Is it normal i sometimes wonder what americans look like to others ?

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Ok I like to watch videos were people from England try to sound like Americans while having a difficulty trying to impersonate their voices . Apparently it is very hard for non English speakers across the globe including America to learn English . I grew up learning English I think its set up is a lot simpler than other languages because in other ones you have to learn separate phrases and names for things in English they give you letters , they give you pronunciations , they give you sounds the letter make and sound rules such as " Sh " or "Ck"( I know most other people just use a k not a ck ever ) . Than people can for the most make up any word or phrase just by putting together different letters using rules which I think would be simpler than learning every single little phrase in the world . Also I realize the Find English people think America Butchered their language . I would actually like to know how They differ Also they say I sound like one because I pronouciate my words oddly because I had a speech impediment as a child so I don’t use R . That is how they say in England you say CAR . I would just like to know what is the difference between an American and a English accent as in is it more elongated more harsh . If you could describe the accents so I understand them . Also please no I hate British I hate America that English is a horrible thing to speak because that is not a real answer or that America is stupid and fat that is not what the question is I want a real answer because I am very much wondering what the difference between them is because I actually thought it would be easy for English people to speak it the American way because they are the originals right ? So what is the difference what’s the difference between our accents . As every language has a distinct accent to it that you can say as the language over all .

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Based on 46 votes (32 yes)
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Comments ( 47 )
  • flutterhigh
    11 years ago

    Is nobody else going to comment on the irony here?

    Yeah, I guess I'm getting bored of it too.

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  • bigtoy
    11 years ago

    Leaving the accent debate to one side just for a second, the op asks about the difference between American and British English. Two of the principle differences are 1) the stress syllables differ between the two in some words. "Elevator" is an example - the americans tend to stress the first "e" whereas the english tend to stress the "a". "Garage" is another example, though the English stress the first syllable and the Americans the second syllable. 2) Vowel sounds differ too, although some american pronounciations are similar to northern english pronounciations. "Grass" is a good example of this. Open vowel sound for the americans and british from the north, and a closed vowel sound for the americans.
    Hope that helps!

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    • dappled
      11 years ago

      True, true. It even works across multiple words. I'm always amused by the way Americans say Mini Cooper (as if it's a small Cooper, as opposed to a Cooper version of a Mini).

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  • dappled
    11 years ago

    I always wonder how I sound to a Frenchman when I'm speaking French. I did found out. Apparently I have a Marseille accent. To an American, I'd have a Boston accent.

    Anyway, to answer your question, when I hear American accents, I often hear it as a melting pot of European accents. The Irish is very strong in there (in that you pronounce your t's as d's the same in some words like metal/medal, wattle/waddle).

    There is some French in there too (as in pronouncing herbs without a strong H sound). If I say "herbes de Provence", I'd drop the H too because it's French. But when I say herbs and mean the English word herbs, I pronounce the H. I think the French influence is why some people pronounce flan as flon and Milan as Milon too.

    In Boston accents I can hear a very strong Northern English twang, in New York I can hear Irish/Italian. And I can definitely hear Scottish accents from Canadians.

    So if you want to know how you sound, imagine how the Irish/French/English/Italians speak and water it down.

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    • GreenSkyBlueGrass
      11 years ago

      i'm from Boston , born and raised and i'm pretty sure with all the Irish here, if i had to pick any accent that might have an influence on how we sound i would say it would be the Irish

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    • UNormie
      11 years ago

      I live in Canada, and we always say "erbs" when referring to the plants. However, we say "Herb" if we are using it as a person's name

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    • jondoerandom
      11 years ago

      heh, some places - but not all Canada sounds the same. I can easily tell Albertan accent from, let's say Ontario.. Toronto should be a part of the US anyway (lol), Manitooooobans drag their "o"s. But places like Nova scotia and Newfies will actually sound very Scottish, you're right.

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      • dappled
        11 years ago

        Yeah, true, I can pick up a lot of Irish in Newfoundland too and a BC accent sounds a lot different to me than an Ontario one.

        I've heard the O-dragging and always wondered where it was from. :D

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    • Allistalla
      11 years ago

      I say it with a o not an A . well I know how french sound and the irish and italiens . so I would think overall is kindve lazy as to the sharp british speak ?

