which accent do you prefer British or American?

American is easier to understand , maybe because I watch more of american programmes, but really, British accent like , PM Tony Blair is a good one. (I like his accent though)His pronunciation is very clear and I could catch each word he says. Compared to P. Bush, he stammers a little and very choppy in his sentences.

The Liverpool accent is hard to understand. When I was there, I really have to say, "pardon me" more than once/twice!

When comes to the South East Asian countries...they speak with funny accent. One of which is the Malaysians. They speak more than one languages there and usually in a casual or informal conversation, words are used interchangeably with another language. But if they are speaking among the British or americans , or foreigners, they make sure they speak proper English and try not to have too heavy on a Malaysian accent.

On the LONDON TUBE (Underground/Subway...call it what you will) you hear all sorts of accents and Languages. It's the English Language which is the universal one, naturally. Here are some of the things people have been overheard to say in English. Apparently there are people around who travel the Tube lines just for the pleasure of listening "over people's shoulders!" They must all be journos!

For some reason the two most fruitful lines on the London tube system for good eavesdroppings are the Piccadilly Line (the blue one) and the Central Line (the red one).

http://www.themanwhofellasleep.com/gossip.html

When comes to the South East Asian countries...they speak with funny accent. One of which is the Malaysians. They speak more than one languages there and usually in a casual or informal conversation, words are used interchangeably with another language. But if they are speaking among the British or americans , or foreigners, they make sure they speak proper English and try not to have too heavy on a Malaysian accent. >>>
Crystal,

Why did u bring up the Malaysian accent?

>> On the LONDON TUBE (Underground/Subway...call it what you will) you hear all sorts of accents and Languages. It's the English Language which is the universal one, naturally. Here are some of the things people have been overheard to say in English. Apparently there are people around who travel the Tube lines just for the pleasure of listening "over people's shoulders!" They must all be journos!

For some reason the two most fruitful lines on the London tube system for good eavesdroppings are the Piccadilly Line (the blue one) and the Central Line (the red one).

http://www.themanwhofellasleep.com/gossip.html <<
>> 5. Who writes letters with a green pen? <<

*Gasp* I actually said that.

American is easier to understand , maybe because I watch more of american programmes, but really, British accent like , PM Tony Blair is a good one. (I like his accent though)His pronunciation is very clear and I could catch each word he says. Compared to P. Bush, he stammers a little and very choppy in his sentences.

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Blair speaks RP which is a posh version of british.

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The Liverpool accent is hard to understand. When I was there, I really have to say, "pardon me" more than once/twice!

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I love the Liverpool accent. I'd love to have that as my accent.

hi every body
iam going to learn british ccaent
what haveto i do
thank you

I had experience with some guys from New York. I got to feel they speak slower and more quiet, but with streched tones, than others in America.To me that was kind of self-confidence with little of pride. Are all New Yorkers like this?

Why on earth would you want to talk like a Scouser :| Wayne Rooney really isn't a role model. And all they ever say is "Eh"

First off: I am an American. I was born and raised in Louisiana.
Second: You might automatically think that I have the French/Acadian accent. I don't. (Not disappointing, I hope. :) )

You'll probably be surprised to learn that there are actually three distinct accents just in my home state alone. There is the 'north Louisiana accent', which almost sounds like the typical accent you'd hear on television, bar the fact that the southern influence is prominent in that most words spoken with this accent are slurred; the 'central Louisiana accent', which sounds a bit like the northern accent, however with a much more pronounced lack of "R's", a couple dozen "ya'll's", and, yes, the fact that we tend to use the word 'coke' as a general reference to all carbonated drinks. The third accent is in fact the ‘French/Acadian accent’. It can be found in the far, far south of Louisiana. Most people with this accent don't tend to travel and number very few in the relation to the general population of the state. Therefore, it is a mystery to me as to how it became a 'typical' Louisiana--southern, even--accent. The sad truth is that I have a lot of trouble understanding them most of the time--and they live only about 50 miles away from me! (For those you of you don’t use the American measurements, terribly sorry! 50 miles measures about 80 kilometers.)

