The Student Room Group

Do you find the american accent annoying?

I've heard that british people can't stand the american accent but a few guys say they like it. I'm curious to know your opinions and why maybe british people wouldn't like it when the british accent is so revered in America. A british accent sells things that are expensive, classy, in good taste, educated and traditional. What does an American accent say to you?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Which American accent? Clearly you mean the accent of people from the USA but there are dozens of different accents there. Compare Texas and Boston, for example.
Reply 2
spk
Which American accent? Clearly you mean the accent of people from the USA but there are dozens of different accents there. Compare Texas and Boston, for example.


You tell me if there's a difference for you between them. Do you think Texans sound ignorant? They have that stigma a bit even here.
katiesado
A british accent sells things that are expensive, classy, in good taste, educated and traditional.


I don't think certain accents within Britain qualify for the above.

katiesado
What does an American accent say to you?


You've got to listen to a Native American :cool:
Reply 4
NDGAARONDI
I don't think certain accents within Britain qualify for the above.



You've got to listen to a Native American :cool:


All of them that we can understand (thus the southerners mostly). I think the British accents the British themselves esteem we esteem also.
Reply 5
katiesado
You tell me if there's a difference for you between them. Do you think Texans sound ignorant? They have that stigma a bit even here.

I don't think it's the accent that makes people sound ignorant but what people are saying. The perception is that a sizeable proportion of Texans are ignorant, thus people have come to associate the accent with that preconception.

As with any society, the US is riddled with regional and class rivalries. The East Coast/New England accents probably have the highest status in the UK, as they are most similar to the received pronunciation (RP) of middle class English people.

Texans and Minnesotans on the other other hand are probably unfavourably judged because of their accents, rather like people from Birmingham or the West Country over here.

It's just snobbery.
Reply 6
katiesado
I've heard that british people can't stand the american accent but a few guys say they like it. I'm curious to know your opinions and why maybe british people wouldn't like it when the british accent is so revered in America. A british accent sells things that are expensive, classy, in good taste, educated and traditional. What does an American accent say to you?


I love all the strange New England accents. In some places, you can still find people who use the traditional New England pronunciations. Whereas all the immigrants who kept mispronouncing certain names like Norwich as "Nore witch", some guys still say Norritch like us. It's pretty neat I think. Other than that, I don't really like the obnoxious, in your face NY accent. I find the 'So-cal' spaced out accent pretty neat but it can get on your nerves too...
Reply 7
I must admit - I cannot stand the accents from Louisiana, Texas etc...
Reply 8
Misbah Imtiaz
I must admit - I cannot stand the accents from Louisiana, Texas etc...

strong Virginian and Southern accents can be really tough and most Brits don't understand them just as a strong glaswegian accent isn't well understood by Americans. I heard that the strangest accent in the US is that of Chesapeake, Virginia. Among all Americans, they have a completely distinct accent mainly because their inhabitants have a peculiar ethnic origin which isn't very varied and in the whole of North America, there's nothing weirder than the Newfoundland accent, sounds like a funky Welsh/Irish accent, nothing like the average North American accent.
Reply 9
spk
Which American accent? Clearly you mean the accent of people from the USA but there are dozens of different accents there. Compare Texas and Boston, for example.

You are right about the various accents in America. The preferred accent is the accent you hear on TV news etc. This accent is from the far West. Peter Jennings for example is a Canadian, who had to learn the western accent. Someone mentioned the Louisiana accent, you'd never hear that from a TV news caster.
Reply 10
SamTheMan
strong Virginian and Southern accents can be really tough and most Brits don't understand them just as a strong glaswegian accent isn't well understood by Americans. I heard that the strangest accent in the US is that of Chesapeake, Virginia. Among all Americans, they have a completely distinct accent mainly because their inhabitants have a peculiar ethnic origin which isn't very varied and in the whole of North America, there's nothing weirder than the Newfoundland accent, sounds like a funky Welsh/Irish accent, nothing like the average North American accent.


I should be glad then I've just stuck to New York city so far for my travels!
Reply 11
katiesado
I've heard that british people can't stand the american accent but a few guys say they like it. I'm curious to know your opinions and why maybe british people wouldn't like it when the british accent is so revered in America. A british accent sells things that are expensive, classy, in good taste, educated and traditional. What does an American accent say to you?

I find American slang annoying.
Reply 12
Mad Caddie
I find American slang annoying.

Why? Give us some examples of slang you dislike.
Reply 13
spk
Why? Give us some examples of slang you dislike.

Can't think of any off hand, but all the "narly" and "dude" in every single spoken sentance makes me annoyed. And the over excessive use of "totally" and the use of "like" about 20 times in a single phrase.
Reply 14
New York accents can be annoying, but all the others are great.
Reply 15
Mad Caddie
Can't think of any off hand, but all the "narly" and "dude" in every single spoken sentance makes me annoyed. And the over excessive use of "totally" and the use of "like" about 20 times in a single phrase.

Dude, it sounds like you've been like totally watching too much Bill and Ted, dude, like, totally.
SamTheMan
I heard that the strangest accent in the US is that of Chesapeake, Virginia.


YES! I lived with a girl from that area a year ago, and I felt bad that I kept asking her to repeat herself. Supposedly, the accent has a touch of the old Elizabethan speech to it, which is what makes it sound so different. I'm impressed, most people never even know about that one.

there's nothing weirder than the Newfoundland accent, sounds like a funky Welsh/Irish accent, nothing like the average North American accent.


Once again, I knew a Newfie. It's no wonder there's a saying that everyone from Newfoundland knows each other. They have to associate with one another, because it's difficult for anybody else to understand them!
Reply 17
katiesado
I've heard that british people can't stand the american accent but a few guys say they like it. I'm curious to know your opinions and why maybe british people wouldn't like it when the british accent is so revered in America. A british accent sells things that are expensive, classy, in good taste, educated and traditional. What does an American accent say to you?


I don't like some America accents and others I like. The same way that there are some English accents I like and others that I don't. There is such a wide variety of America accents that I don't think that you can easily generalise.
katiesado
I've heard that british people can't stand the american accent but a few guys say they like it. I'm curious to know your opinions and why maybe british people wouldn't like it when the british accent is so revered in America. A british accent sells things that are expensive, classy, in good taste, educated and traditional. What does an American accent say to you?


I really like American accent, I find them kinda cute, although i wouldn't trade it with my british accent, it's nice enough.
katiesado
I've heard that british people can't stand the american accent but a few guys say they like it. I'm curious to know your opinions and why maybe british people wouldn't like it when the british accent is so revered in America. A british accent sells things that are expensive, classy, in good taste, educated and traditional. What does an American accent say to you?

Well to answer your first question, no, I don't find it annoying at all (well, certain variations of it are .. especially those which are inaudible to everyone else). The traditional Chicagon (if that's the right term, I'm not sure :tongue: ) accent is a good one to me :biggrin:

To answer your second question, what does an American accent say to me... if I see it in an advert then I'm going to think of something either very technical and/or very cheesy.

To be honest, and I'm not trying to make another generalisation, I don't believe that the majority of Americans realise just how many types of English accent there are. If you had a scouser talking you would NOT think classy, educated and traditional (I'm not trying to be offensive to Liverpudlians, personally I love that accent :redface: ).