a he = the
What is a "Posh Accent"?
<<It's interesting to note the striking contrast between the two speakers' accent: >>
Brian Sewell is certainly easier to understand than the artist. Perhaps many of the folks from the UK that appearted in US TV (especially in the past) sounded a lot like Brian Sewell, so we get used to that accent? I always thought guys like Alistair Cooke and Lord Mountbatten were among the easiest to understand (from the UK) -- were there accents considered posh?
I wonder if US and UK English will soon diverge so much that they become completely mutually unintelligible?
Brian Sewell is certainly easier to understand than the artist. Perhaps many of the folks from the UK that appearted in US TV (especially in the past) sounded a lot like Brian Sewell, so we get used to that accent? I always thought guys like Alistair Cooke and Lord Mountbatten were among the easiest to understand (from the UK) -- were there accents considered posh?
I wonder if US and UK English will soon diverge so much that they become completely mutually unintelligible?
<<I always thought guys like Alistair Cooke and Lord Mountbatten were among the easiest to understand (from the UK) -- were there accents considered posh?>>
Mountbatten was a British aristocrat and very 'posh'. Cooke on the other hand was originally not posh, but was the product of the British elite universities and the BBC, which in those days inculcated a certain kind of 'posh' accent. He went on to develop what is sometimes called a 'mid Atlantic accent' with a lot of influence from US English.
Mountbatten was a British aristocrat and very 'posh'. Cooke on the other hand was originally not posh, but was the product of the British elite universities and the BBC, which in those days inculcated a certain kind of 'posh' accent. He went on to develop what is sometimes called a 'mid Atlantic accent' with a lot of influence from US English.
<<Brian Sewell is certainly easier to understand than the artist.>>
Really? Is he? It's interesting because he, just like most conservative RP speakers, doesn't seem to open his mouth or move his lips whilst speaking. :-)
<<Perhaps many of the folks from the UK that appearted in US TV (especially in the past) sounded a lot like Brian Sewell, so we get used to that accent? I always thought guys like Alistair Cooke and Lord Mountbatten were among the easiest to understand (from the UK) -- were there accents considered posh?>>
Alistair Cooke was born in Salford, Lancashire but he certainly didn't sound like that. Having been a Cambridge graduate, he had more of an 'oxbridge' accent, of course, that of his generation. Nowadays you can hear lots of different accents in Oxford and Cambridge, so it's not restricted to English English RP only. Alistair Cooke's accent, however, was conservative RP.
Although I've never heard Lord Mountbatten speak, I assume that he must have spoken with a "posh" accent, considering his class and age.
As for Brian Sewell, he does sound odd because nowadays you can hardly ever hear 50s type conservative RP. He sounds like a time traveller from the good old days who stuck here for good. He makes the Queen sound like Eliza Doolittle. :-)
<<I wonder if US and UK English will soon diverge so much that they become completely mutually unintelligible?>>>
I don't think so.
Really? Is he? It's interesting because he, just like most conservative RP speakers, doesn't seem to open his mouth or move his lips whilst speaking. :-)
<<Perhaps many of the folks from the UK that appearted in US TV (especially in the past) sounded a lot like Brian Sewell, so we get used to that accent? I always thought guys like Alistair Cooke and Lord Mountbatten were among the easiest to understand (from the UK) -- were there accents considered posh?>>
Alistair Cooke was born in Salford, Lancashire but he certainly didn't sound like that. Having been a Cambridge graduate, he had more of an 'oxbridge' accent, of course, that of his generation. Nowadays you can hear lots of different accents in Oxford and Cambridge, so it's not restricted to English English RP only. Alistair Cooke's accent, however, was conservative RP.
Although I've never heard Lord Mountbatten speak, I assume that he must have spoken with a "posh" accent, considering his class and age.
As for Brian Sewell, he does sound odd because nowadays you can hardly ever hear 50s type conservative RP. He sounds like a time traveller from the good old days who stuck here for good. He makes the Queen sound like Eliza Doolittle. :-)
<<I wonder if US and UK English will soon diverge so much that they become completely mutually unintelligible?>>>
I don't think so.
How about Richard Dawkins?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxGMqKCcN6A&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxGMqKCcN6A&feature=related
<<I wonder if US and UK English will soon diverge so much that they become completely mutually unintelligible?>>>
Many UK accents are unintelligible to an American ear. That's why many movies are subtitled (Trainspotting?) and UK sitcoms are never a success in the US: they need to be re-recorded with American actors (and American screenplay/vocabulary). Most Americans would prefer changing a channel to having to struggle with unfamiliar accents and expressions they don't know. For awerage people, evenings are for relaxation and not for some obscure linguistic tests.
Many UK accents are unintelligible to an American ear. That's why many movies are subtitled (Trainspotting?) and UK sitcoms are never a success in the US: they need to be re-recorded with American actors (and American screenplay/vocabulary). Most Americans would prefer changing a channel to having to struggle with unfamiliar accents and expressions they don't know. For awerage people, evenings are for relaxation and not for some obscure linguistic tests.
