# How do American's accents sound to British ears? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833 "2008-06-22T20:28:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scrambledeggs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@scrambledeggs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scrambledeggs)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/1 "2008-06-22T20:28:54Z")
So if someone well-suited to answer the question will indulge us, how do American’s accents sound to British (esp Englishmen’s) ears? I’ve heard we sound ‘boring’. I wonder if they can tell the difference between american accents – Does the new York city accent offend their ears? New Jersey (New “Joisey”)? Or do they all sound the same? Of course _I_ dont have any accent. Only weird foreigners do 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/2 "2008-06-22T20:54:34Z")
[QUOTE=scrambledeggs] So if someone well-suited to answer the question will indulge us, how do American’s accents sound to British (esp Englishmen’s) ears? [/QUOTE] Annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/3 "2008-06-22T20:59:05Z")
Other BritDopers? And could ScotsDopers & the Ladies & Gentlemen of Ireland chime in? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Thalia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ba8739/32.png) [@Northern\_Thalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Thalia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/4 "2008-06-22T21:09:15Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] Annoying. [/QUOTE] What an **illuminat** ing response. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/5 "2008-06-22T21:13:05Z")
Thanks to TV and film we’re quite familiar with American accents. We get the Southern drawl, the mid-West twang, and the braying of New York, to name but three. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/6 "2008-06-22T21:16:13Z")
One word: familiar. Present a random Brit with a random American, and the description of the latter’s accent will probably be ‘like X from Y’. The overall history of our nations, especially WW2 and then Hollywood, HBO _et al_ have ensured we’ve absorbed a wide variety of accents, some real, some not. As for Americans with British actors, even spotting the real ones from the fakes is a tricky task. The same can be true in real life. If spotting real from fake is hard enough, distinguishing real from real is even harder! If surrounded by genuine New Yorkers, it’s not that hard to pick out the New Jersey voice if you know that’s what you’re after. Trying to identify the New Jersey accent among a selection from across the country would be much harder. If you then filtered down by social status and overall wealth, I suspect you’d find exactly the same as anywhere else: the poorer people are the less mobile, therefore have stronger roots in a particular local accent, whereas the richer ones will have less of this background and possibly have also, deliberatly or subconciously, taken on or hidden particular patterns of speech. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/7 "2008-06-22T21:53:50Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Thalia] What an **illuminat** ing response. [/QUOTE] Ba da boom tssh. Are you here all week? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![scrambledeggs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@scrambledeggs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scrambledeggs)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/8 "2008-06-22T22:13:51Z")
I would ask whether the New York, forget about it (“New YAWK, fuggitahbowdit”) in particular especially offends Englishmen’s ears. It’s (NY) is not exactly the most pleasing accent to be heard, and I could imagine some Victorian-style Gentlemen in his private library, surrounded by kitsch from his tour in India, would be quite ruffled by hearing tv show accents from NYPD, or Sopranos (NJ-NY, close enough). I can’t imagine Americans putting up with ‘cockney’ accents either – I heard that in “My Fair Lady” they made Audrey Hepburn tone down the initial cockney accent she used because americans couldn’t understand it. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/9 "2008-06-23T00:44:58Z")
The fact that an accent annoys you doesn’t mean that it annoys other people. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/10 "2008-06-23T09:17:14Z")
[QUOTE=scrambledeggs] So if someone well-suited to answer the question will indulge us, how do American’s accents sound to British (esp Englishmen’s) ears? [/QUOTE] Vulgar and moronic. But coming from an American woman, oddly irresistible… ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/11 "2008-06-23T09:35:19Z")
They are almost neutral. British TV is saturated with American imports, and I’ve grown up with American TV, so to me American accents sound almost un-notable, in the same way that a fellow Brit speaking is. > [@](#): > > I would ask whether the New York, forget about it (“New YAWK, fuggitahbowdit”) in particular especially offends Englishmen’s ears. Yes, it’s slightly grating in the same way that some southern English accents are. ---
