A question (or two) about English

[Sigurd]

Here is a question: For you non-native english speakers, what do the two differing accents sound like to you?

Try not to compare the brutalized english of the American lower classes against the British English. Consider the speech of an educated American, such as that of say, John Kerry, Condoleeza Rice, or some other politician.

The opinions of a Norwegian:

There is a distinct difference between American and English as spoken by e.g. John Kerry and Tony Blair.

The first thing you notice is that the words is much more pronounced in American i.e. they take longer to form in the mouth. This makes American a slower language to speak.

The vowels in American do not differ as much as in English. It is my claim that there are more vowel sounds in English than in American. The English vowels are short and sharp but the American is wide and soft.

American uses the Irish r’s but do not “sing” like the Irish (There are probably many different dialects in Ireland but the one I am thinking of is the one used in the North?). The r’s in American are quite emphasized.
English cut the r’s and they are almost silent (the dialect that Tony Blair speaks).

There are of course several different dialects in both English and American. I can hear differences in American spoken in the south (the traditional southern states) and the American spoken in the costal cities of the North Eastern States (e.g. Boston and NY). There are dialects in the Midwest that I can recognise, but those seem to be spoken by farmer boys, steer wrestlers etc. Once I met an American from the Midwest who was supposedly from a finer family and was a debate champion of his school, I thought personally that he talked quite feminine, but his dialect was as close to English as I have ever heard. It was the r’s and some of the vowels that gave him away. Some American can be quite sloppy with their consonants which make the language probably what Eclectic calls American lower class. I do not have an extensive knowledge of the different dialects, but the before-mentioned is what I have picked up (that is without having heard someone from all the parts of America).

English or the dialects spoken in UK are probably more diverse without going into details. You even have distinguished dialects in the immigrant communities (my impression not necessarily the truth). You have the English proper spoken by politicians and aristocrats and lowly English by London east. I recognise dialects from Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool. The Scottish dialects are harder, but Glaswegian is quite distinct from the rest. Scottish spoken in Inverness is very clear and easy to understand. You have the dialects around Fife and the different words used (e.g. ‘ken’). The Scottish spoken on Shetland is as if a Norwegian from Ålesund spoke English with his dialect shining trough.

Examples:
Interview with Tony Blair.
The reporter uses distinct r’s almost American but the pronunciation is clearly English (Real Player)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1720000/audio/_1720377_blair21.ram

John Kerry is a very clear American there is absolutely no mistaking his spoken language.

http://www.johnkerry.com/video/flash/073106_speech.html

[scotchedpommes]

Fit's abidy on aboot wi' 'ese words, like? Ah wuddna ken.

Dialects of English here are indeed diverse [Whether you consider them a dialect
of English, or a language in their own right is up to individual opinion.] and learning
to understand them, let alone utilise them, can be a challenge. On top of typical
alterations there are also naming conventions to be adopted based purely on
regional difference, which can at first be confusing. [e.g. Scumdee, Scumdonian.]

I have found, however, that with a relatively small amount of time spent on the
appropriate education, a foreigner, whether visiting or newly arrived resident,
can have their fundamental knowledge and vocabulary bolstered significantly.

[Samurai Waki]

I think the reason being why a lot of people who know english as a second language have a more americanised accent, is largely because, a few generations ago, most of our ancestors were in the position. American English has A LOT more non-english characteristics because a lot of Americans are not english.

[Divinus Arma]

I think the reason being why a lot of people who know english as a second language have a more americanised accent, is largely because, a few generations ago, most of our ancestors were in the position. American English has A LOT more non-english characteristics because a lot of Americans are not english.

That's actually a really good point.

[L'Impresario]

American English has A LOT more non-english characteristics because a lot of Americans are not english

Ermm, actually English hasn't got many english characteristics itself since the time people started taking the ferry, whether to reach or leave the isle.

[Andres]

Varieties of English? There's only one correct variety: MY English.

I don't make errors in spelling or grammar, it's just you who don't know their English.

By the way, from now one, English doesn't exist anymore. It is AndresTheCunnings.

So, which variety of AndresTheCunnings did you guys learn?

*** leaves the room to oversee the construction of his 500 meters tall, golden statue ***

[Fragony]

Don't know what I was taught, I tend to use all. I speak american english, not going to pronounce words brittish style. I have never met a brit that does either by the way, always this funny accent.