Why don't Americans have a British Accent?

[Deckerd]

We have an Irish man working in our office from somewhere deep in shamrockland. He is constantly being mistaken for an American but not so much by Scots, who correctly place him as rural Ireland. Also the idea that dialectal shift in the US invented the sounded 'r' in English is not correct, as Pingfah and Cultcross will tell you, as well as any Irish or Scottish person. Incidentally the distinctive West Country dialect* is very similar to Shakespearian English and the way it was pronounced, so it's a pretty old dialect.

* the overall vowel sounds rather than micro-regional accent variations

 

[Tom Riley]

Are you sure about that? I didn't think I had a Boston accent, but people keep telling me I do.

I am quite sure. First, for more reliable proof, last semester I was comparing my accent with a few of my friends, most of them from Massachusetts and had fairly noticeable Boston accents. All of us agreed that I didn't have a Boston accent, or anywhere near to one. And for the arguably less reliable proof, even on my own I've paid attention to the way I say words and I don't use any of the stereotypical inflections that are found in a Boston accent. And I do pay attention to my accent. It's kind of a little hobby of mine to try to imitate other people's accents and other accents in general so I have to pay attention to how I say things.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I've often wondered myself how appreciable the difference in English accents are to non-native speakers and people who don't speak English at all. The Beeb's OmniEnglish is certainly widespread enough, I'd think, to suss out the difference between it and American/Canadian NewsAnchorEnglish.

I can tell you my personal experience, but I don't know how common it is. I'm pretty sure people with a first language different than Italian will have a very different perspective.

As for American accents, I can identify the "newscast" accent (I guess that's Midwest), a Southern drawl, and a Noo Yawk-ish accent. Other than that, I will just perceive them as "weird" or "difficult".

I can also identify the stereotypical English accents (RP, cockney, etc), but I can't identify any regional variations. I have a vague idea of a "Northern" accent thanks to Doctor Who and Life on Mars.

I can recognize a Scottish accents, but not Irish or Welsh. Aussie, New Zealand and South African accents just sound vaguely British to me. I'm completely oblivious to any Canadian accent.

Personally, I have inexplicably picked up some Scottish inflection in my speech (I think it has to do with my regional Italian dialect which has some similar sounds), so when I speak English I sound like a mix of Sean Connery and Don Vito Corleone...

I get accused of being an Italian mobster...though I don't really talk like one??? Maybe it is the Italian heritage in my family that puts out that vibe.

Yu shudda tell dem that if they keeppa pissin yu offe, you wudda call somme friendes...

 

[Roger Wilco]

I've often wondered myself how appreciable the difference in English accents are to non-native speakers and people who don't speak English at all.

The better you can speak a language the better you are at differentiating individual accents/dialects imo.

 

[O'Dib]

Whatever they speak in Northern England is completely incomprehensible to me.

There are several distinct Northern English accents. As a Yank, I find the accents of the North rather charming. Like this girl hawking sex toys (this particular video is fairly clean):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnKLwWGQAt8

"You-may!" (yummy) lol!

That was brilliant, thanks!

Both of those examples are a bit too eloquent for what I'm looking for. Anyway, I also adore these accents.

 

[captcalhoun]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjrBKo_FtqI

Torchwood. Welsh accents galore

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv7CvsEKe2g

Australian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ePwKYJcEOo

Kiwi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsqosiEyGLs&feature=related

Sout Ifrican

 

[Deckerd]

Sout Ifrican

"don't point your fookin' tentacles at me"

 

[QCzar]

Maybe I just don't get around enough, but I have never heard any English accent that Australian or New Zealander accents sound like. Mind you, they do sound like English accents. Just not like any actual extant one.

As to Canadian accents, given the regional variances in American English, even many Americans (particularly from the Southeast) can't distinguish it from a general Northern-Midwest (like what you'd get in Minnesoooota). In my experience though, its definitely there. Michael Hogan (of BSG fame) probably has one of the strongest Canadian accents you'll ever hear. If you use his speech patterns as a base and extrapolate, then even people like Pamela Anderson will suddenly sound unmistakeably Canadian. There are, of course, regional distinctions even there and I find the Newfoundland accent particularly perplexing (I'm guessing it's more of a dialect than accent).

