Poll: Do You Think British Accents Are More..."Sophisticated"?
- Thread starter DrunkPickle
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Depends what exactly you mean by "British" which is probably the London south east England type of accent pretty uncommon really - no Scots, as a Scot there is not just one Scottish accent either or Geordie or Welsh.
It's not really sophisticated just kinda boring.
Oh and I have an ayrshire accent, not incredibly strong.
It's not really sophisticated just kinda boring.
Oh and I have an ayrshire accent, not incredibly strong.
64 million and rising!thaluikhain said:
The problem is most of the world think of the British accent as "STiff upper lip, tea and cruppets" or Dick Van Dyke "Mawy Poppens!"
I'm from Yorkshire and speak with a Yorkshire accent, which is lovely and warm and most of the country don't understand!
I find that really offensive, just as I'd expect a scot to find my impersonation of a scotish accent to be offensive.EeveeElectro said:
Sophisticated fuck noCheesus333 said:
down to earth fuck yes
There's so many different forms of British accents though. The stereotypical ones sound more 'sophisticated' but take any average person and I don't see why you'd think that from their accent. Britain encompasses 3 countries and there are many variations even in those so...
I think it is because a traditional British accent speaks much clearer than an all around American accent, and I guess some foreign complicated words make it seem a lot fancier to the states.
Myself I'd say I speak a mix or something, I am not AS accent heavy as the British are, and I mumble a lot, but I would say I'm more of a British speaker than American, just saying this since English is my second language.
Myself I'd say I speak a mix or something, I am not AS accent heavy as the British are, and I mumble a lot, but I would say I'm more of a British speaker than American, just saying this since English is my second language.
As a Brit, I think Americans associate British accents with "class", or being classy. I don't see it myself. But I have the idea that ex-colonial people continue to have an elevated view of their Old World ex-masters: witness Africans vis-a-vis the French. It's a pretty silly view.
American here. Sometimes I do get this impression, but it doesn't last. For every David Mitchell or Stephen Fry, there's a Dappy.
I figure most people from outside Great Britain tended to be exposed to or grow up with material that presents the British as speaking with the English Received Pronunciation. Oh, sure, it's as sophisticated and sexy as they come (Stephen Fry and David Attenborough's voices are liquid butter I could guzzle down all day, every day). As a kid, I also used to think that Barry Ingham's take on Basil of Baker Street was absolutely awesome, too.
Then there's the actual reality of Great Britain's treasure trove of accents. Like anywhere else in the world, really, you can't pop up in England and say "Boy, these people do sound British!". There's Scouse, Estuary, Brummie, Cockney, Pikey, lasting traces of Received Pronunciation (mostly on TV or as spoken by the cultural elite), plus whatever else I might be forgetting.
To answer the OP's question, yes, the cliché British accent is very sophisticated and cool. I just haven't heard anybody from across the pond use it in a realistic manner, unfortunately.
The same goes with Québec, really. You'll constantly hear that us French Canadians have a specific accent that Americans and French both like, but they fail to consider that Québec isn't quite as Cajun as New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island's French speakers can tend to sound. Then there's the French Canadian diaspora in the Prairies and in British Columbia that all have their own accents and jargons, and I'm pretty sure you could go all the way up to Yellowknife and find the occasional speaker of what's technically French, but that nobody from Montreal could conceivably understand.
Then there's the actual reality of Great Britain's treasure trove of accents. Like anywhere else in the world, really, you can't pop up in England and say "Boy, these people do sound British!". There's Scouse, Estuary, Brummie, Cockney, Pikey, lasting traces of Received Pronunciation (mostly on TV or as spoken by the cultural elite), plus whatever else I might be forgetting.
To answer the OP's question, yes, the cliché British accent is very sophisticated and cool. I just haven't heard anybody from across the pond use it in a realistic manner, unfortunately.
The same goes with Québec, really. You'll constantly hear that us French Canadians have a specific accent that Americans and French both like, but they fail to consider that Québec isn't quite as Cajun as New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island's French speakers can tend to sound. Then there's the French Canadian diaspora in the Prairies and in British Columbia that all have their own accents and jargons, and I'm pretty sure you could go all the way up to Yellowknife and find the occasional speaker of what's technically French, but that nobody from Montreal could conceivably understand.
I would to love to go to America, for one reason. Just to see how people would react to my accent. To see if they thought it meant I was smarter, or rich, or posh or whatever.
Would be interesting.
Would be interesting.
pilf said:
Awesome. Aside from friends on Facebook you're the first Mackem I've ever come across on the Internet, nevermind the Escapist. Personally I'm pretty fond of my accent. It's one of those friendly, approachable Northern accents. <3
No.
The idea that nothing more than the inflection of someone's voice can make them sound "smarter" or "sophisticated" is downright foolish and insulting.
It's the same reason accents are neutral to me on the whole "attractiveness" scale. I hear so many people saying "oh, that's such a SEXY accent".
I don't understand it. At all.
The idea that nothing more than the inflection of someone's voice can make them sound "smarter" or "sophisticated" is downright foolish and insulting.
It's the same reason accents are neutral to me on the whole "attractiveness" scale. I hear so many people saying "oh, that's such a SEXY accent".
I don't understand it. At all.
Depends which dialect. Well spoken, articulate professors with an oxford English delivery are going to sound pretty posh, but cockney or scouse or welsh english or scots or anglo-patwa don't really sound inherently sophisticated. I think it's down more to enunciation and delivery, beyond that.
As a southern Canadian, abroad, Brits and Aussies take me for American, while Yanks and other Euros often think I'm British.
Aside: Found out that apparently my home Canada is the favored destination for Asians (mostly Chinese/Japanese/Korean) looking to learn the most "neutral" or "universal" English.
As a southern Canadian, abroad, Brits and Aussies take me for American, while Yanks and other Euros often think I'm British.
Aside: Found out that apparently my home Canada is the favored destination for Asians (mostly Chinese/Japanese/Korean) looking to learn the most "neutral" or "universal" English.
Quite indubitably.
Or at least, we CAN do the English posh accent - because it's what all those furriners expect. When their backs are turned, we drop into our usual slang-ridden 'mare of a language.
There's also a scientific reason, in that Ye Olde English has very specific rules for the correct emphasis on words - Webster's English (US), Aussie English and other variations tend to alter the rules dependent on their natural pronounciation.
Which is why I keep getting red-lines below all of my words.
Or at least, we CAN do the English posh accent - because it's what all those furriners expect. When their backs are turned, we drop into our usual slang-ridden 'mare of a language.
There's also a scientific reason, in that Ye Olde English has very specific rules for the correct emphasis on words - Webster's English (US), Aussie English and other variations tend to alter the rules dependent on their natural pronounciation.
Which is why I keep getting red-lines below all of my words.
No, not at all. We had a British foreign exchange sturdy come to my school, he wasn't the brightest star in the sky. He kinda ruined the acent for me.
Have you heard someone from the midlands of england speak, it's hilarious. It was voted the accent that made people sound the stupidest. It certainly doesn't sound sophisticated.DrunkPickle said: