the second edition of the Festival des accents from April 9 to 11, 2026. Organized by sociolinguist Médéric Gasquet-Cyrus and other researchers, the event explores accents as both existential markers and scientific objects. The festival examines phonological aspects of accent formation, featuring demonstrations like machines showing how nasal vowels are produced. Comedic duo Les Jobastre, composed of Hugo Balique and Romain Borelli, highlight regional speech diversity through sketches and regional "battles." Their show "En rodage" portrays two colleagues with exaggerated Marseille humor. The festival aims to treat all accents equally, covering French and English-speaking accents globally. Marseille's linguistic richness includes the "pagnolesque" accent of Raimu, the bourgeois "jambon" accent, and accents from northern neighborhoods and artists like Jul and Soprano. Borelli previously faced pressure to suppress his accent while working in radio, an experience he describes as erasing identity. The event follows a previous edition in Saint-Étienne focused on "gaga stéphanois."