Transatlantic accent

[guoguohu]

I am not a English native speaker. A couple of days ago, I was told by my friend, who is British, that I had picked up a transatlantic accent. To my understanding, this is some accent in the middle of the British accent and the American one.

I am wondering if anyone has ever heard about this accent before. And is that a good thing to have?

Any comments from English native speakers are very welcome. How do you like when you talk to someone holding such an accent?

[abaka]

I'm not an expert on phonology at all, but I know such an accent, also called "mid-Atlantic English" exists or existed. Apparently it or something like it was used in the early days of Hollywood talkies.

Mid-Atlantic English - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[susiedqq]

I think he means you picked up a bit of an American accent.

[Tdol]

One way the term can be used in the UK is for a British English speaker who uses some American sounds, the way many singers do.

[sasikumar81]

It's a kind of neutral accent, which sounds halfway between British and American English. Mid-Atlantic English, also known as the trans-Atlantic accent, describes a cultivated or acquired version of the English language and does not represent the typical idiom of any location. ref: Neutralaccent.com Voices 24/7 | An accent the world understands

[Linguist__]

I agree with Tdol and susiedqq. The actual Transatlantic English accent was popular in the mid-20th century. It is a very distinct accent if you hear it and isn't a real accent - that is, no one speaks it naturally. It is taught.

So, your friend probably means that you are saying things both with British and American pronunciations.

[Anglika]

"Mid-Atlantic" I would understand to mean traces of both American and British usage/accent.

"Trans-Atlantic" would indicate that an American pronunciation/accent is stronger.

[Searching for language]

Originally Posted by Anglika

"Mid-Atlantic" I would understand to mean traces of both American and British usage/accent.

"Trans-Atlantic" would indicate that an American pronunciation/accent is stronger.

But there are so many "American" regional accents. Someone from Boston sounds very different from someone from Texas, so what is an American accent?

[Anglika]

To most people, a flat "a", slurring of consonants, different rhythm to the spoken word - particularly in terms of stresses. It is not necessary to look for specific accents, but to consider the overall difference in sound. To some an American accent is a richer sound than an English one.