# do american's have accents **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917 "2003-07-21T14:33:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gerikel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@gerikel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerikel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/22 "2003-07-21T16:11:07Z")
i dont think that lazy typing has anything to do with spoken or written language. and thanks to boreland for giving me the ‘straight dope’ explination that i was sure of, but just needed someone to spell out for me. i know that its virtually impossible for me to understand what the british hear when they hear an american talk, but i’m still curious as to whether british think they have accents (like i think that there are americans that have no accent). i have a hard time understanding british-english and i wonder if it’s the same for foreigners of american-english? ---
**Author:** ![nikotime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@nikotime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikotime)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/23 "2003-07-21T16:16:34Z")
Ever since people have been spoken English, they have done so with different acccents. As a child I was able to recognise people from the neighbouring village as having a subtly different accent to my own. Neither of us spoke “purer” English than the other, just subtly different. Accents change with time, as well as distance. Just watch a film from the 1950s to hear how much British, and I dare say American, accents have changed in just fifty years. Given that American English spelling is older than British English spelling, perhaps a New England accent is, if not purer, then at least older than a modern English accent? ---
**Author:** ![gerikel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@gerikel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerikel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/24 "2003-07-21T16:19:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shrinking Violet \* > \*\* > (I’d _die_ for a Southern American accent, y’all!) \*\* as noted from your earlier postings, i’m sure you are just mocking the american way of speech. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/25 "2003-07-21T16:27:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shrinking Violet \* > I would go so far as to suggest that the only _truly_ accentless English has to be that which is perceived as such **in England** … but that’s just my opinion. There is no such thing as an “accentless” version of any language. That is as daft as thinking that there is a “pure” version of any language. If there is any phonological variation among groups that speak a language, that language has accents. Some accent or accents may have a social advantage, but this has nothing at all to do with it being “correct” or “pure”. Instead, the political and social power of those who have that particular accent is then used to enforce the irrational and pig-ignorant prejudice that it is somehow “correct” or “pure”. That being said, of course there are many accents in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/26 "2003-07-21T16:29:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nikotime \* > **Given that American English spelling is older than British English spelling** I thought the dropping of the extraneous “u” in various words was an 18th-century adoption of the US? In what other ways does it predate current British spelling? Anyway, in a way **gerikel** is right - s/he speaks the purest, most accent-free version of _his/her_ English. It just happens to be entirely relative to the observer. And **gerikel** , \*_Shrinking Violet_ was being affectionate, not mocking. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/27 "2003-07-21T16:31:46Z")
Er… **Dogface** , did you miss this post of **Shrinking Violet’s**? > [@](#): > > BTW gerikel, I’m not claiming that we Brits speak accentless English, just that neither do Americans! We all have an accent to other nationalities. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/28 "2003-07-21T16:35:49Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **scr4** _ > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by gerikel \* > > but english is the most widely spoken language… > > No it isn’t, Chinese is according to most references. Chinese is the first language of the largest number, but it certainly is not the most _widely_ spoken. That would be English by any measure. ---
**Author:** ![gerikel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@gerikel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerikel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/29 "2003-07-21T16:40:20Z")
well, i can’t justify anyone wanting to speak like a southern american. i know people who wish they had english accents and such, but a southern drawl isn’t exactly what i would considered an attractive or cool thing to have. maybe that’s just because i’m from the south and feel that southerners are veiwed as less educated because of the way they speak. i mean, look at anna nicole smith for christ sakes! ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/30 "2003-07-21T16:46:01Z")
> [@](#): > > _refusal wrote:_ > Certainly, unlike RP and US announcerspeak, it would be rhotic. But US announcerspeak _is_ rhotic. There are a very few non-rhotic accents in the US, and they’re identified with certain regions (New England, New York, Georgia, Louisiana/Cajun), so they’re not part of the bland US announcerspeak. **gerikel** , **Northern Piper** realizes that you _know_ the rules of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling more than you let on. However, in this forum you’ll find people who have a broad range of knowledge and know how to communicate. You’ll be much better received here if you show that you’ve put some thought into your posts, by paying attention to things like these. You admit that it’s “lazy” - you’re taking shortcuts that make your posts harder to read, and make you look like someone we shouldn’t waste our time with. People here generally won’t grade your posts for perfect grammar, but you’ll get a better response if you’ll write in a way that’s respectful of others. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/31 "2003-07-21T16:57:02Z")
