# American accents in Brits' ears **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2000, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157 "2000-09-05T23:53:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/21 "2000-09-06T19:04:51Z")
With the exception of the few obvious variations already mentioned here (Southern, Noo Yawk, etc.) even most **Americans** can’t readily identify what part of America another person is from. We also can’t readily identify Canadians, unless they use one of the giveaway words e.g. out/about, zebra, etc. As for my experiences abroad - most people here in Ireland, and most in Britain, can tell that I’m American but occasionally I get misidentified as Northern Irish and I even once had a Glaswegian talk to me for about five minutes and go away thinking I was from Ayrshire … I’m still trying to figure that one out 🙂 Oh, and whatever you do **don’t** say “are you Canadian?” - I do take offense to that, and I know several other Americans who do as well. Really, it’s much easier and safer just to ask “Where are you from?”. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/22 "2000-09-06T19:06:53Z")
\*On the other hand, I’m surprised at how well Bob Hoskins and the guy from Gladiator and The Insider can do perfect American accents. \* Emma Thompson’s good at it, too. On her guest appearance on “Ellen” she flipped effortlessly from her Received Pronunciation British to American, and blew me away. ---
**Author:** ![TampaFlyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@TampaFlyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TampaFlyer)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/23 "2000-09-06T19:36:59Z")
\> We also can’t readily identify Canadians Sure we can. They’re the ones driving slowly with their left turn signals always on. (And those Ontario plates are another clue.) ---
**Author:** ![aenea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/24 "2000-09-06T20:43:01Z")
I am from California. As a Californian I feel I should let you all know that we do not have accents. It’s the rest of you that talk funny. 😃 Actually, I have been lucky enough to have seen quite a bit of our fair country, and the accents do seem regional and quite distinct. Check out the folks from Maine if you want to hear a strong accent! My husband has a strong southern accent. He actually calls his dad “diddy”. Wierd! :eek: Note that southern accent does not mean all of the southern states. Texas has an accent all to itself, and Louisiana seems to have several within it’s borders. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/25 "2000-09-06T21:00:33Z")
I thought Catherine Zeta Jones did a credible American accent in “The Haunting”, but I noticed that when she had to speak angrily her British accent came through a little bit. ---
**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/26 "2000-09-06T21:06:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hamadryad \* > \*\*There’s also the entertaining little tidbit that if you get far enough into Appalachia (ooo, scary mountain men…kidding, kidding) the accent veers farther from Southern and careens pell-mell into Welsh. I kid you not. Some day I’d love to see a chart of immigration by nationality. \*\* I believe I read somewhere that the people who settled there were Welsh. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/27 "2000-09-06T21:43:48Z")
I’m fairly good with American accents although the whole mid-west sounds pretty much the same to me (which it shouldn’t do given the size). I like a really thick Brooklyn accent and when that southern belle thing becomes a little flirty well, I’m no spring chicken so I should be able to think with my head but…hell, whats a guy supposed to do ?? The American accent that drives me nuts is the “Oh my God” loud, high pitched, valley girl, air head ‘noise’ \ The biggest problem for me is between Aussie’s and Kiwi’s. Usually need to spend some time with them before I can distinguish those. Anyone else think the worst English accent in the world is South African ? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2000, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/28 "2000-09-07T00:05:53Z")
Suv Effriken? Yeah, that’s pretty bad - blame it on the Dutch, OK 😉 Aussies and Kiwis are a tough call mostly. Although I can usually tell after 30 minutes or so. ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2000, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/29 "2000-09-07T01:22:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > \*\* > The American accent that drives me nuts is the “Oh my God” loud, high pitched, valley girl, air head ‘noise’ \ > \*\* This drives most people in California crazy (well those I know) :). I’m from California so I dont think I have an accent of course, though i’m sure people from New York or back east could tell. I have a hard time telling where someone is from if they dont have a very distinct regional accent. For instance a friend from New Jersey i am unable to tell she’s from there, because her accent is “neutral”. Same with our very own Psycat, i could only hear her Jersey accent when she was drunk :). Anyway, i came across a map on the net that divided the US up into several regions (quite large were most of them) The regions were: The Midland and West: - The north Midland - Pittsburg - Saint Louis - The south midland -Philiadelphia - The west The South: - the south - The coastal southeast - Charleston and Savannah The North: - North Central - The Inland North - Boston and Eastern New England - New York City It seems from the [map](http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/NationalMap/NatMap1.html), that the further south and west you go, the less accent variation there is. It also gives some of the distinguishing traits for each region (primarily vowels). Check out [this page](http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/NationalMap/NationalMap.html), it talks about each region, and is quite good i think. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2000, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/30 "2000-09-07T01:48:51Z")
