Accents

[Billy Cripner]

O.k. I take it that you British people and Aussies don't really think you have much of an accent, but it is noticable by us Yanks. Say, do we have a defonite accent when you watch us on T.V. and also, (for the Brits)do you think the Aussies have an accent? (for the Aussies) do you think the Brits have a accent?

Sorry for the nicknames but I didn't want to spend all that time writing the full term for you dudes down under.

[Gretin]

Say, do we have a defonite accent when you watch us on T.V.

Yes, I can always tell if it is a "yank" talking on the T.V, but if you heard me speaking you would probably just as easily tell that I'm from New Zealand. You'd at least be able to tell that I'm not from your country.
I think Australians and New Zealanders have different accents, too...

[TheLonelySteef]

I think Aussy's accent, and other accents, sound really cool, but along with Billy's question, do you think that our Yank accent sounds cool?

[Billy Cripner]

to you non Yanks, what does our accents sound like compared to your voices? And there are different accents, like the Eastern and Western parts all have their different accents.

[Gretin]

It's sort of hard to describe an accent, so it's hard to say how it sounds compared to ours.
Anyway, I haven't really heard that many different accents, but I think a lot of European accents sound cool.

[TheLonelySteef]

What about people from U.S.A? Do our accents sound cool?
Also this is kinda unrelated, but do New Zealanders dislike America for the war in Iraq?

[Languor]

I like British accents, they're awesome. And, in the U.S. specifically, New English accents are pretty cool too.

[Leto]

From my knoweledge, Americans on the television seem to make their 'e's bold. Like, they make them stand out... Whassa word? Argh!

Whenever I meet someone new they always ask where I'm from. I say 'NZ, silly.'. Then they ask where my parents are from. 'Nz, silly' I say. They say 'Weird, you sound different, like American.'. Inside, I then scream 'HOW SO?!?!?'. I just am annoyed at these mongoloids and the fact they cant even recognise their own accent.

[Facsimile]

I'm from New Zealand.

Oh god dammit, not another one.

Anyway, I have figured out that our accent is halfway between the English and the Australian. Also, the English think we sound Australian, and the Aussies think we sound English.
America, yes you have an accent, I'm not quite sure where I stand with it though. I hate American when it has that southern drawel (sp?), but (possibly because I grew up watching American TV) whenever I think or talk to myself, I usually put on an American accent without noticing it. Especially when I am thinking of a scene from a movie (Yeah, I make up a lot of these) it always has an American accent to it, and whenever I realise what I'm doing, and try thinking with my own accent, it sounds like shit. I sure wouldn't pay to see it.
Oh, and one day I had a 'moment' where I could hear our own accent, and how stupid it sounded.

[Alcar]

No offence, but I don't particularly like the American accent. There are a few variations of it that I don't mind, though, but they are generally the ones with less 'ompf'. The same with the English, especially with the Posh English accent, jesus it pisses me off. I honestly want to deck anyone I hear with such an accent. It just sounds, so, arrogant. However! I absolutely ADORE the German and Russian accents, not to mention their language! I fall in love with anyone who speaks in such a way. To a lesser extent, I also like the Irish accent, though ironically, I prefer the rough-Irish accent with a real Gaelic pang to it.

As for the Aussie accent, I don't notice it, obviously. But I'm often told by foreigners that my accent is so pronounced it's not funny. Though I am glad the whole of Australia speaks similarly, I'd not take kindly to having different states (like the US) have their own signature accents.

Alcar...

[Shinjara]

I live in England but in no way do I sound like the typical British accent. I live in the North so I have quite a broad "Cumbrian" accent.

I love the Irish accent completely, but I dislike the American accent (it just seems to annoy me, especially the ones on TV).

[Olli]

There are some really weird british accents, like scouse and cockney (can't you tell I had trouble justifying that statement), personally I couldn't define my accent - I don't really have any idea of what I sound like.

As for American accents, they're instantly noticeable, though they pass under the radar sometimes due to the incredible amount of American programming on British.

