The English accent compared to an American accent.

Hi.

So we, Americans and English, speak the same language?

Why do I find it so difficult to understand the dialogue in a film when the actors have an English accent?

I am watching 'The Witch' and I feel the need to use subtitles.

Am I the only American who doesn't understand the "English" language?

I work with a lot of people in London. I will never be able to say the word "shelduled".

a reply to: dfnj2015

Try sked yule

Rainbows
Jane

We invented English so it is Americans that talk badly

And the English ascent is a panty dropper

a reply to: jafo1973
The obvious question from this side of the Atlantic is "which English accent?" Professor Higgins claimed to be able to identify the street of origin. Even now, with more influence from national media, there are probably dozens or even hundreds. [I was born in an area where the word "go" is pronounced "goo". I don't say "goo"- but as somebody pointed out once, I do say "gooing"].

Perhaps the vowels are part of your problem? I believe you tend to use the short "a" in words like "bath"; in England, or at least in southern England, the "a" is long.

There are some accents, like Geordie, which are hard enough for people in the same country.
If you ever come across "Rab C. Nesbitt", where the accent is Glaswegian, you may find subtitles supplied already for the benefit of effete southerners.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Good point, there are many English accents... and few American - or so I'm told.

We pay attention to minor differences and pretend they are major. I was at a conference in Stockholm on Telecommunications a few years back where the language of the conference was, no surprise, English. There were people from all over the world. I personally talked with people from Africa, France, Egypt, Italy, and the Far East. They all spoke passable English. At the main session many people had a turn to speak. The ONLY person I simply could not understand at all was the guy from Scotland. Given how much he laughed I am sure it was a very funny speech, but I had little idea of what he was talking about. I enjoy accents of all types and I suppose my speech is accented to some. It's usually no big deal--excepting Scotland.

a reply to: and14263
I don't know. I was once working in a motel bar, and some American guests were comparing their accents. Then one of them looked over the bar at me and remarked "... and this guy thinks we all sound funny!"

P.S. You want subtitles, we can do subtitles.

a reply to: schuyler

Yet the north of Scotland was voted the easiest to understand English speaking part of the uk , many call centers went to that part

You want serious discussion of the differences? Here are a couple of points I have noticed.

Intonation. Some Americans (and Antipodeans, for that matter) tend to offer statements with a rising intonation which makes them sound like a question; "My name is John Smith? I come from Oklahoma?" You may be thrown off by the absence of that trait.

Emphasis. Americans tend to throw the emphasis forward to the beginning of the word. Hence DEfense, PRINcess, ROBin Hood, CaRIBbean, where I would expect to hear DeFENCE, PrinCESS, Robin HOOD, and CaribBEan. For some reason,though, "garage" shifts the opposite way.

Its crazy when you realize how many different accents there are in any given country, even in a country the size of the UK accents vary massively some even bordering on another dialect all together.

This happens in relative closeness too take Manchester and Liverpool for instance they are not more than 34 miles apart yet the accents are drastically different x that by a few thousand miles and a couple hundred years... no wonder the Americans speak a bastardized version of English

a reply to: and14263

Actually, there's at least as many American accents, as there are states. My Southern drawl, being from Kentucky, would be much different than a Texas drawl. If you don't think there's a lot of American accents, try talking to a group of people from Minnesota, Boston, Brooklyn, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas, all at the same time.
And that depends on what part of the state you're in. Different states can have several accents.

the real question is, why most British and Scottish singers use an American accent when they sing...

Americans may butcher the spoken language, but imagine Adele or a Scottish singer not using the American accent when they sing..

Which English accent? there are several regional dialects i doubt most Americans will have heard more then two.
the English as mostly heard on TV is mainly a London/south east middle class way of speaking. most of England actually probably sounds quite different it looks to be the same in the US where you also have a rich variance of accent and dialect
we over here mostly get the Californian actors dialect with a smattering of new yorker thrown in where i personally could listen
to a mid west girl read shopping lists all day

we all speak (more or less) the same language personally i enjoy the accents and the subtle differences both from here
and the US/Canada.

a reply to: odzeandennz

From what I've read, it's not intentional. It just comes out that way.

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: and14263
If you don't think there's a lot of American accents, try talking to a group of people from Minnesota, Boston, Brooklyn, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas, all at the same time.
And that's just a few.

add NJ/Philly and thats about it. Tennessee is basically a Kentucky accent done by someone from northern florida.

a reply to: odzeandennz
Ah, what they used to call the "Mid-Atlantic" accent. I thought that went out when the Americans started importing the Liverpool Sound, but my acquaintance with music isn't kept up to date.

originally posted by: DISRAELI

Emphasis. Americans tend to throw the emphasis forward to the beginning of the word. Hence DEfense, PRINcess, ROBin Hood, CaRIBbean, where I would expect to hear DeFENCE, PrinCESS, Robin HOOD, and CaribBEan. For some reason,though, "garage" shifts the opposite way.

Interesting point. I have always been fascinated with laboratory and aluminium. I've heard the first one since I was a kid and am used to it, but the second always pulls me up short and I have to think about it. Second issue: There appears to be a big difference based on class. I can understand Prince Charles perfectly, but I have no idea what the guys on the Jeremy Kyle show are railing on about.

What's really funny to me is an English actor putting on an American accent. They are often very good, but there's something obvious about it. I would call it "flat." It's almost another accent in itself.

* For Americans who don't know, Jeremy Kyle is equivalent to Jerry Springer in the kind of "talent" invited on the show.

Oi loike a cuppa when moi shreemp is ahn the bahbee.