British English or American accent?

[Vibovit]

American accent was considerably easier for me to understand.

(I've only been to New York and Delaware - I don't know about West Coast, southern States etc.)

It's flat, while British accent is not, and the English tend to swallow a lot of sounds.

(Scottish or Irish accent is not any easier to me, for obvious reasons.)



Surprisingly or not, it also worked the other way round for me - Americans seemed to be more comfortable with my slavonic accent than the English.

 

[GreenSky]

I have to say that when it comes to accents, most of the time I adore them all because of the character it gives people. I have lived in the southern US my whole life, but my grandmother is from Germany. Although she has lived here a very long time, she still has a good bit if her accent left. All of her "th"s sound like "d"s, and all of her "w"s still sound like "v"s.

My aunt, who married into the family, is from Hull. She has lived here a long time now as well, but her accent has definitely faded. Still, it is obvious that she is from England, as it is obvious my grandmother is from "somewhere" in Europe. I love to hear them both speak, especially when my aunt REALLY puts on the BE.

I myself have a typical Southern US accent, and am quite proud of it. A lot of media and stereotypical propaganda would have one believe that southerners are uneducated, shoeless mountain folk, and this simply is not true. Just as I respect and admire the way others speak, I also do not generalize them into a category, and I feel that it is very important to keep this in mind when learning the English language.

 

[nekobaka]

I'm american, and I teach in Japan. Some of my coworkers are british, and students often say that I'm easier to understand. Like China, Japan also gets mostly american english in their education. That's the way it is, but I think it's important to listen to a variety of accents, and at least be able to understand. When it comes to speaking, both accents are equally acceptable.

 

[vivekvaradarajan]

I sincerely dont think Americans speak English the way its supposed to be,
am mean words galore like "wanna", "kinda" and a tone load of modifications to English words that dont belong to the dictionary means thats not rightful English and to say others have an accent is wrong.

Besides Americans have most of their ancestory from the Brits, and since precolonial times other countries have caught up with English only as a colonial language

So why not speak like the rest of the world America??

I am from India, but live in USA

 

[curmudgeon]

I'm with you vivekvaradarajan! now keep your head down!! :lol:

 

[RonBee]

We colonials took the language and made it our own. Accents are all over the place. The Brits certainly have accents, but there are also American accents: Southern, New England, New York.

~R

 

[curmudgeon]

We colonials took the language and made it our own. Accents are all over the place. The Brits certainly have accents, but there are also American accents: Southern, New England, New York.

~R

Hey RonBee, you didn't 'take' the language, it was a gift. :lol:

 

[Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim]

I am a student in China. Because of the Hollywood movies, American songs and much more frequent contact with US than that of UK, American accent seems more popular.
However, the college teachers suggest that British accent is more acceptable in the world, especially in the world outside US. Is it true?
I want to know how would UKers react to American accent speaking callers and vice versa.
Do Americans like British accent on the phone when it is a sales call, for example?
I want opinions from only native English speakers, mainly UK and US citizens. Please state your nationality and your feelings about the accents.
Thanks.

The dominance of one language (dialect) over another is due to some kind of power. In case of AmE it is the military and economic power in addition to film industry, technology and music. There is evidence now that AmE is permeating into BE. But of course a new type of English (global Englsih GE) is now emerging which might replace both.

 

[tongpa]

Hi every body over there,
I'm a Chadian and have been teaching English now for years. The difference between British and american has always been a puzzle to me. 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. It's true that it was hard to understand people from the U.K(for me).
Although at school I was taught to use British when I came into contact with Americans, it was easier for me to understand them then I would understand someone from the UK. What's important is the message and I'm happy that all English speakers don't care about the accent but the message conveyed.
I have never been outside of my country and would to have an oppotunity to go in to the US or UK to live the difference.

 

[chauhnvn]

I also find American much easier to understand though it seems more difficult to imitate American accent. However, in Vietnam students are often taught British accent. But how to make my tongue create American accent? It is not easy to do so

 

[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]

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. :-D:up:

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

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]

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]

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...
I could never pronounce DOCTOR in AE... Dunno...

 

[Jason72]

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

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