Hi Judy, I agree with you. That further demostrates my poing. <BR>Regards <BR>Art <BR>

I'm English and while I love some American accents, others really grate on me. I'm struggling to work out why but can't really put my finger on it. <BR>Some accents can sound very nasal - and that bothers my ears, others are very drawly and I think that grates because it's so different from the English accent and tends to put emphasis in different places. Thinking about it, though, the thing that bothers me most about the way some (and I emphasise SOME) Americans speak is the volume. This is, of course, a huge generalisation, but I think it has some truth, that Americans on average speak louder than English people. It probably also accounts for the fact that when I go to America, I often have to repeat myself several times before I'm understood - I think it's the volume (or lack of it) rather than the accent that's the problem.

I love the Southern accent and that "lived in" New York accent. All educated American accents sound fine, but I detest that whiny nasal sound, as spoken by people like John McEnroe the ex tennis player. <BR>I was reading an article about accents and it said that in received pronunciation the sound is pushed forward with the soft palate raised. In many American and non RP English accent the voice comes from the back of the mouth. <BR>I have never heard any American on film or TV come anywhere near a Scottish accent and of course people still laugh about Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins.

As a German, I very much prefer the BBC-English to any other accent since it's much easier to understand. I'm probvably used to this way of pronouncing words but beside differing pronounciations, it's really difficult to understand slurred words and many Americans tend to do this. I think that there is some wisdom in the joke that everybody understands English if it's spoken loud and slowly. If the words are pronounced on their own, it's often much easier to understand the accent. <BR> <BR>By the way, there are also many British accents which I can't understand, at least until I've listened to them for half an hour. The worst experience was a Scot with whom I had a quite long conversation. For most of the conversation I wasn't even sure about the subject he was talking about and hoped that he hadn't switched to a sad story since I was happily smiling and nodding my head while trying to catch at least some words.

I love hearing different pronunciations based on geographic location. I live in southeast PA and have family in northeast PA. You can even hear subtle diffences between the way we say certain words with only 100 miles between us. I've also noticed many variations pronouncing the word "water". From wooder, waater, to wudder. (I say roughly wutter. People from rural areas tend to add an "r" to the word "wash" making it warsh. I also have family living outside Ottawa, Ontario. Besides the obvious "eh?", there is also "out" and "about" pronounced (very) roughly oot and aboot. I also have also identified Canadians by the word "pasta" pronounced almost like with a Boston accent, paasta. Also, a young German girl who visited with our family for a few summers, began school in Scotland. Her British teachers of english were not pleased with her very American pronunciations. <BR> <BR>Steph

Here's the eternal question: Why do so many singers from the UK, Ireland, Australia, etc., suddenly have American accents when they sing? There are a few exceptions, but not many. <BR> <BR>My wife's from Ireland, and it always grates on her to hear Americans try to do an Irish accent. She refers to it as the "Lucky Charms" accent. In the movies, the worst ever attempt by an actor to do an accent other than his own was by Richard Gere, playing a former IRA member from Northern Ireland. That accent is hard enough for people from England or even the Republic of Ireland, let alone Richard Gere. If you really need a laugh some day, find this movie. And it's killing me that now I can't remember the title! It came out around 1997, I believe.

Hi -- I still want to see more answers to the original question of what American accents sound like to Brits, but there are some very good and very bad cross-overs of accents in films. One of the worst in my memory is Vivian Leigh's "Southern" accent in Gone with the Wind -- what a travesty! And there are some contemporary American actors who try to assume a British or Irish or Scottish or even non-Eng. accent with disastrous results. But I'm always impressed with Mel Gibson and Meryl Streep for their adaptability, and Minnie Driver does a very good job with the American accent. I'd love to know if Brits think Gwyneth (sp&gt;) Paltrow does a decent job with her British accent. <BR> <BR>But what I'd really like to know is what Brits who imitate an American accent "do" to change their pronunciation! What do they focus on changing?

Well, I can attest to the fact that there is such a thing as a Southwestern US accent. I grew up in Arizona and moved East as an adult. People really looked at me funny sometimes. In Arizona, for instance, "hundred" is often pronounced "hunnerd." <BR> <BR>I had a great time with a Brit on my last visit. We played around at attempting each other's accents. His version of an American accent was a Texas drawl. Do we all sound like George Bush to the Brits? <BR> <BR>As for worst accents on actors, I'd have to nominate Kevin Costner. Sounds like a valley boy to me, no matter the role.

Folks, my original question still <BR>hasn't been answered. <BR> <BR>If you were an English-speaking, <BR>non-American watching an American <BR>movie and no regional accents were <BR>being spoken, how would you describe <BR>the American accent? <BR> <BR>To me, the British accent, which I <BR>genuinely love hearing, sounds both <BR>regal and cutely affected. I cannot <BR>help smiling when I hear the long vowels <BR>absent from "privacy" or "zebra" or <BR>"innovative," in spite of the fact that the words do sound more sophisticated. <BR> <BR>Again, how does the American accent <BR>sound? <BR> <BR>Cheers, <BR> <BR>Gerry K <BR> <BR>

1. The Richard Gere movie was "The Jackal" -- a bad remake of "Day of the Jackal." <BR>2. I suspect you're not getting answers to what the American accent "sounds like" because no one can classify it in a word or two, and there are several accents to contend with -- New England, Texas, Upper Midwest, etc.

