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Anonymous, 2 yr 83 days ago

 ScratchThat wrote:
I'm an American, but my sister has lived in the UK for about seven years now.  She has kept her "yank" accent since she's been there, but she admits that some UKers tolerate the "yank" accent while others hate it.  When she's talking to people who hate it, then she "tones down" the American accent.

Since she's told me there there are actually dozens of English accents in the UK, I assume that when she changes her accent she's actually changing it to be closer to Received Pronunciation.  Is this the accent that is taught as "Standard British English" to students in other European countries?  I wonder.

At the same time, I think the majority of Americans would find an "English accent" to be charming and melodious.

So I think the question of "which one is better?" really depends on your audience.  You should first strive to be understood, then strive to impress (or, at least, not offend).

I'm surprised that anyone hated it. I just spent three weeks in London and most people were quite enamored with my accent (born and raised in Southern California) and I actually got a number of compliments from various women (no phone numbers though unfortunately).

Anyway, I'm not sure many would find a Newcastle or Glasgow accent to be "charming and melodious."

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Irnic  +  426230 Tue, 02 Oct 07 04:14 PM
British English is better than American English. Personally, I prefer British English.
Irnic
Joined on Tue, Dec 13 2005
Italy
Regular Member 713
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Forbes  +  426381 Tue, 02 Oct 07 09:44 PM

 Anonymous wrote:
 I'm not sure many would find a Newcastle or Glasgow accent to be "charming and melodious."

An experiment was carried out where recordings of different varieties of English were played to (I think) Russians who had no knowledge of English. The particpants were unable to pick out the standard varieties and did not find any variety more pleasing than any other. Is it not significant that you have picked two varieties associated with cities once noted for their heavy industries?
Forbes
Joined on Thu, Jun 16 2005
Regular Member 895
Thethenothere123  +  426415 Tue, 02 Oct 07 11:27 PM
 Forbes wrote:

 Anonymous wrote:
 I'm not sure many would find a Newcastle or Glasgow accent to be "charming and melodious."

An experiment was carried out where recordings of different varieties of English were played to (I think) Russians who had no knowledge of English. The particpants were unable to pick out the standard varieties and did not find any variety more pleasing than any other. Is it not significant that you have picked two varieties associated with cities once noted for their heavy industries?



Are you implying that I'm denigrating the accents of Newcastle and Glasgow because I supported Margaret Thatcher and the Tories?  Damn! You've seen right through me. How did you know?

Edit: I was the "anonymous" that you responded to.
Thethenothere123
Joined on Fri, Mar 3 2006
Los Angeles, California
Full Member 187
Sophia Summer  +  426802 Wed, 03 Oct 07 11:08 PM

i love the britsh accent..i wish  i can speak like them

but the american accent is much easier to learn
Sophia Summer
Joined on Wed, Sep 5 2007
Egypt
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Prez1dent  +  427085 Thu, 04 Oct 07 07:42 PM
Sorry for the interruption. I would prefer the USA to the UK for its climate. And AE is easier than BE in my opinion.
Prez1dent
Joined on Mon, Jan 8 2007
USSR
Senior Member 2,643
*IF's crazy li'l bro* *Floxflow's crazy uncle* ++Member of Floxflow's fan club++ I haven't spoken English for so long. Plz correct me if I make mistakes))
Thethenothere123  +  427130 Thu, 04 Oct 07 09:03 PM
 Prez1dent wrote:
Sorry for the interruption. I would prefer the USA to the UK for its climate.


The climate in the US varies quite a bit depending on the region. For instance, no one wants to live in the Deep South. During the summer, it's like 1 million degrees, 100% humidity, and the mosquitos are the size of small mammals.
Thethenothere123
Hadeer, 2 yr 54 days ago
ofcourse Britch English
Prez1dent  +  427393 Fri, 05 Oct 07 01:03 PM
2Thethenothere123
Yeah you're right. The USA is a big country and has a lot of different places with particular climates. As for me I would choose LA or Miami.
Prez1dent
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