Well, here in California, our written accent includes the use of capital letters and the exclusion of the apostrophe as just an introduction for the 19th letter of the English alphabet. On the other hand, there is quite a variety, even within the State, of spoken accents. I think the best appraisal of spoken accents was in one episode of _Barney Miller_. During the Carter administration, a couple of federal officials were visiting Miller’s station. One of the locals mentioned something about the visitors speaking with an accent. The response from the Southerner was, “Now it’s y’all who speak with an accent!” To sum it up: everyone speaks with an accent. As to this: > [@](#): > > well, i can’t justify anyone wanting to speak like a southern american. There’s ignorance, which can be eradicated, and then there’s that comment. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/32 "2003-07-21T16:57:02Z")
Probnably the purest ‘accent’ would be the London/east-midlands accent, as the as it was the dialect of Middle/Old English which most informed the modern language. The accent formerly regarded as most ‘correct’ is the Home Counties/BBC accent, though I’d say that the so-called ‘mid-atlantic’ accent would be the most intelligible to speakers of all the different dialects of English. The claim that US spelling is older is spuriuos as there was no correct spelling until the OED and US variants weren’t formalized until Webster’s. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/33 "2003-07-21T16:58:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dogface \* > **There is no such thing as an “accentless” version of any language. That is as daft as thinking that there is a “pure” version of any language. If there is any phonological variation among groups that speak a language, that language has accents. Some accent or accents may have a social advantage, but this has nothing at all to do with it being “correct” or “pure”. Instead, the political and social power of those who have that particular accent is then used to enforce the irrational and pig-ignorant prejudice that it is somehow “correct” or “pure”.** Yep. No form of English can claim to be the “correct” or “pure” form any more than any point on the surface of a sphere can claim to be the center of that surface. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gerikel \* > **I know that its virtually impossible for me to understand what the british hear when they hear an american talk …** You can understand it by comparing your experience of listening to British speakers. There’s no fundamental difference in the experience of listening to an accent other than your own … only the particulars differ. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gerikel \* > \*\*… but i’m still curious as to whether british think they have accents (like i think that there are americans that have no accent). i have a hard time understanding british-english and i wonder if it’s the same for foreigners of american-english? > \*\* This is purely a matter of familiarity. The more British English you are exposed to, the better you can understand them. Keep in mind, though, how many varieties of British English exist. I can understand you having trouble understanding Glaswegian, or Scouse, or Cockney – especially if lots of local slang was peppered in. But you can probably follow other forms of British English, such as BBC reports. How about in movies – if you saw _Harry Potter_, for example, could you follow the dialogue? ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/34 "2003-07-21T17:09:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gerikel \* > \*\* i can tell . . . someone from st louis or wisconsin. as i’m sure that people from other parts of the country quickly suspect that i am from the south due to my southern drawl. > \*\* Interesting, so how can you tell someone in St Louis? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/35 "2003-07-21T17:10:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by brujo \* > \*\*What do you mean by the “purest” form of English? \*\* Well by _English_ I mean _American_ and by _purest_ I mean _the way that I speak_. 😉 And re the post concerning Monty Python: Graham Chapman used to do the most dead-on East coast educated American you’d ever want to hear. I miss that guy. Now I’m off to the accent sound archive to waste my day away in pure bliss. Accents are truly wonderful 'cause we all have them and they’s all different. ---
