standard english

If we were to assume that the entire anglosphere was one country, and that within that country the majority dialcet was prestigous, wouldn't we all want to aspire to speak like Americans when they speak English.

Within the United States, the only presige dialect that I know of is NPR. But it seems that the real power base is with the Republican south. Should one aspire to sound like a southerner or like a NPR newscaster. ?

Things like this have been posted loads of times.

No you are definitely not obliged to speak like the majority, and absolutely NO, if all the English Speaking people were unified in a country American English wouldn't be the dialect spoken by the majority, American English is only Spoken in America, the rest of countries have their own dialects and I don't see any reason for them to change.

You sound the way you sound, man. If you're from the North then speak like a northener. The situation is different if you're a non-native speaker who can actually choose which dialect to adopt (If their skills allow them to do so, indeed). A native speaker who changes their accent usually sounds strange.

>>Things like this have been posted loads of times.

No you are definitely not obliged to speak like the majority, and absolutely NO, if all the English Speaking people were unified in a country American English wouldn't be the dialect spoken by the majority, American English is only Spoken in America, the rest of countries have their own dialects and I don't see any reason for them to change.<<

To be a pedant, things are not quite as simple as that. There are very few clear dividing lines between "American English" and "Canadian English", the main notable ones being between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario and, less sharply, between dialects spoken in the northeast of the US and dialects spoken in the Maritimes. Those cases aside, the dialects spoken in the US and in Canada simply fade into each other, forming a continuous dialect continuum. Consequently, it is better to just refer to them both together as "North American English" rather than specifying "American" or "Canadian" English alone.

This assumes one thing: that people would want to speak with the so-called prestigious accent. But relatively few British people have any desire to speak RP, for example.

Equally, even if the 'Anglosphere' were to become superficially one country, I don't see that all that much would change in terms of most of its inhabitants outlook (save for the eternal protests and rioting in all British cities which would inevitably follow).

<<...if all the English Speaking people were unified in a country American English wouldn't be the dialect spoken by the majority, American English is only Spoken in America, the rest of countries have their own dialects and I don't see any reason for them to change.>>

Uh, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but approximately 67% of native speakers of English reside in the United States. Therefore, if the so-called "Anglosphere" were to be united as one country, the majority would indeed speak American English.

<<What is NPR ? I have never seen the term before.>>

National Public Radio

In terms of accent, I agree with you, Travis. However there are some features, such as spelling and vocab, which set Can & US Eng. appart.

>>In terms of accent, I agree with you, Travis. However there are some features, such as spelling and vocab, which set Can & US Eng. appart.<<

Yes, there are some vocabulary differences, but these are not that major overall, all things considered, and likely are not any larger than vocabulary differences *within* at least the US itself; consequently, they really aren't enough to justify sharply dividing the English dialects spoken in the US and Canada nomenclature-wise. As for spelling, that is an orthographic matter, whereas when one views things in terms of dialects and dialect continua, one is concerned solely with the spoken language rather than literary forms.

"... likely are not any larger than vocabulary differences *within* at least the US itself ..." good point; though, I know only a little about such differences. Of course, when it comes to vocabulary the difference between Can. Eng. & US Eng. is small compared to that between Nth Am. Eng. & Aus. Eng. (or indeed Eng. in the rest of the Commonwealth). ANd, yes, you're right that written and spoken forms can largely be considered seperately. Of course, one would have to agree that overall, when considering dialects, a Can. Eng. vs US Eng. distinction is not really of any great use and that you're better off thinking in terms of Nth Am Eng. Just noting some minor differences.

>>Uh, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but approximately 67% of native speakers of English reside in the United States. Therefore, if the so-called "Anglosphere" were to be united as one country, the majority would indeed speak American English.<<

oopps! But I'm an idiot! I just thought of the number of countries. But sure, there are a lot more people in the USA than in other English speaking countries.

>>To be a pedant, things are not quite as simple as that. There are very few clear dividing lines between "American English" and "Canadian English", the main notable ones being between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario and, less sharply, between dialects spoken in the northeast of the US and dialects spoken in the Maritimes. Those cases aside, the dialects spoken in the US and in Canada simply fade into each other, forming a continuous dialect continuum. Consequently, it is better to just refer to them both together as "North American English" rather than specifying "American" or "Canadian" English alone.<<

North American English would be more accurate, but there's still a little difference. The point is, why would a Canadian want to adopt an American accent? or viceversa...