It may have taken more than 600 years, but the town of Berwick appears to have finally decided it is English.

Language experts from Aberdeen University who studied the speech patterns of people living in Berwick reckon the town is starting to talk more like Geordies than Scots, with the traditional "Tweedsider" dialect dying out.

Berwick has changed hands between Scotland and England 13 times, and many people living there have divided loyalties between the Auld Enemies.

But linguistics expert Dominic Watt reckons that Scottish devolution coupled with a growth in regional confidence in the North-East is turning younger Berwick residents decisively towards England.

He said: "The significance of the border has become magnified since devolution and accent and dialect shows that change.

"They feel that Scotland has turned its back on them and the creation of the Scottish Parliament has entrenched that attitude."

According to Dr Watt, older people in Berwick are still retaining the unique Berwick dialect that combines Geordie words like "divvent" (for "don't") with Scottish slang like "how" instead of "why."

But younger Tweedsiders are developing a more Geordie speaking pattern, losing the rolling Scottish "r" sound and speaking with a slight "w" sound.

Dr Watt, who studied at Newcastle University and once taught at Durham University, studied changes to speech patterns on Tyneside before turning his attention to Berwick.

He said: "It's one of those places that is neither one thing nor the other.

"If you ask the people of Eyemouth, north of Berwick, what they think of Berwickers they'll say they sound like Geordies.

"If you speak to people in Alnwick in Northumberland, they say they sound like Scots.

"It's fashionable to be a Geordie. The North-East of England with Newcastle as the cultural hub is driving the linguistic changes."

But his research caused some surprise in the border town.

Berwick resident Christine Dickinson, who is originally from Hexham, said: "The reason the accent has changed is probably because of the great numbers from different areas who have settled here over the years.

"The town has changed hands between the English and the Scots so many times, though, that the true Berwicker is a unique entity."

Holidaymaker Lucy Sutton, who grew up in the Northumberland town, said she still considered herself a Berwick lass, even though she has now lived in the south of England for 15 years.

She said: "The accent hasn't changed that much. People still cut their words short and use local dialect. It's still different from Tyneside, but few would be able to tell the difference."