Preferred Accents

[Tual 152]

I'm aware of that. It's meant to be a joke. That's why I said I like to joke about it

 

My fellow Canadian buddies don't say eh a lot either, so I'm aware. However, many of them say about like this: "aboot". That I know for sure.

I'm a Canadian, and I tend to say "Eh" all the time. <.>; Not as a stereotype or anything I'd hope. I think it just naturally comes to me. 

And the "Aboot" is a Canadian accent thing. I guess what is said and such kinda depends what province you come from, eh? 

[Th3 Chaos Theory 89]

No one said this yet? I really love Russian accents. It's really unique (because it is their accent isn't it) because they take off words from the alphabet like W, V, and the 'th' sound. They replace those letters/sound with another word in the alphabet for example 'this' is now turned to 'zis' and 'well' is 'vell'.

[Pulcinella 1,016]

The formal British accent just sounds very... English.   YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH !

 

But I digress. I've always loved to joke about the Singaporean accent. They always end their sentences with "lah", just like how Canadians often end their sentences with "eh". I've always loved to listen to French accents. It just sounds so... refined.

Well, that explains SINGapore. xD Ya know, la la? I'm bad at jokes. Anyway, it's a Japanese stereotype that Chinese people end their sentences with "aru", and Hetalia seems to have adopted that.

[crazitaco 596]

I love love LOVE russian accents <3 So sexyyyy

As a Texan, i have to say i also love texan accents. Specifically Texan, not rednecky southern talk. There's a distinct difference really. I don't think i have much of an accent, but some people i know do and its quite lovely.

I also like scottish accents and swedish accent. I dunno why, they just appeal to me for some reason.

Edited September 18, 2013 by crazitaco

[Mars Caramel 319]

Basically every accent as long as it's foreign from the country I'm currently in. Favourites would have to be German, Russian, Australian, Canadian, and southern American.

 

Also, I can't be the only one who really likes southern American.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Mars Brownie

[Tenshinohana 264]

I don't know why, but I do love the British accent. Call me a cliche or whatever, I still like it! And if I have to be specific, Oxford.

 

If I think of accents I don't really like, it would probably be the southern accent/texas accent/hilly billy accent. Sorry for those who like this accent and are now thinking that "BUT THEY'RE NOT THE SAME ACCENT", but I mean generally. I don't like the softer version and I don't really like the hilly billy version. It's fun to talk like a hilly billy sometimes, but yeah...

 

And a funny accent is Australian. I like it, but not as much as British. ~

[Mephala 2,633]

I am Canadian, but my accent isn't really that strong; as a child I had a fairly strong Welsh one. And seriously, I know no one that says "aboot" or "eh". A lot pronounce "hockey" as "hackey", though.

I find Welsh accents to be my favourite; they're really cute, especially on guys with high-pitched voices, haha. I also really like accents of people from Iceland.

I dislike pretty much all Southern accents, because I find that a lot of people drawl and it irritates me. I speak very concisely and cannot stand that sort of thing. XD

[FirestormCAN 246]

Brits and Scots always get me. Most of the accents I've heard of in America are just so bland and forgettable, it's always so gratifying to hear more of a old-style way of speaking.

 

And besides, I always get a kick out of the TF2 Demoman's best line: http://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/f/fa/Demoman_painsharp07.wav

[Pulcinella 1,016]

Alright, I keep scrolling through and coming across accents I forgot about. Now, let me list off the accents I like, then the ones I dislike.

Likes:

German

Russian

British

Chinese

Icelandic

Japanese

Lithuanian

Danish

French

Italian

Scottish

Swedish

Irish

 

Dislikes:

Texan

Canadian

Midwestern (even though I live in Minnesota)

New Jersian

Jamaican

Valley Girl

Edited September 18, 2013 by Pulcinella

[Sir Xarthas VI 470]

Preffered accents...

