whose pronunciation is to be followed

[balakrishnanijk]

When listening to English videos on YouTube and else where, a foreign learner is often appalled at the fact that there are as many accents as there are speakers. It would not be an overstatement to say that it is exceedingly difficult to catch on to what is being said if they have not been exposed to a multiplicity of accents. I have read some where that in the UK there are accents mutually unintelligible although the situation in the US seems to be much better. I am not quite familiar with what is spoken in Australia, South Africa, Canada,the Caribbean, and so on... Now, in the end, it all boils down to this. Whose pronunciation/accent
should a foreign learner accept as a starting point so as to embark on the odyssey through this hopeless hodge podge ?

[SlickVic9000]

(Not a Teacher)

I feel that the US houses the most "flat" varieties of accents in the English-speaking community, so my recommendation is American English. But that could just be my imagination, though. "Australian" accents are among the heaviest I've ever heard, but I'm told that there are some very peculiar ones in parts of the UK as well. I'm fond of the "South African" accent myself.