Do the Americans speak English better than the British?

Personally, as a native Spanish speaker, I find the English from England (at least the one from the movies) more attractive and sometimes it's easier to understand for a not trained ear like mine.

I think it would be fine to speak English with accents that sounds easier for the speaker to pronounce or listen to. I speak with British accent, I'm not sure which British accent it is, though.I am Japanese, speaking Japanese as the first language. Generally, Japanese language is similar to British accent, which, in most cases, contains clearer consonant than American accent. So, for Japanese, British accent seems easier to pronounce and listen to. So, I am learning with BBC accent. It is actually easier to get on with!! I think it all depends on where you are born and grow up!! Sometimes English language with foreign dialect can be unique. Just choose accents that fits your tongues!!

"That is like, soooooo, cool. I've, like got to get me one of those. They are like, soooo sweet."

Okay, as a teenager (a very bored one) from California I'm going to get all of this bashing of California teenage girls over with because I hate it too and if I start talking like the girls I know, you guys can fly over and shoot me. Here are the rules to sound like your some highschool idiot from California.

1. There are two speeds of speech: lathargic and hyperspeed. For the first you have to pretend like you have been dead for the last five years and have not slept in twice that time. For the second, pretend like you drank about fifty cups of the blackest coffee available this morning.

2. Do use the words "like", "cool", "so", "represent," and "sexy" as often as is humanly possible. These should also be mixed with as many swear words as is humanly possible.

3. Ignore all three aditions of that stupid 500-page grammer book that we studied intensely in 6th,7th,and 8th grade. The thing doesn't have any idea what it is talking about and should be burned in a bonfire.

4. If you don't like something, it is gay. Not sure why, just don't let the teacher hear you say it.

5. Last, but certainly not least, talk like Napolean Dynamite if possible.

What do you guys think about Tonny Blar"s English? I guess his English is very clear to listen to and speak like for non-natives of English language. Do you think if would be weired for Japanese guy speaking like him?

Is Tony Blair's English somehow different than other English people's English? I hear his name invoked a lot, and yet on the rare occasions that I've heard him speak, he didn't sound like anything special. Or is it that he is simply the Englishman foreigners are most likely to hear speak, due to his political position?

well, Uriel, I just feel like speaking like Tony Blair beacuse he speaks by pronouncing each word clearly. It's not because his political position. Mostly, English native speakers speak connecting sounds of words, which takes a little efforts for non-natives of English language to aquire. Actually, many japanese tiry to speak English like natives of English language, but it is always hard for natives to understand them. So I think with Tony Blair's clear English, we japanese can get our points accross properly to native English speakers.!! It is always good to speak clearly in any language!!

I'm just saying that he sounds pretty typical to me. Nothing about the way he talks stands out to me. So why him, in particular?

Are you perhaps saying his accent is a typical British accent? If so, that is because I like his Englsih. Typical british accent has clear consonants pronounced all the time. That is much easier for Japanese to get along with than American accent in general. What is your mother tongue?

American English. Which does have a tendency to be less "crisp" than English English, so I can see why it might be a little more difficult for others to learn. My stepmother learned British English as an adult, and has a hell of a time adjusting her ear to Americans.

"Crisp" !! That is the very what I mean!! It' s hard for most Japanese to learn as well. But we Japanese learn American English at school. I don't mean American English is bad. It sounds cool. But I would like there to be some more accent alternatives of American and British accents at school in Japan. I've actually lived for 1yaer in Arkansas in the U.S.where the local people speak a little thick southern accent, still then, British accent sounded clearer than American accent.

Estuary does not sound crisp.

I've heard of the word " Estuary accent " , but have never heard it spoken before. Do you know anyone famous who speaks with Estuary accent ?

The problem here is that most people associate "English accent" or even "British accent" (despite that England is but one of the constituents of Great Britain) with Received Pronunciation, while in reality even just "English accent" covers a very wide range of dialects, with much more internal variation than the whole of North American English. Consequently, even if some may perceive RP as "crisp", that does not mean that one can apply that at all to the entirety of English English (as shown by the example of Estuary English, and Estuary English is actually not too far from RP, all things considered).

I think I know what brought you to think that way, Travis. Many people try to link diverse English dialects into two categories, British and American. Partly because the two countries are where English is spoken as a first language. For non-natives of English language, I think it would be hard to know local accents in the two countries when they are learning English at home.

<<I've heard of the word " Estuary accent " , but have never heard it spoken before. Do you know anyone famous who speaks with Estuary accent ?>>

Jamie Oliver, Mick Jagger, Guy Ritchie, Tony Blair (sometimes...), Katie Price (aka Jordan). At first, these people come into mind.