And Southern American accents are funny, I don't know why.

[Alpha]

damn you the Irish have that old time accent Up the emerald isle!!

[Esus]

Hehe, I'm just beginning the learn the difference between the Aussie and NZ accents, but they're very very similar.

America certainly has an accent. As far as I acn tell, there is the one normal accent (that encompasses Canada) and the other accent, which the Southern one. I personally really don't like the accent, I think it sounds terrible and sometimes can't stand hearing it Especially when it's very strong. I think this is because I'm not really exposed to it at all; many people I know say they don't notice an accent on programs like The Simpsons at all.

Adversely, there seems to be a difference accent for every fifty miles squared in Britain :s

[Scrab Watcher]

No harm to those Americans among you, but the American accent hurts my ears...not physically but it irritates me immensly. The northern Irish acent annoys me too, nothing against the people who speak like that, but I find it so grating, the Dublin accent too, come to think of it.

I love the scottish accent and the rough Irish accent. I think it sounds right, know what I mean? We get to hear lots of that kind of accent in Irish class, when we have listen to tapes in Irish and answer questions. The accents are great.

[Rich]

Americans all sound the same to me and the accent is probably the most annoying in the world.

Aussies all sound the same, like in Neighbours and the Fosters Adverts, but the accent isn't annoying.

I love the Irish accent, it amuses me and really brightens up my day when I hear it.

My new Science teacher is from NZ. He sounds different to Aussies as he tends to add long "eh" noises into his words. "Yeeeeaaaaah..."

England is massively diverse with accents. Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Cornish, Brummie and Yorkshire just to name a few.
If I go to Manchester, I get "Hey you brummie!" comments.
If I go to America, I get "I love your quaint English accent" comments.

[Jacob]

Heheh at Rich's last remark. My Film tutor said the same thing. Saying that in America they only know Irish and London accents, and so if you have a different accent to either of them, they think you're posh.

[Gretin]

I don't really mind many accents, but I do like some more than others.

If I go to America, I get "I love your quaint English accent" comments.

Yeah, a lot of people actually change their accent if they move to another country, because they want to fit in. They don't like it when people go saying stuff like: "I love your *description* accent."
There was someone who was in the equestrian team for New Zealand at the 2004 Olympics who has an English accent now, and his sister lives here in New Zealand and has a New Zealand accent.

[Kimon]

America certainly has an accent. As far as I acn tell, there is the one normal accent (that encompasses Canada) and the other accent, which the Southern one.

Hey! American and Canadian accents (and phrases) are pretty different. Actually, there are a lot of jokes about the Canadian accent, and some Americans even find it insulting to be called Canadian.

So let me sum it up.

There's a Canadian accent, a 'normal' American accent, A Boston and New York accent (yeah that's right, accents indigenous to single cities), and the Southern accent (which I hate).

As for the difference between Australian and New Zealandic (is that a word?) accents, the difference is probably about as subtle as Canadian to American is to you guys.

[The Shadowman]

Ha, what most people notice about me is I have a Irish accent, yet am a American. I also, in prononcing words have a bit of the Scotish draw. Well I have a looooong family of Celts, who I can trace back to 1350 AD, who came to America when it was a British Colony and fought in the Revolutionary War as Patriots rather than loyalists.

I had a great great grandfather who became very weathy and owned Plantation 4 carraiges, 15 steeds, and 20 house servents (who where indentured servents just so you know, because apperently he did not approve of slavery). Also I have found some intresting things with my scotish side. My family owns the Sutherland Castle in Scotland. So I have a very celtic family and I have the accent picked up. Of coarse I was around people with Celtic accents

It is strange how Scotland was a country never dominated by any force. The romans where the first ones to try and they had been sacked and ambushed so many times marching to battle that they became frightened of the Scotish and built a wall between them and promised they would no longer attempt to invade. Next to give it a try were the English. They tried several times to invade Scotland but where unsucessful, and they too became frightened of them (well you be scared too if soe traditions involved tearing out their victims heart and placing there head on a pike and putting the headless bodies in roads).