**Author:** ![trustno\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@trustno\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trustno_1)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/12 "2008-06-23T09:40:56Z")
Im a female scotdoper and I love all types of Amercian accent, The general opinion is the same as my own. Im a full time law student and I love listening to the amercian students in my class talking. Likewise when Im at work (I work in Car Rental), when Americans call to book a car I do everything I can to keep them talking a little longer. I cant wait til I move over! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/13 "2008-06-23T10:34:35Z")
Yeah, exposure to accents is so widespread now, they’re more or less neutral, unless they appear in caricature (the pushy NY executive, the buck-toothed hick, etc) What _does_ grate a little at times, is the cultural differences. Although the UK is moving toward a similar consumer culture to the USA, some things still stand out a bit. Recent examples I can think of: -An ad for American Airlines, the message of which, as far as I can tell, was that they expect their customers to be rude, pushy and demanding (with a skit showing a specific example of a rude, pushy customer), but that’s OK. Didn’t work for me, because I just wanted the stewardess to slap the ignorant tosser back into line. Not because _I_ ever want to be treated that way, but because if I’m on a plane with an ignorant, demanding loudmouth, I want HIM to be treated that way, not pandered to and soothed. -An ad for some big car with a bunch of timid animated characters expressing their concern about it being big and ugly. Fell flat for me for reasons that are difficult to describe - but I’ll try - in UK culture, it’s sometimes acceptable to be brash, demanding, or run against the norm. It’s usually a bit of a faux-pas to _boast about_ how brash, demanding, etc. you are. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/14 "2008-06-23T10:45:16Z")
I guess if you’re not part of a culture you don’t react in the same way as somebody who is. Whatever a NYC accent means to Americans, to most of us over here it’s just another US accent (although, as others have said, we do pick up on some of the intracultural attitudes through exposure to vast amounts of US TV and films). ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/15 "2008-06-23T10:55:05Z")
I’m not a Brit, but hopefully I can play too… One of the weird things I’ve found is that hearing an American accent in real life has the accent much thicker than hearing it on TV. It’s almost to the point where I say, “Oh come off it! You don’t really speak like that!” but the same accent on TV or in a movie I barely notice. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/16 "2008-06-23T11:53:06Z")
Varies greatly with the speaker and how strong the accent they speak with. Can be pleasant and attractive to quite repellent as with British accents. My daughter is marrying an American. His accent is discernible but far from oppressive. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/17 "2008-06-23T11:53:53Z")
Dated a Geordie for a while. She claimed she liked my accent, but also never tired of telling me I sounded like David Letterman. Her comparison, frankly, was both geographically accurate (he was raised perhaps 10 miles north of where I grew up), and really, really depressing. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/18 "2008-06-23T11:56:58Z")
[QUOTE=Student Driver] Dated a Geordie for a while. She claimed she liked my accent, but also never tired of telling me I sounded like David Letterman. Her comparison, frankly, was both geographically accurate (he was raised perhaps 10 miles north of where I grew up), and really, really depressing. [/QUOTE] So, to turn it around, what did you think to her accent. I live in the midst of the Geordies and have never quite got used to the accent. Sometimes I find them completely incomprehensible, usually when they speak. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/19 "2008-06-23T12:00:04Z")
I don’t have an English accent after living in the UK for 6.5 years now, but I will say this - American accents are usually the loudest in a given area, especially here, and so therefore do get noticed. And they can be quite whiney - especially the West Coast accents. East Coasters are just annoyingly brusque, and harsh, but pretty much all the rest are pretty neutral. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833/20 "2008-06-23T12:19:21Z")
[QUOTE=Myglaren] So, to turn it around, what did you think to her accent. I live in the midst of the Geordies and have never quite got used to the accent. Sometimes I find them completely incomprehensible, usually when they speak. 🙂 [/QUOTE] I liked it. An often odd vocabulary, especially when she was excited or angry, and her accent could be quite thick, but it was interesting. I didn’t date her, though, until after she’d been here for a year or so, so I imagine that her accent had been tempered a bit. She said her accent was often considered low-class back home, like a New Jersey accent is in the US. She was always surprised/amused that Americans just heard some universal “British accent” in her voice, usually liking it immediately. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-americans-accents-sound-to-british-ears/453833.md?page=2)