Listen to any interviews with the cast and crew behind the LOTR movies and the whole range of English accents from across the planet are pretty much all there, except maybe South African and the non-British dialectal ones (West Indian, South Asian, etc.). It makes a good basis for comparison. You've got several different English accents, some Scottish ones, a couple of American ones, Welsh, Canadian, Australian and Kiwi. I'm sure that there's at least one Irish in there somewhere. It's like an English accent pu pu platter.

 

[Deckerd]

But what accent was Samwise Gamgee's?

 

[captcalhoun]

cod

 

[Deckerd]

cod

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

We have an Irish man working in our office from somewhere deep in shamrockland. He is constantly being mistaken for an American but not so much by Scots, who correctly place him as rural Ireland. Also the idea that dialectal shift in the US invented the sounded 'r' in English is not correct, as Pingfah and Cultcross will tell you, as well as any Irish or Scottish person. Incidentally the distinctive West Country dialect* is very similar to Shakespearian English and the way it was pronounced, so it's a pretty old dialect.

* the overall vowel sounds rather than micro-regional accent variations

We have this Irish tourism commercial that plays in the US, and seriously, the first time I heard the narrator talk, it took me quite awhile to realize the guy wasn't American, for the reason you mentioned--he pronounced all his R's, and was SO easy to understand!

 

[QCzar]

But what accent was Samwise Gamgee's?

If I remember correctly, he and Peter Jackson pretty much just went with a vaguely North England "sounding" accent. In other words, they made it up. Many of the Aussie and Kiwi actors have made up accents as well (the Rohirrim, for instance).

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I had a fun time with a friend who was here from Scotland a while ago - one afternoon I said to him "I want to hear your American accent." He looked a little perplexed and I explained "when Americans tell jokes about people from elsewhere most of us attempt accents and most of them are awful. You must have a bad American accent."

Whereupon he looked slightly guilty and launched into what I'd have to identify as some kind of Southern drawl. It was pretty damn funny.

 

[Deckerd]

But what accent was Samwise Gamgee's?

If I remember correctly, he and Peter Jackson pretty much just went with a vaguely North England "sounding" accent. In other words, they made it up. Many of the Aussie and Kiwi actors have made up accents as well (the Rohirrim, for instance).

Definitely not Northern England. He sounded like Wurzel Gummidge.

 

[O'Dib]

Back in elementary school, my English teacher pretended that was his native tongue, and even faked a Brit accent. He'd make fun of Americans by adding yet another layer of fake: "Iey teyalk leyike ey ceyowboey." What a colossal asshole that guy was. Amazing teacher though.

 

[nevermore]

Also the idea that dialectal shift in the US invented the sounded 'r' in English is not correct, as Pingfah and Cultcross will tell you, as well as any Irish or Scottish person.

No, we certainly didn't invent it, but the only regional accent in the US that never went nonrhotic is the Mid-Atlantic (DC, Baltimore, Philly, Southern Jersey) largely because our accent was so heavily influenced by Irish, Scottish and West-Country English.

 

[Pingfah]

But what accent was Samwise Gamgee's?

If I remember correctly, he and Peter Jackson pretty much just went with a vaguely North England "sounding" accent. In other words, they made it up. Many of the Aussie and Kiwi actors have made up accents as well (the Rohirrim, for instance).

Definitely not Northern England. He sounded like Wurzel Gummidge.

Heh, yes if it is the character i'm thinking of, it was a very broad westcountry accent of some description.

 

[Jeri]

The American accents the Germans did when we lived there always just sounded nasal. We apparently sound nasal to continental speakers. That's one of the thing I found familiar about Danish in Copenhagen -- they sound flat and nasal.

 

[captcalhoun]

If I remember correctly, he and Peter Jackson pretty much just went with a vaguely North England "sounding" accent. In other words, they made it up. Many of the Aussie and Kiwi actors have made up accents as well (the Rohirrim, for instance).

Definitely not Northern England. He sounded like Wurzel Gummidge.

Heh, yes if it is the character i'm thinking of, it was a very broad westcountry accent of some description.

yeah, kinda Bristolian. or Forest of Dean.