English

German

Russian

Icelandic

Swedish

 

All of them are sexy accents in my opinion. I would prefer English or German though

[Hansel 1,512]

I prefer no accent at all. The typical American "accent" is, in essence a lack of accent. Words are pronounced exactly as they are supposed to be pronounced. It is the purest distillation of English.

 

 

 

Anyway, I've never really given it too much thought. 

 

*le thinks*  :okiedokielokie:

I suppose that I quite like the German accent.   

 

Though that may be partly because I like the German language.

And German music.

Germans are awesome.

 

I have one of them English accents. Does that make me cool?

Edited September 18, 2013 by Hansel

[Hawk Moth 390]

 

 

Anyway, I've never really given it too much thought. 

 

*le thinks*  :okiedokielokie:

I suppose that I quite like the German accent.   

 

Though that may be partly because I like the German language.

And German music.

Germans are awesome.

 

I have one of them English accents. Does that make me cool?

Well, present a counter-argument then. I think the American accent is no accent, and with no accent, which is a change, there is no change to the way words are written.

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

Hmmm...Let's see. I think...accents, you say? Here are my opinions (This isn't meant to offend anybody.)

• Russian sounds badass
• Most Asian accents are hilarious...engrish!
• French Is a little hard to understand.
• Ebonics is annoying.
• New Jersey/East Coast US has the potential to be very irritating.
• Swedish sounds sexy to me...I don't know why
• Southern Accents can be nice to listen to...it depends on how thick it is.
• British accents sound a tad posh
• Irish accents can be pleasant if not too strong
• Scottish Accents are okay. There are some variations of Scottish/English accents that I can't understand. They sound like a foreign language to me.
• Mexican accents are understandable. I like how they speak English slowly and carefully.
• Indian accents are pretty funny.

[Hansel 1,512]

Well, present a counter-argument then. I think the American accent is no accent, and with no accent, which is a change, there is no change to the way words are written.

 

Well, firstly, there's no such thing as "no accent" Everyone has an accent. Perception of accents are entirely subjective. I've spent most of my life living in North London, so I have fairly typical North-London-ish accent. To me, my accent seems like no accent, whilst the particular American accent you're talking about is an accent.  

However, objectively, we all have accents.

 

Secondly, how can you say that there's no change to the way it's written? What makes you so sure that the way the American accent in question pronounces words is the "accurate" way. Especially when American spellings are different from the original spellings? Especially when the American accents came so much later then many other accents? And especially when some words can very well be interpreted in different ways, and both are technically accurate. (Such as the word "via", for example.) 

 

I don't see how can you say that this particular American accent pronounces words "exactly as they are supposed to be pronounced".

The key word in your comment is "think". You think that this particular American accent is no accent. However, you're entirely subjective opinion doesn't mean that it's the one true way of pronouncing words in the English language.

 

A quick example, the American way of spelling colour is "color", I believe. However, the way most Americans pronounce that word sounds completely inaccurate to someone like me and isn't true to the spelling at all.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Hansel

[Quilled Inc 161]

Well, firstly, there's no such thing as "no accent" Everyone has an accent. Perception of accents are entirely subjective. I've spent most of my life living in North London, so I have fairly typical North-London-ish accent. To me, my accent seems like no accent, whilst the particular American accent you're talking about is an accent.  

However, objectively, we all have accents.

 

Secondly, how can you say that there's no change to the way it's written? What makes you so sure that the way the American accent in question pronounces words the "accurate" way. Especially when American spellings are different from the original spellings? Especially when the American accents came so much later then many other accents? And especially when some words can very well be interpreted in different ways, and both are technically accurate. (Such as "via", for example.) 

 

I don't see how can you say that this accent pronounces words "exactly as they are supposed to be pronounced".

The key word in your comment is "think". You think that this particular American accent is no accent. However, you're entirely subjective opinion doesn't mean it's the one true way of pronouncing words in the English language.

