Thread: A British or American accent?

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

Posh totty.

I see your Sophie Ellis-Bexter...

...and raise you a Gemma Arterton



Ooft.

Yes, but you see the pronunciation of can't with the long vowel sound as opposed to miscreants like me?

The same as SEB.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

Fuck off, nammers.

I am common as muck and have an accent to match. Plebs like me can only aspire to a voice like SEB.

whatever, its not cut glass and i've been around enough of what you think it is.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

That is not your cut glass accent she got a common accent, look at Peter O'toole in Lawrence of Arabia, that is cut glass.

I'll give you that one though.

Kinell. Barrrrthhhroom.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

whatever, its not cut glass and i've been around enough of what you think it is.

You are right and I am wrong. Nobody speaks like that where I come from.

Joanne Lumley is the ultimate posh totty accent..

Originally Posted by russellsimpson

^
Indeed. I had a Scott from that area as my advanced political science professor. Beautiful accent . I think many attended his lectures just to listen to the guy speak.

Sure they did.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

It was me when I was pissed.

Originally Posted by Simon43

I was brought up to speak with an RP (received pronunciation) accent. That's what I use when teaching. But as a kid, I would speak with a Leicester accent with my mates. My mum would always tell me to 'switch off that accent' if I were in adult company, and I would do so.

Now I get the weirdest looks when I ask someone who is speaking with a strong local accent to 'switch off their accent' for a moment. They are incapable of doing so! Can people not actually switch to another accent, like a southern Thai switching to Bangkok Thai?

I was raised in a similar way, but with a mix of North Notts and South Yorkshire. My mum used to encourage proper speaking with a clip round the ear if I used local slang.

I have been known to lapse after a few beers. 😊

Accents are a funny thing and there is a wealth of them from english speaking countries. Some are like music while others are rough and raw.
Even in a small country like NZ there is a difference between North and South island, influenced probably by Scottish migrants.
Australians go from ocker to an educated Australian accent more akin to a British accent. South ozzies appear to have more of a brit type accent than other Australians. At least to my ear.
I can usually pick a kanuk from a septic. America has a host of accents as does Britain. The one sound Americans and Candians seem to struggle with is words with "U" and "EW" as in News (Nyews) which comes out as noos, or Tune (Tyune) which they seem to pronounce as toon.
Another example is Toona fish (U.S not sure why fish needs to be added) Tyuna (England) choona (standard OZ) Tyuna (Plummy Oz).

One problem with the UK/US accent debate is that only a minority of people in the UK actually speak with RP pronunciation. Often British people with regional or working class accents are almost incomprehensible. In the US, on the other hand, I would say that the majority speak with a general American accent. You only have large numbers of people with strong accents in the South and in some inner cities.

The main problem with any US/UK accent debate is that it's a complete waste of time.



Grouping, say, Barack Obama with, say, some Floridian motor home dweller is just ridiculous.

As is grouping Shane McGowan with Rishi Sunak, of course.

Originally Posted by russellsimpson

Canadian and American sound the same although some would argue not.

They certainly would.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

I would say Sophie Ellis Bextor is a perfect example

Sounds more Essex to me.

In China, most people speak Mandarin . . . but it's useless when you go into the 'real' areas outside of Beijing (which has a lot of 'sh' and 'rrr' sounds and sounds weird anyway) and Shanghai .
It's all written the same, but one region cannot understand the next, i.e. Hokkien, Fujian, Cantonese etc...


In Germany we have a 'High German" which everyone speaks . . . but local/regional dialects even have their own written language, music etc... Same in France and most of Europe.

Good stuff.

Originally Posted by panama hat

It's all written the same

A huge advantage for all Chinese speakers worldwide.

I can understand most American accents, except maybe those from the Deep South or Appalachian mountain areas. It's the Hollywood influence.

As for the Canadian accent, I didn't know that Canadians had a unique accent until I started watching Foresty Forest on YT (vanlife + hiking). Foresty says "aboot" instead of "about".

As for the UK accent, I can understand RP easily now, thanks to Harry Potter movies and more recently Game of Thrones and The Crown. I think in Game of Thrones, the actor Sean Bean (who played Ned Stark) - the story was that Sean Bean couldn't/ wouldn't do RP, so they got the members of House Stark to do Northern accents. Weird thing is that the Stark women (Catelyn, Sansa & Arya) all spoke in RP, but the men (Ned, Rob, Jon Snow) spoke in Northern.

I chuckled a bit upon seeing that old man from the Fuzz movie. I couldn't get what he said, and the funny thing (intentional) was that the character of Simon Pegg needed two interpreters! Btw, that old man also played the Frey patriarch in GOT.

I watched some vids of the YT channel "Wee Broon Van" but stopped because I mostly couldn't understand their accent (they're Scottish). I knew the meaning of "wee" but I initially didn't know that "broon" meant brown!

I can understand Irish accents but not if the accents are too thick. Graham Norton and the lads at Foil Arms & Hog (on YT) are fairly understandable.

Originally Posted by cyrille

The main problem with any US/UK accent debate is that it's a complete waste of time.

I agree, but when Hal gets on the piss, he has to waive his Union Jack around.

Funny, this started out as an attempt by Hal to troll me.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

It was me when I was pissed.

It should obviously read the cut glass home counties voice.

For those who are not familiar, google gives me this

characterized by precise and careful enunciation.
"a cut-glass accent"


I would say Sophie Ellis Bextor is a perfect example

She's looking old.
What happened?
I'll just check in a mirror.
Ah, I see...

Originally Posted by katie23

Foresty says "aboot" instead of "about".

I can pick a Canuck accent from a Yank as quick as it takes for the Canuck to say any word with an ou in it, for exactly the reason you mention KT. It's the same with Oz/Kiwi accents, the moment a Kiwi says any word with an i in it (fish, chips, etc) they're busted.

This guy is pretty good.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

I am common as muck and have an accent to match

'splains a lot.

Originally Posted by katie23

Foresty says "aboot" instead of "about".

'cos he's from southern Ontario, not Alberta or the Maritimes.

Originally Posted by Headworx

I can pick a Canuck accent from a Yank as quick as it takes for the Canuck to say any word with an ou in it, for exactly the reason you mention KT.

Hosers...

Originally Posted by Simon43

I was brought up to speak with an RP (received pronunciation) accent. That's what I use when teaching. But as a kid, I would speak with a Leicester accent with my mates. My mum would always tell me to 'switch off that accent' if I were in adult company, and I would do so.

same here but i had a kent accent, used to drive my mum mad. She had a welsh accent but as soon as the phone went and she answered it she spoke in RP no welsh inflection.