Good God **Coldie** , you speak suv effrikan just like Meryl Streep – are you sure you’re not related ? And yeah I hadn’t thought about that but you’re right, it’s probably the Dutch / Boar influence. And I hope you managed to watch Spurs beat Arnham in a friendly match about a month ago. **Doobie** – I was trying to think why it was the US has so few regional variations compared with the UK. Looking at that map laid to rest one idea I had which was to do with mountain ranges and topographical stuff in general. There seems to be no correlation there at all. The only other thing I thought of was to do with the relative newness of ‘American’. Perhaps there was no time for regional accents to mature before wireless and tv began a kind of homogenisation - or at least a dumbing down of the variables. Actually, I suspect I haven’t got a clue. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2000, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/31 "2000-09-07T02:30:07Z")
> [@](#): > > In Fawlty Towers I always thought Mr. Hamilton,the > obnoxious and demanding guest from California sounded more > like a Chicagoan. Anyone know who played him, and if he > was American or English? He was played by Bruce Boa and I think he’s American. The only other role of his I can think of was a small part he had as the officer in _Full Metal Jacket_ who questions Matthew Modine about him having “Born to kill” written on his helmet while also wearing a peace sign. ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2000, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/32 "2000-09-07T05:25:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > \*\ ***Doobie** – I was trying to think why it was the US has so few regional variations compared with the UK. Looking at that map laid to rest one idea I had which was to do with mountain ranges and topographical stuff in general. There seems to be no correlation there at all. > > The only other thing I thought of was to do with the relative newness of ‘American’. Perhaps there was no time for regional accents to mature before wireless and tv began a kind of homogenisation - or at least a dumbing down of the variables. Actually, I suspect I haven’t got a clue. > \*\* I think it mostly has to do with the newness of the country, coupled witht he fact that since the west was “won” (stolen :)), there has been a fairly constant flood of immigrants from the eastern states to the west. So, there has always been a flood of new people and new accents, which I think would keep the accent from changing too much. Also, one of the pages i put a link up for said that there are characteristics from a lot of the other accent regions bordering the western accent area. So, being a newer area, it’s still developing it’s own accent (which may start being noticeable in a hundred years or so (maybe sooner). Also, i think that even though there are a lot of mountains and empty spaces out west, most towns really arent all that isolated (California became a state only in 1849 i believe, not a huge amount of time for any real change). Here, a hundred miles is easily a day trip to cover. Even driving for four hours isn’t that bad. So with that in mind, speakers mingle, and cover greater distances, so, you might not get lots of small regional accents (like a SF accent and then a Monterey one, for instance). I’m wondering how much Spanish will influence the accent of California and the south west, especially in agricultural areas as well as urban centers (though English only speakers would probably resist that accent). ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2000, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/33 "2000-09-07T08:27:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > Good God **Coldie** , you speak suv effrikan just like Meryl Streep – are you sure you’re not related ? And yeah I hadn’t thought about that but you’re right, it’s probably the Dutch / Boar influence. I think you mean **Boer** influence. “Boer” is Dutch for farmer, and it is the (currently very dubious) name white Suv Effrikens sometimes use to indicate they’re of Dutch blood (as opposed to English- the Anglo-Boer war and all that). But it’s mostly equivalent to saying “I am an ignorant, uneducated white racist pig” these days anyway, so I suppose “Boar” might come close as well 😉 > [@](#): > > And I hope you managed to watch Spurs beat Arnham in a friendly match about a month ago. It’s Arnh **e** m, and the team is actually called Vitesse. Legend has it that this has something to do with speed 😃 Didn’t see the match, but as my teams are Ajax and Willem II, I says “Go Spurs!!”. ---
**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2000, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157/34 "2000-09-07T13:00:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally shouted from across the room by Hail Ants \* > **He was played by Bruce Boa and I think he’s American** Nope, he’s british. …and he was also in _ **The Empire Strikes Back** _ as General Carlist Rieekan. K. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-accents-in-brits-ears/32157.md?page=1)