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      • dappled
        11 years ago

        Nah, British people don't speak the way you think they do. Well, the majority don't, anyway. I'm from a poor northern city and although I'll speak properly to make myself understood in mixed company, if you catch me with people from my city when my accent comes back properly (or particularly if I've had a drink), you wouldn't think I sound sharp at all. I can say "Alright, mate?" with only one syllable. :D

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        • Allistalla
          11 years ago

          but isnt it like Cat a Ract and us it be cataract ? than what superates our accent ? I know thier is a distint diffrence but i cant identify the excact sounds that seperates the two ?

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          • dappled
            11 years ago

            As an experiment, maybe we should choose a small passage of text (just two paragraphs or so) and get IIN users to speak it, record it on Youtube, and then post their links to it, also saying where they are from. Then we could compare.

            Also, I think a lot of people would find it fun. :)

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            • Shackleford96
              11 years ago

              I already tried this before, and nobody wanted to do it. :(

              http://isitnormal.com/poll/is-it-normal-voice-response-question-110397/

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            • Allistalla
              11 years ago

              Im sure they would but I got kicked outve youtube when they did updates like the millions of other poeple and now my computer has system era when i try signing in my youtube but yes this sounds like an intresting expirement want to help me with it " ?

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  • GoraIntoDesiGals
    11 years ago

    I love when Indian girls speak English. It's so cute :-)

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  • KatieLiz
    11 years ago

    The American accent sounds very loud and brash to our English ears.
    The more cosmopolitan accents, like the ones in all the crappy sitcoms and the NY accent, sounds really nasally and if I had to compare it to anything it would be a cheese grater.
    Me and all my friends quite like the southern accents though. They just sound nice and warm and quite musical. Which I find quite funny, as I know most Americans hate the southern accent. But it really is a lot more pleasant.

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    • Allistalla
      11 years ago

      well in the south its more common say Sir and Mam apperently . I dont mind any the accents really but I think british English sounds very composed and Refiened .

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  • bigtoy
    11 years ago

    I think we have to take the view that no accent is better or worse than any other. They are just different. Of course, there are some that may seem irritating to the ears (I personally don't like hearing Indians speak English!) but they are part of the identity of each culture. The only thing we really have the right to critisise is bad usage of the language.

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  • Aleks85
    11 years ago

    Butchered their language? More like improved it. A lot of English folks need to learn this thing called "enunciation." A lot of English people speak like their on speed, or can't wait to get done with what they are saying. Others just need to spit the marbles out of their mouth.

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    • Allistalla
      11 years ago

      Im not saying I agree thats just what alot of english think also I think the English accent is sexy .

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      • Aleks85
        11 years ago

        Yeah you and a hundred thousand other girls. I think it's irritating.

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  • Captain_Kegstand
    11 years ago

    I have wondered this a lot too! The difference in the way Americans speak alone is astounding! Take the Minnesota accent and the Louisiana accent, almost a different dialect sometimes! So I guess people see Americans speaking differently depending on which one of us they talk to!

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    • Allistalla
      11 years ago

      but I trying to find the main diffrence you know how they say certein language is more lazy more harsh more rough . I wish to know this becuase it helps you when you try to learn other launguages like and I dont mean to sounds insulting but someone tryed to teach me germen and they said its like coughing up flem when you talk so Im trying to figure out what that sounds is missing between english english and the overall american dielect becuase thier is oviousbly somthing missing I not sure what however american accents blend better with canadians so its more likely to notice a english man . however no one seems to realize what thsi diffrence is I think perhaps I should go find someone who is english or someone who is proficuant in laguages to help me I need to know becuase its helpful to know the description of the language not just the patterns becuase it helps not if you know not how to pronouce it . Im looking for someone who knows this becuase I hear thier is noticable diffrence but I can never put my finger on it .Also thier is alot of english who cant speak liek american I dont know if it cuase american english is mroe relazed but I seen english poeple struggle to speak like americans I dont know what it is however poeple have been able to awnser this with every language except english .

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  • Allistalla
    11 years ago

    or the oppisite liek in scheduele they completely miss the K were as americans prounouce the whole word ?

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    • UNormie
      11 years ago

      I'm from toronto, canada, nd I've heard this pronounced both ways. Usually it's "sKed-joule" but sometimes (I suppose this is British) it's pronounced "shed-joule"

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