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The General American Accent

by Jason76
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If Americans gained independence from the UK, then how come they sound less British than South Africans, Australians, and Kiwis?
  • Profile picture of the author rlhurst
    "Independence" is the key word
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  • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
    Originally Posted by Jason76 View Post

    If Americans gained independence from the UK, then how come they sound less British than South Africans, Australians, and Kiwis?
    Do people in the UK feel that Australian and South African accent sounds more British than American accents?
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

      Do people in the UK feel that Australian and South African accent sounds more British than American accents?
      I don't think so, no.

      Accent is a different matter from vocabulary and usage, of course, but none of them inherently "sounds British": they're just all "non-British-sounding" in their own very characteristic and readily identifiable ways.
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        I son't think so, no.

        Accent is a different matter from vocabulary and usage, of course, but none of them inherently "sounds British": they're just all "non-British-sounding" in their own characteristic ways.
        Ok, I'm confused. As Britain is made up of four totally seperate countries with their own very distinctive accents and even languages, what on Earth is a "British" accent?

        I must be missing something.
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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          Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

          As Britain is made up of four totally seperate countries with their own very distinctive accents and even languages, what on Earth is a "British" accent?
          Yes - you're quite right, of course. The comment I made above about Australian/American/South African accents applies equally to regional British accents such as Scottish, doesn't it?

          Perhaps I should have said "English", but even then there are marked regional differences, aren't there? Neither of us would often confuse, from their accents, someone from Newcastle/Sunderland with someone from Bristol/Bath, would we?

          (And even I, who have never been anywhere near America, can typically tell the difference between someone from Boston and someone from Alabama or Louisiana).

          Of course, we're generalising with all of these impressions, and there are some exceptions. Over here, there are some people from all over the UK who speak RP ("Received pronunciation", or what they used to call "BBC English" - itself a thing of the past, I think?), and their speech-patterns carry almost no clues as to their regional origins, apart from occasional instances of region-specific vocabulary and usages, of which most people aren't even aware? For example, if someone uses the word "relation" in a context where anyone else would use the word "relationship", they're almost certainly from the city of Leicester, specifically - but most people are unaware of such subtle niceties? (That just happens to be one I know, because C.P. Snow and Colin Wilson, both writers originally from Leicester, have commented on it).
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          • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
            Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

            Yes - you're quite right, of course. The comment I made above about Australian/American/South African accents applies equally to regional British accents such as Scottish, doesn't it?

            Perhaps I should have said "English", but even then there are marked regional differences, aren't there? Neither of us would often confuse, from their accents, someone from Newcastle/Sunderland with someone from Bristol/Bath, would we?
            Exactly, that's why the OP's question was just impossible to answer. Americans and Australians have different accents too and the South Africans don't count as they're from Holland anyway.

            I was just being picky. America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are one country. Britain is four (I know you know that of course!)

            Besides, in Cornwall they've been granted a status as a separate race, so that's almost 5 countries except the jocks are leaving soon.

            Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator View Post

            I get a kick watching Brits & Aussies portraying Americans in movies.

            Kenneth Branagh was a hoot as FDR.
            We get quite a kick the other way too TL. Unless it's that dwarf in Game of Thrones.

            Doesn't Rick Grimes in the walking Dead sound a bit American?
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            • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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              Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

              the jocks are leaving soon.
              Doubt it. I'll give you odds.

              (Actually, I must look at Betfair or politicalbetting.com and see what the odds really are!).

              An opinion poll write-up in yesterday's Times suggests fairly convincingly that the difference between the sides, in voting intentions, is gradually increasing. And in spite of all the incompetence, stupidity and apparently alienating approach of the "No" campaign people, I suspect that the jocks are gradually coming around to their point of view?
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              • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
                Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

                Doubt it. I'll give you odds.

                (Actually, I must look at Betfair or politicalbetting.com and see what the odds really are!).

                An opinion poll write-up in yesterday's Times suggests fairly convincingly that the difference in voting intentions is gradually increasing. And for all the incompetence, stupidity and apparently alienating approach of the "No" campaign people, I suspect that the jocks are gradually coming around to their point of view?
                To be honest, I've no idea how it'll swing. I'm not really that bothered either. As mentioned in another thread, I'm rather looking forward to becoming the former United Kingdom or FUK for short.
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              • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
                I think everybody should either talk like Daleks or Cybermen. That way we'll have no trouble understanding each other. Of course it won't matter after the world goes to heck in a hand cart.
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                • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
                  Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

                  I think everybody should either talk like Daleks or Cybermen. That way we'll have no trouble understanding each other. Of course it won't matter after the world goes to heck in a hand cart.
                  Correct me if I'm wrong but you're not entirely happy are you Steven?
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            • Profile picture of the author Dan Riffle
              Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

              Doesn't Rick Grimes in the walking Dead sound a bit American?
              No, and it drives me #$%^&#$%^ nuts. The dead giveaway is that he can't pronounce his own son's name correctly. "Carl" is not pronounced "Choral."

