British English or American accent?

[Tdol]

Learning an accent comes from contact- the more Americans you speak to, the more you will become familiar with the nuances of American pronunciation. I would advise you to speak with the accent that comes naturally to you- if you have learned BrE, then use it until you are familiar enough with AmE to use that- if you try to put on an accent you are not familiar with, it will sound artificial.

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by tongpa

Now I'm teaching in a company where I have many English speakers from different countries around the world, I don't think the difference in accent is a problem.

What's important is the message and I'm happy that all English speakers don't care about the accent but the message conveyed.

Oh, tonga, you get an A++ for that.

I agree. As an international tool for communciation English belongs to the world.

[xxkkxx]

im from the United States, in Atlanta, Georgia. So I have a regular american accent. I think many americans fancy the accent because it sounds prim and proper but most people dont prefer one over the other. Since I have a southern accent it adds a bit a charm, but doesnt sound over the top. Mostly people stick to, " the grass is greener on the other side"

[A.Russell]

Yes, so many boring American English text books with horrible American accents. There should be more American English textbooks that use a good southern drawl, especially Texan. Perhaps something with a holly roller or oil tycoon theme, and characters with good American single-syllable names, like Chuck and Dan or Flo.

[Liz AG]

I'm from the U.S.A. and like all kinds of accents. Many of the British accents sound refined to me. But I had difficulty understanding someone with a British Cockney accent. I also enjoy the accent of a friend from Australia, even though he uses a lot of slang expressions that he has to teach to me.

So, overall, I don't believe the accent matters, just the ability to be understood.

[ronaldtong]

Hi everyone,

I was born in Hong Kong and has studied in highschool in Masschusetts and in the UK, and now a medical student in the UK. I have to say that American English is so much easier to understand and has a lot of charisma attached to it when spoken well. In Britain, there is hardly any charismatic speaker. And I used to think that British English are all you hear from the BBC, but in reality, there are a lot of crap accents, so hard to understand!!! And a lot of the British accents sound really uneducated. You really have to come to Britain to experience the large variety and variation of accents. To be honest, I found that speaking AE is much easier because you don't need to pronounce every "t" or "d". Welcome anyones comments.

Ronald

Originally Posted by gusilcan

I am not an English native speaker. However, I have learned English since I was 6, at school. Now, I study in Hong Kong, with people from all around the world. Here, at school, there are as many accents as you can imagine, and the matter of accents is something that we don't discuss on, but quite a few times ppl have told me that I have an American accent. I have to say I like it. I can't explain, but I find that American accents are easier to understand, are somehow clearer... Besides, most of the people here that do not have English as a first language tend to have a rhotic pronounciation and to pronounce things in the 'American way'. It is a matter of fact: American English has a stronger presence in non-English speaking countries thanks to movies and series... entertainment is an industry that can go anywhere. On the other hand, I find BE to be educated and I like it, too... I just like the American one better...

BTW I am from Latin America

[bianca]

I've lived both in the US, Virginia, and in England, Berkshire, although originally I'm Swedish. I've noticed that the American accent is growing in popularity even in England, with Am. words and phrases being taken over by the Brits, and even in Sweden (such as "jaywalker", "chores" and so on). Especially teenagers, my students for instance, are fond of Am. E., and they try to imitate the accent from TV, or long to travel "over there" as they say, to the land where everything happens. British E. was once "lingua franqua" in the world, while a big colonial power, but Am. E. has kind of taken over (with the US current position in the world...). I prefer AmE, probably due to my long stay in America, not to mention the Am movies, music and so on,which impacted me greatly. The spoken language is full of slang and colloquialisms everywhere you turn, and that's the beauty of it. On the other hand, written/formal Am English seems to be following the conventions of correct British English. As is the case with accent, the written E is still a matter of prestige. Seems to me that the English language doesn't "belong" to England anymore, as was the case way back, but it has become a worldwide language, a maze of "Englishes", as it were.

[Cascata]

Originally Posted by jej1997

Using "real" instead of "really" in conversation is recognized as a (quaint and very often ironic) colloquialism by the majority of Americans.

Where do you live?!

In rural Upstate NY, where I live, the only people who understand the difference between "real" and "really" are the people associated with the institutions of higher learning in the area. Irony is lost on the average American.

I agree that non-native English speakers shouldn't worry about which accent to emulate. I'd say that the vast majority of native speakers can understand both British and American English without problems. Besides, if you're learning English as an adult, it's unlikely that you'll ever be able to perfectly match a native accent. Instead, strive for intelligibility and clarity. That's the most important part of communication.

[Ben_Adam]

Originally Posted by ronaldtong

To be honest, I found that speaking AE is much easier because you don't need to pronounce every "t" or "d". Welcome anyones comments.
Ronald

On contrary, I find BE much easier to speak... Rs are being left out... :D
I could never pronounce DOCTOR in AE... :D Dunno...

[Jason72]

Originally Posted by Ben_Adam

On contrary, I find BE much easier to speak... Rs are being left out... :D
I could never pronounce DOCTOR in AE... :D Dunno...

I find it easier too, but I am born in UK, so it's natural!
Where are you from(by birth)?