**Author:** ![gerikel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@gerikel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerikel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/36 "2003-07-21T17:12:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\* > > As to this: > There’s ignorance, which can be eradicated, and then there’s that comment. \*\* i’m assuming you think that comment is beyond ignorant? well, you are from california, so i won’t expect you to be sympathetic, but as an arkansan, trust me, there’s nothing good about a southern accent. i moved here from st loius and, for years, was able to maintain a reasonably ‘accentless’ form of speak. when i went to college, there was no escaping it. i talk like a hick just as much as the next person. i have nearly lost my ability to pronounce a straight “i”, to say you all without running it into “ya’ll” and to recognize that i am using double negatives. (i.e. There ain’t nothin’ we can do about it.) of course no all southern accents come with improper grammer, but it is the way of the south. some may think that nothing’s sweeter than a southern belle or sexier than the way Matthew McConaughey talks, but i think it’s jsut annoying. (and that coming from a southerner isn’t ignorance, it’s a very unbiased opinion of myself and others i live around) ---
**Author:** ![gerikel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@gerikel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerikel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/37 "2003-07-21T17:13:40Z")
previous post in regards to the comment " well, i can’t justify anyone wanting to speak like a southern american." ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/38 "2003-07-21T17:14:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gerikel \* > while reading the thread about english/austrailian accents, i became curious… > > …i’ve always been curious as to whether or not people in other countries can distinguish “southern” accents like we can in the US. also, i know that everyone thinks that their form of english sounds normal, but i think that there are a group of american’s that are virtuously accent free and that this is the purest form of english. > > …i know that its virtually impossible for me to understand what the british hear when they hear an american talk, but i’m still curious as to whether british think they have accents (like i think that there are americans that have no accent). i have a hard time understanding british-english and i wonder if it’s the same for foreigners of american-english? It was made clear in the other thread that some non-Americans can identify regional US accents better than others. If you check the dictionary you’ll see that an accent is **a distinctive manner of expression; an individual’s distinctive or characteristic inflection, tone, or choice of words; or a way of speaking typical of a particular group of people and especially of the natives or residents of a region.** _That was from Merriam-Webster, btw._ Note that it mentioned “_especially_ of the natives or residents of a region”, but it didn’t say “_exculsively_ of the natives or residents of a region”. So it ought to be clear that everybody speaks with _some kind of accent_, even newreaders. There really is no “pure” form of English and apart from people on the SDMB making such a claim for themselves (typically Californians it seems) I haven’t encountered claims to the contrary. Of course British people know we have accents – everybody does. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/39 "2003-07-21T17:16:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gerikel \* > \*\*well, i can’t justify anyone wanting to speak like a southern american. I know people who wish they had english accents and such, but a southern drawl isn’t exactly what i would considered an attractive or cool thing to have. \*\* _( **Monty** , allow me …)_ **Gerikel** , I am a fellow Southerner (born & raised in New Orleans, live in Mississippi), and I understand where you’re coming from. The Deep-South accent is often the mark of ridicule in American popular culture, and if you happen to _be_ Southern, then the ridicule is all the more noticable. But don’t let such perceptions define you personally, or make you ashamed of your way of speech. Anyone who meets you in person that assumes you are a dullard strictly because of your accent … well, that person is not worth your time. And it’s not accents that make one cool or uncool … coolness (read: self-assurance) is an attribute of the individual. Someone who puts on a false accent – British or otherwise – can really make themselves look foolish. And they certainly won’t be fooling anyone who really speaks their accent _du jour_. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gerikel \* > \*\*… maybe that’s just because i’m from the south and feel that southerners are veiwed as less educated because of the way they speak. i mean, look at anna nicole smith for christ sakes! \*\* Hey, Anna Nicole Smith is a Texan, not a Southerner 😛 In all seriousness, Deep-South accent != Texan accent. ---
**Author:** ![gerikel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@gerikel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerikel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/40 "2003-07-21T17:20:16Z")
people from st loius say 44 like " farty far" trust me, i grew up there and my sister resides there still. i’ve said to her “listen to that accent!” and she thinks it’s just rediculous to think that she speaks any differently that i do, but she does. lots of people from missouri speak that way with the “o” sounding like some kind of “a”. the word “mom” impeticular is one i noticed her to have a heavy accent on. maam. i dont’ know. its just like most norhternes (we all know how to say wisconsin/chicago or “da bears” in a norhtern accent. this is similar to st louis) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917/41 "2003-07-21T17:24:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies \* > **The accent formerly regarded as most ‘correct’ is the Home Counties/BBC accent, though I’d say that the so-called ‘mid-atlantic’ accent would be the most intelligible to speakers of all the different dialects of English.** ‘Mid-Atlantic’ being most intelligible? I hope you’re not speaking of mid-atlantic USA (Carolina’s through Maryland). I’ve heard enough about ‘Warshingtin DC’ to last me a lifetime. And FWIW when I was taking broadcasting in college I was instructed in speaking ‘generic midwest’ as my default accent. I still do it most of the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-have-accents/189917.md?page=3)