British English or American accent?

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Will

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Re: English Accents

Kathryn said:
I am an American who grew up on the West Coast of the United States and have what I consider to be a very plain accent. British English comes across to me as polished, fluid and calming. I also feel there is something "upper crust" and refined about the sound of an English accent.

Personally, I think that American English is easier to understand (of course, I'm biased) but lacks the aesthetic, phonetic appeal of the English accent.

In the United States, I also prefer a Southern American accent (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, etc.) to accents used in other parts of the country as well as accents primarily used on television and in movies.

Alas, the grass is always greener on the other side...

I think Kathryn hit the nail on the head. I feel exactly the same way. I grew up almost everywhere in the U.S. (Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and finally, but most unwontingly, Ohio). I think my accent, if I can call it an accent, was shaped mostly by the speakers in Illinois (very close to Chicago). Perhaps it's a Midwestern accent, but I here myself, my accent that is, when listening to people from Chicago speak. It's kind of scary.

I totally agree with Kathryn about the fluidity and aesthetic qualities of the British accent. It really does sound more refined and proper.
 

dduck

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Re: English Accents

Will said:
I totally agree with Kathryn about the fluidity and aesthetic qualities of the British accent. It really does sound more refined and proper.

There are dozens of British accents! Can you tell the difference between them? I've found that most Americans can't. Some British accents sound like honey, other sound like a visit to the dentist. 8)

Iain
 

Tdol

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The British accents you hera on the TV might not reflect the full diversity of spoken English. here's an attempt to give you a taste of the English you might here in a London pub:

Oright me ol' china? Wherya bin?

Artnabart, innit.

Wanna bevvie.

Nah, gorra gedda moveon, etc.

While I like the regional varietires, many of them would not strike many as the correct and proper. London grammar includes:
He don't (pronounced wivou' the 't')
I says
Innit
And that's before we move onto the joys of Cockney Rhyming Slang. ;-)
 

shane

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Cor blimey guv'nor, thas swee' as a nu', tha' is! :wink:
 

Tdol

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Righ' proper innit?
 

dduck

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tdol said:
Righ' proper innit?

Mest o' yez hivnae a klo aboot ene ither axent ither thin the sooth o' Inglnd. E think e'll rite lyk this fir a wile jist so yiz hae a chanz tae si a difrent akzent.

Iain
 
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Will

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I was just wondering whether you guys, British, think you have an accent. I know that when I was growing up I didn't think I had an accent. I mean, that's the way everyone talked.
 

shane

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I come from a place about 50 miles north of London, and there the accent is quite neutral, so yeah, I always thought that I did not have any accent.

People here in China are always telling me I have a very 'standard' British accent (i.e.I sound like the BBC :wink: ), but when I went back home last year, friends & family told me I have a slight new Zealand accent!! This I guess, is down to the fact that all of the other foreign teachers at my school were (at the time) Kiwis.

The teachers we have now are from England, Ireland, Sweden & the US, so I have no idea how my accent is going to sound in a few months' time! :?

Shane
 

shane

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Will said:
Ok, wait. Are Kiwis New Zealanders? I'm a tad confused.

Yes, New Zealanders are known as 'Kiwis'. not because they like eating that particular fruit, but because of the bird :wink:
 
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staypuffinpc

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Ironically, I think you're asking the wrong crowd about which accent is prefered. Despite many differing political views you have to admit that the English-speaking countries are amazingly aligned on a great deal of issues and so we have no animosity—and therefore no real preference—toward or among different accents. I think when you say "outside of the U.S.", what you're asking about is how others view you and, yes, those angry with U.S. foreign policy could possibly take offence and might actually prefer a different accent. Of course, if you're speaking to them in English, they might be at the point that most English speakers are at and not care about or associate accent with politics, in which case we go back to the original answer that it really doesn't matter.
Of course, all of this is assuming that you can even get rid of your own country's accent in the first place, which not a great percentage of speakers accomplish. As everybody's basically stated, people care more about being able to understand you than anything.
There's also the aspect of what's easier to learn when aligned with your native language. My wife is Chilean (I'm from the western U.S.) and she thinks British English is easier to speak than American English.
Probably the most important differences to consider are in vocab. (to native speakers). For example, I had a friend from England a number of years ago who was working on a project with me and asked me to pass him a rubber. He of course meant "eraser", but in AE it sounded like he was asking me to pass him a condom. I've also heard an English Teacher in Brazil (Michael Jacobs) teach "the phone's engaged" (BE) instead of "the phone's busy". In AE, the first example is never used. What you learn depends on who you interact with. Be aware of these differences.
 

Tdol

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Hi, and welcome to UsingEnglish.

For every person that finds BE easier to understand, you'll find one that says the opposite. Last summer I taught a Japanese student who had American pronunciation and didn;t like British English much. She then spent a year in the north orf England and came back to London just before she left with a hybrid American\Yorkshire accent and very fond of the English she'd learned there.
 
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Anonymous

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Can someone help me. I'm a 7 yearold boy.
I don't know what are the opposites of: going, always, yesterday and give.

Please help me with those words.
Thanks.
 
A

Anonymous

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CALVIN said:
Can someone help me. I'm a 7 yearold boy.
I don't know what are the opposites of: going, always, yesterday and give.

Please help me with those words.
Thanks.

Opposites:

coming,
never,
tomorrow,
take.

Where are you from Calvin?
Iain
 

Tdol

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Calvin, don't give your age out on the internet- it's not a good idea. ;-)
 

dduck

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tdol said:
Calvin, don't give your age out on the internet- it's not a good idea. ;-)

Good advice. Also, don't give your address, passwords, credit card numbers ;)

Iain
 

Tdol

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Absolutely; you should email your credit card details, along with powers of attorney to me. ;-)
 
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