 

A quick example, the American way of spelling colour is "color", I believe. However, the way most Americans pronounce that word sounds completely inaccurate to someone like me and isn't true to the spelling at all.

You beat me to the punch

I agree with this ^ well written, I might add.  As a person who has grown up and lived in three different English-speaking countries I can affirm that the American accent is definitely NOT the 'lack of an accent', it has it's characteristics and, often times, flaws, just like any other accent (like your lack of emphasis on the letter 't' in a word [or at least that is how I perceive it, I can detect that lack of emphasis]).  But yes, like Hansel said it's all about perception.

[Hawk Moth 390]

Well, firstly, there's no such thing as "no accent" Everyone has an accent. Perception of accents are entirely subjective. I've spent most of my life living in North London, so I have fairly typical North-London-ish accent. To me, my accent seems like no accent, whilst the particular American accent you're talking about is an accent.  

However, objectively, we all have accents.

 

Secondly, how can you say that there's no change to the way it's written? What makes you so sure that the way the American accent in question pronounces words is the "accurate" way. Especially when American spellings are different from the original spellings? Especially when the American accents came so much later then many other accents? And especially when some words can very well be interpreted in different ways, and both are technically accurate. (Such as the word "via", for example.) 

 

I don't see how can you say that this particular American accent pronounces words "exactly as they are supposed to be pronounced".

The key word in your comment is "think". You think that this particular American accent is no accent. However, you're entirely subjective opinion doesn't mean that it's the one true way of pronouncing words in the English language.

 

A quick example, the American way of spelling colour is "color", I believe. However, the way most Americans pronounce that word sounds completely inaccurate to someone like me and isn't true to the spelling at all.

 

The British pronunciations of words has elongated vowels among other things. The American accent does not elongate any vowels. The phonemes that make up words are not pronounced with any accent. This is objective, and the only reason the American accent is called an accent is because there isn't a better word commonly ascribed yet.

 

Also I never said there was any change in how the language is written; I said the words are pronounced as they are written. Such examples as the difference in pronouncing "via" does not illustrate a difference in accent - merely a difference in vowel sound. An accent would be pronouncing the same vowel two different ways.

 

As I said before, an accent is a change or deviation. An American accent that has no regional accent such as Southern, Bostonian, Midwestern, etc is a complete lack of accent. No vowels are elongated. No consonants are omitted. It is objectively a lack of accent. It has nothing to do with perception unless you, as you have said, believe your accent which has deviated pronunciations to be the "standard" way of speaking. In that case your perception is erroneous. Mine is not. Look at a full list of phonemes found in the English language along with regional dialects/accents. There are changes in the way words are pronounced: changes in root/end stress and whatnot, but the important part is how the phonemes are pronounced. The Southern accent accentuates vowels for example therefor it is technically incorrect. If you have no accent, you are pronouncing words without any change to their base components.

Furthermore:

 

Gen·er·al American  (jnr-l)

n.

The speech of native speakers of American English that many consider to be typical of the United States, noted for its EXCLUSION OF PHONOLOGICAL FORMS readily recognized as regional or limited to particular social groups and for its frequent use as a norm of pronunciation by national broadcasters.

Usage Note: The label General American is often used to describe a variety of speech that LACKS ANY OF THE STEREOTYPICAL MARKERS OF REGIONAL SPEECH or of the speech of particular social groups, as in the omission of the ® sound in words like car and card. It should be noted, however, that this label still permits a great deal of regional and social variation. In other words, GENERAL AMERICAN SHOULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED WITH ANY REGIONAL ACCENT.

[Friendship_Cannon 1,676]

When it comes to accents...

I dunno, I like nearly all of them. The east-european accents have their certain appeal, though I find Italian or Spanish accents rightaway sexy... can´t help it.

I also would like to hear my own german accent like a foreigner, for I get told it`s pretty remarkable. x3

[Hansel 1,512]

 

The British pronunciations of words has elongated vowels among other things. The American accent does not elongate any vowels. The phonemes that make up words are not pronounced with any accent. This is objective, and the only reason the American accent is called an accent is because there isn't a better word commonly ascribed yet.

