American accent

[PROFESSORI]

When did American's start speaking with the American accent as we know it today?

[Ethel]

There isn't one American accent though.

The New York accent is very different from the Texan accent, for example.

[mata hati]

A "plain" american accent is very similar to the irish Dublin one (hardly suprising really)

[jno]

some say that they always have ever since the early migrants arrived from England, and that it's the English accent that's changed since. According to this theory, Shakespeare would feel more at home with the voices of east coast USA than with those of modern Britain.

[Lonnie]

As jno has said, its still the English Language, its evolving all the time, which is why we have regional accents, and in reality, thats all the Americans speak, different English regional accents.

You might ask the same about Australia, its still English.

[maxi29]

As a side issue, why do Americans, Australians, New Zealanders and (English-speaking) South Africans all have wildly differing accents when they were all settled by British immigrants at roughly the same time?

[mycats]

And dont Australian's all have the same "accent"? rather than regional ones, thats weird, but interesting lol

[jno]

with the growth of mass media - TV, mainly - there's been a worldwide tendency for accents to homogenise a bit (so Glaswegian kids are alleged to be using glottal stops like 'Estuary English' kids from London). Migration from different countries may work to change local accents a bit

[tex8596]

to answer maxi29's question...the answer is simple. There was already a population in place that spoke a langauge other than english. Pronunciation of those words would have slowly changed how people speak.

The Amercian Indian laguages do not use the same vowel structure, hence, Brits going to the States would have been influenced by this usage. Over a couple hundred years, a new "accent" would have emereged.

But being American, I love to make Brits mad by stating that the Ameican usage of English is, in reality, un-accented (excluding regional accents like NY, Texas, Southern, Western). I mean you can't even spell color right!!!

[$~Jeep~$]

Hey tex

Just think how many more words per minute we could all type if we used your spelling!!

[maxi29]

Good point, tex., I hadn't thought of that.

Is it because settlers mixed with different tribes of native Americans that accents differ across the USA?

[morbidstorm]

Also the populations were not made up of just English peoples,
South Africa was Dutch before we took over (hence Boer War)
The Americans were made up of Germans (North Dakota place names) French (hence the 7 years war) Dutch (New York was called New Amsterdam and the name Wall Street got its name from the dutch building a wall to keep out the English troops) Native Americans (well they were there first - and they themselves all had different accents via there different tribes) Spanish (California) China (cheap labourers) Africans (slaves) Irish (via the potato famine esp) Scots, Welsh to name but a few!

[twain11]

******* yanks, english is called english because it originated in England. Dopey bellends. Speak a different language if you insist on inventing one.

[AB Editor]

a "dopey bellend" - funny. I tell ya I learn something new everyday from you follks!

[spudqueen]

Ah - but does Ed understand what a bellend is?

[morbidstorm]

Ah but Twain 11, what language do we speak now? compare our language to that of earlier centuries, are we speaking English anymore? Language fluctuates and chages and adapts all the time. There is no 'English' set language, do Geordies speak English? Scousers? Cornish? Yes they do but they have various local differences, same as the Americans. What amazes me is that in a recent survey i think it was 70% of British people questioned believed Jesus (and God) spoke English!

[Sabbath]

I don't have an accent - you do!!!!