What accent do you really hate? and which one you love?

Damian   Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:46 pm GMT
In that case I'm waiting to hear an Edinburgh sparrow warble Auld Lang Syne...I changed it to that a few days ago.
Uriel   Wed Jan 04, 2006 7:37 pm GMT
I can top your dog story, Damian -- my big guy from the pound seemed very obedient but didn't respond to any of my attempts to get him to "sit", "stay", or "lie down". I couldn't figure it out. Then one day my boyfriend, on a whim, told him "sientate, cuestate, duermate" -- and damn if the dog didn't sit, lie down, and roll over!
Damian   Wed Jan 04, 2006 10:37 pm GMT
See Uriel.....although it's obviously a Language situation in the case you mentioned with your big guy from the pound you confirm my story!....actually it's not a story...it's fact. Dogs respond to accents they're familiar with it seems. No self respecting Scottish dog would obey a guy with a Southern English twang and that's for sure.

I did a wee bit of research into the birds thing...apparently it is true that birds of the same species have slightly different tones in their songs from one region to another. I'd like to bet that a Maine sparrow doesnae sound like one from New Mexico....or whatever birds you have over there.

NB: I do hope you don't have to put down many dogs or any animals......none at all I hope. . :-( There have been some awful cases of animal cruelty in the UK recently.... I prefer animals to sub humanity.
Ixax   Wed Jan 04, 2006 11:46 pm GMT
Some of my relatives in Kansas have the worst possible accents! It is so annoying I winch when they say my name. But the irony is that only some of them have this accent, so it seems to be a regional variation or maybe a genetic strain. I pray I don’t sound like they do and if I do, I don't want to know!

I have a friend who is tri-lingual, Spanish, English and French, and he routinely uses all three languages in a single sentence and he sounds spectacular to me.

My first Spanish teacher had a very strong "Southern" (regional, USA) accent, and he even spoke Spanish with a drawl. That was dreadful.
Kirk   Wed Jan 04, 2006 11:50 pm GMT
<<or maybe a genetic strain>>

Yes, that accent's genetic basis may be found on the 14th chromosome...
Damian   Wed Jan 04, 2006 11:53 pm GMT
You'd probably wince even more if you heard me attempt to pronounce your name, Ixax. I reckon it wouldn't sound too good with a Scottish accent....
Uriel   Thu Jan 05, 2006 5:11 am GMT
Ornithological Damian: I've heard of bird dialects, too. And I think variation in insect and frog calls is one sign of impending speciation. But I think American sparrows are still doing okay ... although the Maine ones always add "Ayuh" to everything they say, and the NM ones begin every sentence with "Look, vato..." (Just kidding -- although I had a boss who did that!)

I can't imagine Southern English accents as sounding "twangy". What makes them sound that way to you? Vowels, I assume?

Yes, unfortunately I heard the local pound puts down 26,000 animals a year. I work for a private vet, though, so we only do it for medical or behavioral reasons. And oddly, Christmas 'tis the season when people decide old Fido's arthritis and incontinence has gone too far.... :(
damn retarded dude   Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:09 am GMT
Well,
I prefer the American accent because it's natural but not with the local slangs !!!

British english is the most artificial one because they tend to delete the sounds many time but when it's not there they make it eg. law and order they pronounce the "r" before and but don't the last one as they always do. Aussies may fascinate the ears but they too are confusing one.
Regards
chip   Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:43 pm GMT
depends. but I agree, strong German accents sound terrible.
Adam   Tue Jan 10, 2006 6:47 pm GMT
"British english is the most artificial one because they tend to delete the sounds many time but when it's not there they make it "

Unlike the Americans, we don't delete letters from a word, sometimes most of them - doughnut-donut or though-tho. And that's bloody awful!

American is the artificial one.
Uriel   Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:14 pm GMT
He's talking about spoken sounds, not written ones, Adam.
Guest   Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:15 am GMT
<"British english is the most artificial one because they tend to delete the sounds many time but when it's not there they make it "

Unlike the Americans, we don't delete letters from a word, sometimes most of them - doughnut-donut or though-tho. And that's bloody awful!

American is the artificial one. >

What is artificial? In most cases American English is preserving terms no longer existing in British English.
Guest   Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:39 am GMT
Artificial as Anglo-Saxon culture. Such bullshit.
Sarah   Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:41 am GMT
Hi for all of you,
I am a forighen student and I want to learn both American and Britich accent !
American accent is more clear than Britich .One of my proffesor uses this acces in every thing in her life ,also she teachs us by it .she writs poem by it.
Sarah   Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:19 am GMT
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