 

Also I never said there was any change in how the language is written; I said the words are pronounced as they are written. Such examples as the difference in pronouncing "via" does not illustrate a difference in accent - merely a difference in vowel sound. An accent would be pronouncing the same vowel two different ways.

 

As I said before, an accent is a change or deviation. An American accent that has no regional accent such as Southern, Bostonian, Midwestern, etc is a complete lack of accent. No vowels are elongated. No consonants are omitted. It is objectively a lack of accent. It has nothing to do with perception unless you, as you have said, believe your accent which has deviated pronunciations to be the "standard" way of speaking. In that case your perception is erroneous. Mine is not. Look at a full list of phonemes found in the English language along with regional dialects/accents. There are changes in the way words are pronounced: changes in root/end stress and whatnot, but the important part is how the phonemes are pronounced. The Southern accent accentuates vowels for example therefor it is technically incorrect. If you have no accent, you are pronouncing words without any change to their base components.

Furthermore:

 

Gen·er·al American  (jnr-l)

n.

The speech of native speakers of American English that many consider to be typical of the United States, noted for its EXCLUSION OF PHONOLOGICAL FORMS readily recognized as regional or limited to particular social groups and for its frequent use as a norm of pronunciation by national broadcasters.

Usage Note: The label General American is often used to describe a variety of speech that LACKS ANY OF THE STEREOTYPICAL MARKERS OF REGIONAL SPEECH or of the speech of particular social groups, as in the omission of the ® sound in words like car and card. It should be noted, however, that this label still permits a great deal of regional and social variation. In other words, GENERAL AMERICAN SHOULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED WITH ANY REGIONAL ACCENT.

 

 

There are countless of British accents, and whilst you argue that "British pronunciations" have elongated vowels, I might argue that "General American" pronunciations don't elongate certain vowels enough. Like I said, it's entirely subjective.

 

And of course the pronunciation of "via" can illustrate a difference in accent (as well as regional pronunciation which has more to do with how language generally evolves as opposed to specifically accents). Vowel sounds are a huge part of accents. Although, I wasn't actually referring specifically to accents, I was merely using it as an example for word interpretation.

 

I'm sorry, but you simply cannot say that "General American" isn't an accent. You can sort of argue that within American English, and within the USA specifically, General American pronunciation is the "correct" way of pronouncing words (at least, within a contemporary context), but on an international scope, it simply doesn't make sense. English in other parts of the world follow a different set of dialects and different rules (such as how to pronounce vowels). From a global perspective, you can't say that a "General American" accent the default, the sans-accent, and, say, a typical South-West English accent is an accent. There's no way you can make that objective conclusion, especially seeing as General American is fairly new in comparison. It literally makes no sense because you cannot dictate how English words should be pronounced in a completely different country, one which follows a much older set of dialects and accents (alongside more contemporary ones). 

 

 

I also would like to hear my own german accent like a foreigner, for I get told it`s pretty remarkable. x3

 

It really is. 

Edited September 19, 2013 by Hansel

[Dsanders 5,747]

French, British, and Irish would have to be my top three favorite accents, in that particular order. French is my number one favorite because it sounds really nice, and it has that romantic feel to it. French is one of the several 'romantic' languages out there afterall.  

 

British just sounds lovely to listen to. It sounds really smooth and smart, plus that's the accent of Rarity in mlp and the Doctor from Doctor Who. My two favorite shows. x)

 

Irish just sounds kind of funny, and it's one of the few good accents I can pull off. x)

 

 

 

I'm currently working on getting my Russian and southern accent down.

[Winterbass 763]

I don't like/dislike any accent really. Some can be quite difficult for me to understand though. The typical English accent displayed in movies is pretty damn sexy though. Scottish and Irish are pretty cool too.