<<That's why many movies are subtitled (Trainspotting?) and UK sitcoms are never a success in the US: they need to be re-recorded with American actors>>
Maybe they should just dub them with "posh" accents, or perhaps RP (which is also easy to understand -- maybe it's pretty much the same as posh?).
Maybe they should just dub them with "posh" accents, or perhaps RP (which is also easy to understand -- maybe it's pretty much the same as posh?).
«Many UK accents are unintelligible to an American ear.»
Are they really so different? I have always thought of English as one language with just basically slight regional accents. May these difficult UK accents then be unintelligible to other Brits too? Even though one normally spoke with a very esoteric accent, he or she could possibly speak clearly enough if need be.
Are they really so different? I have always thought of English as one language with just basically slight regional accents. May these difficult UK accents then be unintelligible to other Brits too? Even though one normally spoke with a very esoteric accent, he or she could possibly speak clearly enough if need be.
<<May these difficult UK accents then be unintelligible to other Brits too?>>
Yes, that's true. The Scots dialect is pretty hard to understand for Southerners.
Yes, that's true. The Scots dialect is pretty hard to understand for Southerners.
<<I have always thought of English as one language with just basically slight regional accents.>>
The regional accents are a lot more than slight. One good example is Scots (assuming you consider it a dialect of English, and not a separate language).
(BTW: It's a good thing they didn't ask for the Chinese (in Unicode?) word for the background color. I wonder if they're going to make the anti-spam question tougher and tougher?)
The regional accents are a lot more than slight. One good example is Scots (assuming you consider it a dialect of English, and not a separate language).
(BTW: It's a good thing they didn't ask for the Chinese (in Unicode?) word for the background color. I wonder if they're going to make the anti-spam question tougher and tougher?)
-Maybe they should just dub them with "posh" accents-
But sometimes (or always?) movies should reflect the reality and not something idealized. Only 3 % of British people speak RP.
But sometimes (or always?) movies should reflect the reality and not something idealized. Only 3 % of British people speak RP.
>> But sometimes (or always?) movies should reflect the reality and not something idealized. Only 3 % of British people speak RP. <<
But that would still give it the flavo(u)r of it being a British show, but make it easier to understand. However, it would be silly to take it overboard, e.g. having a hobo speak a prince, lol.
But that would still give it the flavo(u)r of it being a British show, but make it easier to understand. However, it would be silly to take it overboard, e.g. having a hobo speak a prince, lol.
«assuming you consider it [Scots] a dialect of English, and not a separate language»
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v1jmVvF4gM
If this is a normal Scottish accent, I sure do consider so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v1jmVvF4gM
If this is a normal Scottish accent, I sure do consider so.
<<If this is a normal Scottish accent, I sure do consider so. >>
Definitely not intelligible to me -- I can see why they have to dub TV programs from the UK if they want them to be watched in the US.
I wonder if people from Canada (or AUS/NZ) can understand this guy, or is it just folks from the US that have trouble?
Definitely not intelligible to me -- I can see why they have to dub TV programs from the UK if they want them to be watched in the US.
I wonder if people from Canada (or AUS/NZ) can understand this guy, or is it just folks from the US that have trouble?
>> Definitely not intelligible to me -- I can see why they have to dub TV programs from the UK if they want them to be watched in the US. <<
You do realize that it is very rare that they do that. And it's usually when people from other parts of the UK have just as difficult of a time understanding it as North Americans do.
>> I wonder if people from Canada (or AUS/NZ) can understand this guy, or is it just folks from the US that have trouble? <<
Canada? The vast majority of people in Canada speak in a manner that's more similar to Standard American English than most Americans do. Western and Central Canadian English is more similar to what you'd find on an US news broadcast than the accent spoken in Detroit, Chicago, Boston, New York, or Atlanta (all of these cities have vowel shifts that diverge. So, why would they be able to understand it any more than people from the US? Obviously you've never heard anyone from Canada speak. I don't know about Australia or New Zealand, but I doubt most of the people there would be able to understand it better than North Americans.
You do realize that it is very rare that they do that. And it's usually when people from other parts of the UK have just as difficult of a time understanding it as North Americans do.
>> I wonder if people from Canada (or AUS/NZ) can understand this guy, or is it just folks from the US that have trouble? <<
Canada? The vast majority of people in Canada speak in a manner that's more similar to Standard American English than most Americans do. Western and Central Canadian English is more similar to what you'd find on an US news broadcast than the accent spoken in Detroit, Chicago, Boston, New York, or Atlanta (all of these cities have vowel shifts that diverge. So, why would they be able to understand it any more than people from the US? Obviously you've never heard anyone from Canada speak. I don't know about Australia or New Zealand, but I doubt most of the people there would be able to understand it better than North Americans.