              It's like nails on a $%^&*$# chalkboard. I want to kick him in the junk everytime he says his name.
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            • Profile picture of the author hardraysnight
              Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

              I was just being picky. America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are one country. Britain is four (I know you know that of course!)
              when i went to school america was two continents

              Americas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, i always thought it had two a's
              en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas
              The Americas, or America, also known as the New World, are the combined continental landmasses of North America and South America.

              i learnt something too, i thought new world were supermarkets
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          • Profile picture of the author HeySal
            Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

            Yes - you're quite right, of course. The comment I made above about Australian/American/South African accents applies equally to regional British accents such as Scottish, doesn't it?

            Perhaps I should have said "English", but even then there are marked regional differences, aren't there? Neither of us would often confuse, from their accents, someone from Newcastle/Sunderland with someone from Bristol/Bath, would we?

            (And even I, who have never been anywhere near America, can typically tell the difference between someone from Boston and someone from Alabama or Louisiana).

            Of course, we're generalising with all of these impressions, and there are some exceptions. Over here, there are some people from all over the UK who speak RP ("Received pronunciation", or what they used to call "BBC English" - itself a thing of the past, I think?), and their speech-patterns carry almost no clues as to their regional origins, apart from occasional instances of region-specific vocabulary and usages, of which most people aren't even aware? For example, if someone uses the word "relation" in a context where anyone else would use the word "relationship", they're almost certainly from the city of Leicester, specifically - but most people are unaware of such subtle niceties? (That just happens to be one I know, because C.P. Snow and Colin Wilson, both writers originally from Leicester, have commented on it).
            Alexa - a lot of Americans use the word "British" as being interchangeable with "English". I know it's not technically correct, but over here, Scotland, for example, isn't generally considered "British" - it's considered "Scotland". I think the only time you'll hear the difference stressed here is when we speak of the "British Isles" - or in some more scholarly discussions.

            Not sure why this is, but it is.
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  • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
    Originally Posted by Jason76 View Post

    If Americans gained independence from the UK, then how come they sound less British than South Africans, Australians, and Kiwis?
    You may find this interesting. By the way you do realise South Africans are mainly of Dutch origin don't you? Look up the Boers.

    English the way you know it didn't always sound like it does now, especially during the period you refer too.


    Originally Posted by rlhurst View Post

    "Independence" is the key word
    You're going to really enjoy the video too, especially how the American accent came about.

    Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

    Do people in the UK feel that Australian and South African accent sounds more British than American accents?
    Australian is actually similar sounding to cockney (no offence Aussies), not literally but I can see how a lot of words do sound quite similar or how they came to sound like they do, note the word 'some'. Not surprising when so many Londoners were sent there. Along with the Irish.

    It's impossible anyway. Does anyone in the entire world think the Scots, Welsh and English sound the same?

    Personally I don't think any of them sound more British than the others, mainly because there is no such thing as a British accent.
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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

      <snip>
      Personally I don't think any of them sound more British than the others, mainly because there is no such thing as a British accent.
      Kind of what I suspected. Some researchers actually even say American accents resemble English accents of the past more than the modern English accent does, LOL.
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
        Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

        Kind of what I suspected. Some researchers actually even say American accents resemble English accents of the past more than the modern English accent does, LOL.
        Yes exactly, I was really surprised at how the Southern drawl came about. I have even read somewhere and I don't know where but the way you spell words differently like thru/through etc. is actually the way we spelt them at the time and it's us that changed.

        Now I've probably set off a s*** storm among UK members but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true.

        People here often mistakenly think the Anglo part of Anglo Saxon means English but as that video says, the Angles were the first Germanic tribe to settle here and change the structure of what was spoken at the time which incidentally was more akin to French, which also sounded nothing like it does now.

        Jolly interesting video though.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Originally Posted by Jason76 View Post

    If Americans gained independence from the UK, then how come they sound less British than South Africans, Australians, and Kiwis?
    1. Geological Isolation.
    2. Multi cultural integration.

    English in England didn't always sound like it does today, either. Darned Saxons.
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      1. Geological Isolation.
      2. Multi cultural integration.

      English in England didn't always sound like it does today, either. Darned Saxons.
      Actually it was the dam Angles that came before the Saxons that changed it to a Germanic language, you can blame the Romans to some degree too fannying around over here for donkeys years. Oh and the Vikings after the Saxons.

