# Folks with English accent are perceived to be smarter in the USA - true ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764 "2014-05-06T00:29:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/41 "2014-05-07T15:18:07Z")
Having lived in both countries I am interested in the phenomena where each side of the Atlantic only hears a compression of accents- broad brush, sometimes to the point of incredulity. Examples- a woman in West Virginia was taliking about a British politician who had, to a skilled British ear, a slightly disreputable South London Car Dealer accent, but she was convinced that he spoke the same way as Prince Charles. Similalry, Brits will only hear a few broad accents- only one southern drawl- no distinction between deep south and southern and Texan, will not differentiate between Boston educated and gneral New England, will not recognise the differences between say, standard mid-western and California. American can usually pick out Liverpudlian (because of the Beatles?) but hear only a general northern versus southern accent generally. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/42 "2014-05-07T15:29:00Z")
I’ve lived in the US for nearly 20 years (in the South) and I can’t distinguish between Deep South and Texan either. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/43 "2014-05-07T16:01:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’ve lived in the US for nearly 20 years (in the South) and I can’t distinguish between Deep South and Texan either. Let me help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3AuqeI51mY ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/44 "2014-05-07T17:33:37Z")
Smarter? I don’t think so. There are a lot of things I, or another American of my imagination, might associate with an English not-lower-class accent —posh, toney, snotty, classy — but “smart” isn’t one of them. (To be clear, neither is “stupid.” Intelligence doesn’t enter into it.) ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/45 "2014-05-08T10:42:51Z")
It isn’t just Americans who value foreigners based on their accents, by far. You get ‘regal’ or ‘posh’ (“Port side Out, Starboard Home”) - to a British ear - tones in Indian, Dutch, German, American (Baah-ston/Haa-vard), Canadian. And LOTS of Brits change their accents when talking. Britain still has something of a class-based structure and you, subconsciously at least, are aware of that when talking with someone _definitely_ not a part of yours. Naah wa’ a’ mean, mate, innit. Toodle pip! ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/46 "2014-05-08T19:48:24Z")
> [@HipGnosis](#): > > Some time ago, I would have agreed to it sounding smarter. > But starting with Benny Hill and then especially since Russell Brand, my opinion has eroded. > But I could still listen to a woman with a British accent all night long… Russell Brand asks a lot of questions but doesn’t give many answers, I grant you. To me he is similar to Spike Milligan in whimsey and debate. Not a big negative, philosophically. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/47 "2014-05-08T20:10:36Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’ve lived in the US for nearly 20 years (in the South) and I can’t distinguish between Deep South and Texan either. I’ve lived here all my life, and I can’t. And I’m generally pretty good with accents. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/48 "2014-05-08T23:50:17Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > His normal speech patterns don’t sound classy to me. Quite the opposite. Ditto. I don’t know anyone who thinks Cockney accents sound classy or intelligent. Only takes watching an episode or two of Eastenders to believe Cockney speakers sound classless and not overly bright. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/49 "2014-05-09T02:00:46Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > The beauty of it is that, from a commonly-held American perspective, upper-class British accents are not necessarily regarded as “better” than lower-class ones. So long as obfuscating slang is avoided, a salt-of-the-earth Cockney speaker can come across to an American as “classy” as Prince Charles. While there are probably some Americans who think this, it is not my impression that a Cockney accent is commonly perceived as sounding classy or well-educated here. ---
**Author:** ![Echo\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Echo\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Echo_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/50 "2014-05-09T10:17:35Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > It isn’t just Americans who value foreigners based on their accents, by far. You get ‘regal’ or ‘posh’ (“Port side Out, Starboard Home”) - to a British ear - tones in Indian, Dutch, German, American (Baah-ston/Haa-vard), Canadian. “Port out, starboard home” is a [false etymology](http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/posh.htm), FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764/51 "2014-05-09T10:19:17Z")
Probably as true as French-speakers getting laid more often. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folks-with-english-accent-are-perceived-to-be-smarter-in-the-usa-true/687764.md?page=2)