 

Well, now that I think about it, I don't really like the American "redneck" accent, which I'm not sure from what state or region it comes from. Everything sounds kinda off and not very serious in that accent.

 

All accents have their pros and cons though. Most of which are more humorous pros than anything else really.

[Thrashy 2,800]

 

 

A quick example, the American way of spelling colour is "color", I believe. However, the way most Americans pronounce that word sounds completely inaccurate to someone like me and isn't true to the spelling at all.

I completely agree with everything you've said so far, but this particular statement mystifies me and makes me wonder how you believe it should be pronounced, the way we spell it. And knowing how you folks pronounce the word, I can't say your spelling makes any more sense in relation to your pronunciation of it, either.

 

If anything, I believe words ending in -our are an anomaly of the English language, regardless of the dialect. The OU combination makes no sense to me, given that its most common pronunciations seem to be "ah" as in cough, "ow" as in thou, or a more French-rooted "ooh" as in soup; in few other common instances have I seen OU serve as a schwa, as it does in words like "colour".

 

If anything, I think dropping the U made the spelling make more sense in correlation to its pronunciation, as the letter O on its own has plenty of common instances where it acts as a schwa. But those are just my thoughts.

[Rockymoo 2,137]

I agree with everypony in this thread who says that there isn't such a thing as not having an accent. If you speak a language, you have an accent. That's really all there is to it.

I have a General American accent myself. Do I "properly" speak English? Across the pond, people would argue that I don't. Here in the States, it's widely considered that I do.

It's ridiculous how condescending both the UK and the US sound when they claim that their version of the English language is the "correct" version of it.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Gary Oak

[Hansel 1,512]

I completely agree with everything you've said so far, but this particular statement mystifies me and makes me wonder how you believe it should be pronounced, the way we spell it. And knowing how you folks pronounce the word, I can't say your spelling makes any more sense in relation to your pronunciation of it, either.

 

If anything, I believe words ending in -our are an anomaly of the English language, regardless of the dialect. The OU combination makes no sense to me, given that its most common pronunciations seem to be "ah" as in cough, "ow" as in thou, or a more French-rooted "ooh" as in soup; in few other common instances have I seen OU serve as a schwa, as it does in words like "colour".

 

If anything, I think dropping the U made the spelling make more sense in correlation to its pronunciation, as the letter O on its own has plenty of common instances where it acts as a schwa. But those are just my thoughts.

 

Ah, no, I'm not saying our spelling makes much sense either, because it doesn't really. English in general doesn't make much sense. I was just saying the the American pronunciation for "color" isn't exactly true to the spelling. I was arguing against Hawk's comment about "General American" pronouncing words exactly how they are written and merely using that as an example. 

Another example would be "mom", which makes even less sense then the British spelling, "mum" in relation to it's pronunciation.

I'm in no way trying to say that British English is "better", or "more accurate". I'm just refuting Hawk's comments.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Hansel

[Thrashy 2,800]

It's ridiculous how condescending both the UK and the US sound when they claim that their version of the English language is the "correct" version of it.

 

Pretty much this. Like Hansel said about our perception of accents being completely subjective, so too are our spellings, to a degree. A teacher here in the U.S. may mark the word "colour" as incorrect on a spelling test, but that doesn't mean it's universally incorrect...it's just not correct in the States.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Thrashy

[RubyVesper 100]

I've always preferred the British accent, but it never felt natural to me. I'm Dutch and it's quite a thing that I spoke fluently in an American accent at 10, but British was impossible for me. At 13, I learned myself how to speak with a British accent, but it felt unnatural, like it was straining my throat. Now, puberty hit extremely hard and suddenly, the American accent strains my voice, and the British accent feels natural. Welp, the people watching my YouTube channel are going to be completely shocked when I reboot it. Hell, I've got people who think I'm American because they haven't seen my channel page, and I've already had someone giggle about how I sounded European for 20 seconds in a video.