Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accents?

[M'Sharak]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

I was born in LA (literally, in Hollywood). Newscasters sound, for the most part, like LA. That "surfer talk"? That's like, you know, Valley Girl-speak.

It's the other way around. The "Valley-speak" made famous by Moon Zappa began with suburban L.A. teens trying to talk like surfers. Words like "gnarly," "rad," "tubular" and "grody" came from surfing lingo.

The part of suburban L.A which happens to coincide with the affluent neighborhoods in the southwest San Fernando Valley, in fact. And "trying to talk like" is accurate; the true surfer-speak was a lot stranger than that and much harder to understand.

And the kids were using the word "bitchin'" when I was in junior high school -- in the 1960s.

It was a surfer word then and it was still a surfer word when the Vals picked it up in the late 1970s/early '80s.

 

[Kestra]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

I say "like" a lot. I think I have the non-accent thing down for the most part, being from the midwest, but there's also definitely a Chicago accent. I haven't noticed anything in Northern California because people here are from all over. As in different countries.

 

[Methos]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

Yes, but what do you think of the accents that you can recognize? Do you like them? Are you indifferent? I know you were responding to Corporal Captain, but the main thing I wanted to learn in this thread was what you thought about the various accents.

oh sorry...

i'd say i quite like american accents actually... as with all accents, it depends on the person with it, but yeah, american is quite a fun one

M

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

I was born, raised, and still live in, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. And NOBODY around here talks like the woman in that video.

I know. It's exaggerated. It's a kid's show, so that's part of it. But I wanted something where the differences were easy to pick out rather than subtle. The second least subtle accent (this time real) was Sarah Palin, but I decided Bobby's World was more amusing.

 

[Captain Ice]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

Over here, even within a region the accents can vary by much more specific locations. I once introduced a coworker to one of our vendors, thinking that they sounded like they were from the same area of the country. The conversation went like this:

Vendor: Hi

Coworker: Queens

Vendor: Long Island!

 

[Mach5]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

I totally dig the New Orleans accent.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

What, no love for the Philadelphia accent?

 

[Methos]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

aside from watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air... which i doubt is a realistic comparison, i wouldn't be able to tell you what a Philadelphia accent sounded like lol

M

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

^ Here you go.

 

[Bob Karo]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

I totally dig the New Orleans accent.

Meh. Chalmetian accents can get grating for some from Acadiana.

 

[NrobbieC]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

I struggle to tell most American accents apart. Some are a little grating - the one(s) that pronounce o like a very strong a

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

aside from watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air... which i doubt is a realistic comparison, i wouldn't be able to tell you what a Philadelphia accent sounded like lol

M

I posted a video earlier. It's probably harder for a non-American to spot the differences since you hear R's being pronounced (it's the only rhotic accent on the east coast, so it probably sounds closer to the "standard" accent). On the other hand, I've been told I pronounce words strangely in the past.

 

[propita]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

I was born in LA (literally, in Hollywood). Newscasters sound, for the most part, like LA. That "surfer talk"? That's like, you know, Valley Girl-speak.

Yes, thank you. As a Californian who lives by the beach and has occasionally surfed and bodyboarded (badly) in his youth, I had to defend our honor and point out that we sound more like Stu Nahan (the reporter, who is a native Los Angelino) in the clip below than Jeff Spicoli. That's a very small subset of speakers in SoCal.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKrpl-KBTzQ[/yt]

I was born in LA (literally, in Hollywood). Newscasters sound, for the most part, like LA. That "surfer talk"? That's like, you know, Valley Girl-speak.

It's the other way around. The "Valley-speak" made famous by Moon Zappa began with suburban L.A. teens trying to talk like surfers. Words like "gnarly," "rad," "tubular" and "grody" came from surfing lingo.

And the kids were using the word "bitchin'" when I was in junior high school -- in the 1960s.

I was born in LA (literally, in Hollywood). Newscasters sound, for the most part, like LA. That "surfer talk"? That's like, you know, Valley Girl-speak.

It's the other way around. The "Valley-speak" made famous by Moon Zappa began with suburban L.A. teens trying to talk like surfers. Words like "gnarly," "rad," "tubular" and "grody" came from surfing lingo.

The part of suburban L.A which happens to coincide with the affluent neighborhoods in the southwest San Fernando Valley, in fact. And "trying to talk like" is accurate; the true surfer-speak was a lot stranger than that and much harder to understand.

And the kids were using the word "bitchin'" when I was in junior high school -- in the 1960s.

It was a surfer word then and it was still a surfer word when the Vals picked it up in the late 1970s/early '80s.

Val-speak was after everything (surfer slang, 60s and even 70s slang) and a bastardized combination of these other slang/styles, with a LOT of "like" and "oh my ga-odd" with that inflection added. We in the OTHER valley (San Gabriel) considered it the slang of idiots, since they couldn't speak a coherent sentence.

Yeah, Stu Nahan is as good an example as any for the REAL non-accent. Especially since he was an LA native.

 

[Starbreaker]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

Southern accents (of whatever variety) drive me up the wall, because most of the time it sounds like mush-mumble-mush, chew-with-your-mouth-open-while-speaking, with an occasional real word thrown in.

Youins must be gettins your learnins bout the South from thems movin pictures

 

[1001001]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

We in the OTHER valley (San Gabriel) considered it the slang of idiots, since they couldn't speak a coherent sentence.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you grow up??

 

[MANT!]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

I'm reminded of the difference in useage between Northern California and Southern California. there's a definite change between the San Francisco bay Area and the Los Angeles basin...and if one goes further into the foothills (The Gold Country or around Redding) the accent can almost become Texan in nature..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_English

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

Youins must be gettins your learnins bout the South from thems movin pictures

od0, is that you?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

I'm reminded of the difference in useage between Northern California and Southern California. there's a definite change between the San Francisco bay Area and the Los Angeles basin...and if one goes further into the foothills (The Gold Country or around Redding) the accent can almost become Texan in nature..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_English

Hmmm, I spent part of my childhood in Texas and now live in the Gold Country. I wonder if my accent is back?

 

[scotpens]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

We in the OTHER valley (San Gabriel) considered it the slang of idiots, since they couldn't speak a coherent sentence.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you grow up??

We're Trek geeks. We NEVER grow up!

 

[Captain Ice]

Re: Non-American Native Engl. Speakers, What Do U Think of Amer. Accen

We in the OTHER valley (San Gabriel) considered it the slang of idiots, since they couldn't speak a coherent sentence.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you grow up??

I'm curious as well.