I'm an Arab living in the mid-East whose first language is English, having learned it..first, before Arabic. I have a few insights to share. <BR> <BR>First off, I speak with an American accent, thx to the school I attended. I have heard many people say they don't like the American accent in general. <BR> <BR>To answer the original Q, I suppose the American accent sounds flat and even, although it's tough to be objective when one is surrounded by the American "language" on TV & elsewhere. As noted earlier, there are many variations to this accent. My favorite has to be the Southern accent. I also like the way people spoke in old movies like Rear Window and North by Northwest. The American accent then was softer, less edgy, more enunciated than now. The part I dislike most is the frequent use of ummm, especially as a pause preceding a sentence. I also dislike the current trend of lilting the words upwards at the end of a sentence. I am guilty of doing that myself sometimes :)Interestingly enough, I've had many people ask me, "Are you from California?", & are shocked to hear the answer! <BR> <BR>What is fascinating is the effect an American accent can have on rustling up good service. I've noticed that more often than not, speaking with a distinct American accent to people in shops, hotels, phone operators, etc... basically guarantees I'll get better service than someone with "accented" English. Especially in places where the almighty US is revered. Case in point: In a Cairo hotel, my husband, who speaks English well but not "American", asked for an ironing board. He was informed brusquely that they were all out. I called a few minutes later, & sweetly asked for an ironing board. It was delivered in 2 minutes flat. I know, many interpretations can be made, but this has happened so much, it can't be coincidental. <BR> <BR> <BR>My 2 halalas.... <BR>

Thanks, Hiba. Great answer. <BR> <BR>So far then we've got flat, edgy, <BR>and not quite so soft. <BR> <BR>(By the way, Bermudians often preface their comments with two "umms," as in, <BR>"Um, um, I think I'll shop tomorrow.") <BR> <BR>Cheers, <BR> <BR>Gerry K <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Hiba: what a good observation! Anyone notice the "differant southern" accents? Ilike the New England accent best! <BR>But my all time favorite accents belong to the Irish and Scots! I could listen for hours. Also, what a lovely accent Simon Schama(from the History of Britain)has! Good thread, Gerry&gt; BTW, I was born in Pottsville, so I am familiar with "tree" &lt;g&gt;.

regarding singing in an "American" accent---people sing with no accent because a different part of the brain is responsible for singing than for speaking.

Gerry- <BR>forget the accents. What I want to know is how you get your messages to look like they do? They're all squished together, whereas the rest of ours sprawl across the screen.

Gerry- <BR>forget the accents. What I want to know is how you get your messages to look like they do? They're all squished together, whereas the rest of ours sprawl across the screen.

Many of the American accents have different emphasis on different vowels and tends to elongate the vowels. <BR> <BR>A word such as "long" in the UK is actually quite short, but it almost has two vowels when spoken by an American. <BR> <BR>I find the tone slightly nasal, but not unpleasantly so, certainly louder, and slower. <BR> <BR>But the main difference really is in the vowels... <BR> <BR>Another example, I say the word Lord as it is written. To me an American says it as Low-urd or Law-uhd. <BR> <BR>Kavey

Gerry, what British accent do you refer to? There are many, and for good measure we dont all say privacy and zebra like we have plums in our mouths. <BR> <BR>the average Brit probably doesnt give two hoots what you all sound like. I can tell a Texan from an Oregonian, a Minnesota accent from a Maine accent but what does that show, that some of us can detect accents whilst others cannot or dont bother to? <BR> <BR>As some of you know, I don't sound like Prince Charles so please move on, this stuff should be beneath you.

I don't think non-native speakers of English necessarily lose their accents when they sing. Marlene Dietrich and Maurice Chevalier come to mind. As for why British singers sometimes sing in American accents, I think it depends on the genre of song. The appropriate dialect for rock songs is somehow felt to be American, particularly Southern American, since the genre has its origins in blues and country music. But a British singer would be unlikely to acquire an American accent when singing a song by Noel Coward or even Cole Porter. The ancient Greeks had similar correspondences between dialect and genre: Epic poetry was written in Ionic, solo lyric was in Aeolic, and choral lyric was in Doric, no matter what the poet's native dialect was, because those were the original dialects in which the respective genres arose.

Jody, thanks for the clarification re Stones. <BR> <BR>I agree with the poster who was wondering why non-American singers often tend to sing with American accents. It has always bothered me about Elton John. By the same token, I was pleased to hear The Proclaimers, a Scottish band from the late 80's, singing in their local accent. I could understand every word they sang no problems. There must be a reason for non-American singers singing in an American accent, and I would like to know what it is!