If you can't tell, I have the central accent, myself. I've traveled across the states, and when people ask me were I'm from ... it's generally not that obvious, really. My accent is more of the usual drawl than anything markedly distinct. The following is an actual conversation I've had with a sales-lady in Colorado:


SL: "So, where are you from?"
Me: "I'm from Louisiana, ma'am. I'm visiting a few relatives."
SL: "Oh! Well, you don't have any accent at all."
Me: "Not many people do, where I'm from. It's a common misconception. I don't live in a swamp nor have an alligator as a pet, either ..."
SL: [laughs]



This whole thing about the English Accent versus the American accent really just plain out cracks me up. I don't know how my accent comes across to those who don't speak it, and I honestly could not care less. (I might take offense, though, at being likened to a cat. However, I happen to love cats. So If I sound like that to you, then, I've got only one thing to say: Have at it, and compare me all you like!)

I do admit, however that my accent has become more pronounced as I get older. The situation from above has occurred less and less over the years. The truth is that I like having 'the southern drawl'. It might be 'country,' but I don't admit to being city either.

There are a lot of misconceptions about the standard American, but so too are there of the standard Britain. I don't know how I got from accents to stereotypes, but I suppose they have a lot to do with each other. Most stereotypes aren't a rule but merely a guideline; the same with accents. It is true the most Americans come off as rude ... but not all of them. Generally speaking, (and no offense meant) it is usually the New England Americans that are the rudest by far--and not in a cruel manner, but because they were simply raised to be rather blunt.

Please recall that I'm from the south, and manners vary greatly from region to region. While I was raised to always say 'yes, sir', 'no, sir', 'yes, ma'am', 'no ma'am'--most people aren't. I've come across quite a few people from the north that I thought as quite loud and rude, but one of my good friends is one of those mentioned. In fact, we help each other out quite a bit. While we are in the southern region, I teach her tact and the slang we use. While we are in the north, she teaches me to not apologize to every person I bump into, and to be firm: polite is not always the answer to certain situations.

Ah, I’ve gotten far off the topic at hand. How embarrassing. Regardless, all I really want to get across was that I’ve always thought most foreign accents are generally nice to listen to, but not something I’d want to have. I’m comfortable with how I speak, and I only wish more people were as well.

Ah! One thing I forgot to mention. It's rather silly, but oh-so-true. (Don't know how I missed it, with all the wind I blew and space I took.)

People from the south generally hate (and boy, do I mean hate--you'd really offend a person calling them this face-to-face, even if they don't call you on it) to be called 'Yanks' by anyone. Yes, my brothers and sisters from across the sea, that means you. In some parts of the south, the Civil War is still a touchy subject. It's not the slavery issue; it's more of a pride thing. It still rubs some of those 'rednecks' the wrong way that the place they call home lost any fight, regardless of what the issue was.

I find that I just don't like the word in general. Who'd want to be called 'yank'? It just sounds funny on the tongue. :)

... Not to mention that I tend to think of the word as a verb, not a noun. It's like calling someone a 'hiccup' or a 'sneer'. It's just a little strange, that's all.

By the way, I mentioned this in good humor, please try not to take offense if I ruffled your feathers a bit to harshly. xD

<<It is true the most Americans come off as rude ... but not all of them. Generally speaking, (and no offense meant) it is usually the New England Americans that are the rudest by far--and not in a cruel manner, but because they were simply raised to be rather blunt. >>

Thanks for clearing up that confusion. I have talked with a couple of American males (40-45 age) in my country and they had come across so rude in their way of talking. No smile. Serious face. Extremely rude behavior. I was ganshing my teeth in a fury how these guys could talk so rudely with natives in their country. I had no apparent answer back then. I thought that if these guys could talk so brusquely in my country then they would not like to see me a bit face to face when I visit their country.

Caitlin, nice , informative post!!!

You're quite welcome! I'm glad my post helped you out. It's true that you'll find that most people have different perspectives on what exactly defines manners. Like I said, it varies greatly--even in your own country. :)

My take on the US regional sterotypes (and that grain of truth they are based on) is that northeasterners tend to be the most brusque, loud, blunt, and in-your-face. Midwesterners are known for being quiet, taciturn, and loath to show emotion. Southerners are known for their gracious, extremely polite manners (which they can turn on or off as the social situation dictates). Westerners have some of the politeness of the South and the taciturnity of the Midwest. Californians are too varied (and too often from other parts of the country) to have an particular "style". Hawaiians are a whole different subject, and Pacific Northwesterners verge dangerously on the Canadian. ;)

I like British accect may be it due to BBC as I have visited neither UK nor US. But it does not mean that American accent is not beatiful of course it is and CNN is also very good ( Refering to language not international news).

"which accent do you prefer British or American?"

A little of both with my own style ;)