Darn I made a history lesson again

[Esus]

hehe

they became frightened of the Scotish and built a wall between them and promised they would no longer attempt to invade.

Not trying to be pedantic, but that is bullshit.

[The Shadowman]

Oh coarse they lied, duuuh they are the Romans, but they did build a wall and did attempt one more invasion and failed by being slaughtered in the woods. They weren't really terrified by them but they knew they didn't play by the rules and where VERY brutal to there prisoners. The wall is common history knowledge, ask Cyber Slig. So what are trying to say isn't correct, and I know it isn't anything in the history because I know my hisorty veeeeery well, it is a hobby of mine. *in a powerful voice*No one questions my mighty history knowledge!

[Joe the Intern]

When it comes to accents, the British sound like they have no balls. Germans sound like they have testicles the size of tennis balls (even the women). Everyone in America hates the southern American accent too. We realize that it's there. It's ugly. Canadians do have a noticeable accent to Americans, namely the "Eh...".

How's it goin' there, eh?

[Godlesswanderer]

For some reason I can tell between accents really easily. Even the subtle differences. I don't know why, I just can.

I love the fact that different countries have different phrases and words for things. For example, one of my teachers at my high school is Canadian. She calls her grandparents mamma and pappa Stamp (that's her surname). You would never (well hardly ever) get a british person calling their granparents mamma and pappa _______.

Also, I think the candian's habit of putting the 'eh' on the end of a sentence every now and then, is quite cool. It's so pointless and random .

[Rich]

It is strange how Scotland was a country never dominated by any force. The romans where the first ones to try and they had been sacked and ambushed so many times marching to battle that they became frightened of the Scotish and built a wall between them and promised they would no longer attempt to invade.

Hadrians wall was built to keep the hairy, uncouth, ginger Scots out of the fabulously civilised England. However, it's only 4ft high and has forts placed ridiculously far from each other. Shows how clever the Romans were.

[Esus]

It wasn't exactly built for that, though.
It was built to show the edge of the Roman Empire. Anybody was allowed to pass through the wall, except, of course, hostile armies.
In fact, the actual purpose of the wall is still under debate by historians across the world. They know it wasn't for defense, or to keep the Scots out, though it purpose seems to drift in between multiple possibilities.
Antonines Wall was then later built, that particular invasion wasn't exactly a failure, was it, Shadowman?

[Oddfan]

I love accents ^_^

[soulstice]

Accents definitely vary. American English sounds more relaxed than the way we Brits talk. In Britain, there are so many different accents. London (Standard) and well spoken, Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire English is also very affluent-sounding. Essex and east London have their similarities. For example, Essex and Hertforshire folk wouldn't say 'I'm going down to the pub.' It'd sound more like 'I'm gan dan the pub.' East London (Cockney) uses many rhyming words for normal words. E.g Stairs=apples and pears. Bimingham sounds different and is Midlands. Yorkshire is annoying (esp. Doncaster!) Manchester is slightly different to Birmingham and is cross between Liverpool and Birmingham. Liverpool sounds funny and scousers just make me laugh. Welsh accents are funny and sound very South WestISH. Scottish accents are adorable and a real treat to listen to. Irish accents are very different and uses different words. For example, In Ireland, they don't usually say Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, but rather 'Top of the morning/aft/eve to ya!' Finally, Sussex, Kent and Southern Surrey is also different (anyone who has heard Jordan speak will know what I'm talking about)!!!

[soulstice]

I also think that the way French and German people speak English sounds so nice. I think it's very vague to say 'American Accent'-which do you mean? Southern, Northern, Western, Eastern? OMG you know which accent sounds lovely? The South African ccent. It's really nice to listen to. Probably the nicest of all English speaking accents according to me, but that's just my opinion.

[Fuzzle Guy]

Well, in the Isle of Man, where i'm from, we speak with a british accent but with a bit bit of Australian sneaking in there.