Table of Contents
Where did the standard American accent come from?
It is based on RP (British Received Pronunciation) which was adopted with American alterations in the early 20th century by linguist William Tilly. These alterations, this authentic “American” sound was loosely based on the speech of North Eastern population of the US.
Where do Southern accents come from?
A diversity of earlier Southern dialects once existed: a consequence of the mix of English speakers from the British Isles (including largely Southern English and Scots-Irish immigrants) who migrated to the American South in the 17th and 18th centuries, with particular 19th-century elements also borrowed from the …
Who speaks the clearest English?
The Netherlands
The Netherlands has emerged as the nation with the highest English language proficiency, according to the EF English Proficiency Index, with a score of 72.
Why do Texans have an accent?
As one nationwide study states, the typical Texan accent is a “Southern accent with a twist”. The “twist” refers to inland Southern U.S., older coastal Southern U.S., and South Midland U.S. accents mixing together, due to Texas’s settlement history, as well as some lexical (vocabulary) influences from Mexican Spanish.
Where did the New York accent come from?
According to Prof Labov, the NY accent originates from London. “Back about 1800 all the major cities in the eastern seaboard of the United States began to copy the British pronunciation of not pronouncing the final ‘r’ as a consonant, saying ‘caah’ instead of ‘car’.
What is the least attractive accent?
These Are, Apparently, The Top 10 ‘Least Sexy’ Accents In The United States
- The Unsexiest Accent: New Jersey. Coming in last at #50, we have the New Jersey accent.
- The Unsexiest Accent Runner-Up: Long Island.
- #48: Floridian.
- #47: Minnesotan.
- #46: Pittsburgh.
- And At #45, We Have…
- #44: Pennsylvania Dutch.
- #43: Appalachian.
Where do American accents come from?
American accents have been evolving for hundreds of years. And while Americans sound very different today, here’s where some of those iconic accents got their start. Let’s start with New England, which was one of the first US regions to develop its own American English accent.
What are some examples of American newscasters with an American accent?
There is one newscaster, or “newscaster,” who provides a great example of General American: Stephen Colbert. While it certainly doesn’t sound like it, Colbert is from South Carolina, but he has mastered the newscaster accent, based on the legendary Stone Phillips. For a sample of this, here’s an interview he did on Meet the Press.
What is an accentless accent?
The name of this accentless accent varies; sometimes it’s called Standard American, or Broadcast English, or Network English, or, as it was created by two independent linguists in the 1920s and 1930s, General American. It is a neutral accent, one without distinguishing features.
Is the general American accent stereotyped?
It’s an unfortunate fact that all accents have stereotypes attached to them. Even General American, despite supposedly being a neutral accent, has its own assumptions; dialect coach Erik Singer points out that this accent is closely associated with being white, male and upper middle class. Why Do People Learn General American?