      You should watch the video I posted earlier Sal, it's not long and very interesting.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Not really feeling like going over it all again. I had to learn to read both Middle and Early English, and went through the history of it's evolution. Not the most entertaining part of my education, although I did get a little bit of charge out of the Vikings. Hey - I'm a Cossack, what can I say? I love barbarians.
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  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
    I get a kick watching Brits & Aussies portraying Americans in movies.

    Kenneth Branagh was a hoot as FDR.
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    • Profile picture of the author hardraysnight
      Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator View Post

      I get a kick watching Brits & Aussies portraying Americans in movies.

      Kenneth Branagh was a hoot as FDR.
      and meryl streep playing maggie thatcher was a major cinegraphic success?

      anthony hopkins playing bert munro was little more than a good effort
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  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
    I've heard that there at least 6 distinct American accents.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      I was raised in Southern Ohio and went to college in Virginia. The school had a twice a week one hour radio show on the local music station in the town and I was the "anchor" for that show for a year.

      Talent? Not really? Knowledge? Nah.

      I had the "least amount of accent" of anyone in the English/drama division that ran the radio show. I remember getting a letter from a fan of the show and I was shocked - never occurred to me that someone actually LISTENED.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Who's to say. I heard some time ago that there is a SWISS settlement here that speaks swiss closer to how it was than those in switzerland today. The AMISH may even speak their dialect of low german with more authenticity than any in Germany. That is ESPECIALLY interesting since they apparently don't even know about martin luther. Martin Luther was the first to create a standard high german to create a universal german bible, and then did so.

    As for the American accents? There USED to be more than 8! HECK, TEXAS probably had SEVERAL! New york did! Massachusetts probably had a few. They atlanta, etc.... NOW, they seem to be few and far between. I was SHOCKED on the DC emtro a couple days ago. The driver seemed to be from BOSTON!

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  • Profile picture of the author rourkem
    Originally Posted by Jason76 View Post

    If Americans gained independence from the UK, then how come they sound less British than South Africans, Australians, and Kiwis?

    That's a good question! Maybe it's the distance from both parties apart.
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    • Profile picture of the author lanfear63
      I have first hand experience of dealing with the American accent and verbage being from the UK and being in Texas now

      The first one was a guy coming up to me and saying How Y'all doing today. I looked around to see if some other people where around me. Thought he was addressing multiple people.

      I did not get much joy asking for a serviette in a restaurant, They are called napkins here.

      Telling my wife the food was in the Larder, it is called pantry here.

      Lots of words different.

      Sidewalk is the Pavement in the uk.

      Attic is called Loft in the UK

      Wrench is called Spanner in the UK

      Elevator is called Lift in the UK

      Flashlight is a torch in the UK

      Even silly differences like get there ahead of time, a quarter after four instead of a quarter past four.

      I ask how far to such and such a place, oh that's about an hour away.

      I could be listening in to accented conversation and hardly understanding a word of it. My wife listened to my mother and sister talking in the UK and did not really understand much of it.

      The list goes on though you get used to it and understand them all pretty well now combined with the accent. You even get into the habit of using these words for better understanding.

      When I talk to my father in the UK or visit I always call pounds dollars now.
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      • Profile picture of the author seasoned
        Originally Posted by lanfear63being basic monetary411162

        I have first helsewherend experience of dealing with the American accent and verbage being from the UK and being in Texas now

        The first one was a guy coming up to me and saying How Y'all doing today. I looked around to see if some other people where around me. Thought he was addressing multiple people.

        I did not get much joy asking for a serviette in a restaurant, They are called napkins here.
        Yeah. I believe serviette is a french word adopted into many Germanic dialects,including UK English. Unfortunately most Americans won't know what a serviette is. Napkin can get surprised stares elsewhere.

        Telling my wife the food was in the Larder, it is called pantry here.
        Wow, i never heard larder.

        Sidewalk is the Pavement in the uk.
        Wow, so what do they call the pavement, or the guy that does it?

        Attic is called Loft in the UK
        So what do they call a loft?


        Flashlight is a torch in the UK
        So what do they call a torch?

        Even silly differences like get there ahead of time, a quarter after four instead of a quarter past four.
        Both are considered correct

        l ask how far to such and such a place, oh that's about an hour away.
        I'm sure they give the same stupid answer elsewhere

        when I talk to my father in the UK or visit I always call pounds dollars now.
        Wow! Outside of being basic monetaryuunits they are different!

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  • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
    I would think that American generals would have more intonations of authority in their accents than underlings.
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