When you say British accents I'm sure you mean, the Queens English and the way upper classes speak. The English that most people speak sounds exactly as sophisticated as americans.
Poll: Do You Think British Accents Are More..."Sophisticated"?
- Thread starter DrunkPickle
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I'm guessing you mean a posh English accent (There are 4 countries in Britain remember and a ton of accents in England alone).
For the posh English accent hell yes. The person coulkd say anything and you'd beive them because it sound so damn intelligent.
I am bit biased on this though.
I'm English.
For the posh English accent hell yes. The person coulkd say anything and you'd beive them because it sound so damn intelligent.
I am bit biased on this though.
I'm English.
Anyone who lives in England will know this is bullshit. Most people here sound like uneducated scum. I refuse to say 'British' accent, because that'd mix English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh together. Not to mention some TOWNS have their own accents.
I don't think it's just the accent.
The more reserved mannerisms that some British people have and the choice of words they use, probably contributes a lot to the "dignify and sophisticated" image.
It also probably helps that us non-British are only exposed to the "elite" of the bunch, which helps re-enforce this image.
The more reserved mannerisms that some British people have and the choice of words they use, probably contributes a lot to the "dignify and sophisticated" image.
It also probably helps that us non-British are only exposed to the "elite" of the bunch, which helps re-enforce this image.
What your asking is too vague. There are several British accents and some of them sound absolutely ridiculous. The cockney accent (Danny Dyers' accent) for example is the British equivalent of the American "redneck" accent. It sounds stupid and makes the language and speaker seem moronic. Received pronunciation on the other hand sounds perfect and in my opinion is the best accent to speak the English language in.
To answer your question I'd say that British accents are not more sophisticated in general but rather that there is one British accent which sounds the most sophisticated of all English accents.
To answer your question I'd say that British accents are not more sophisticated in general but rather that there is one British accent which sounds the most sophisticated of all English accents.
Yes and no. Depends on the region and what region we're comparing them to.
Cockney dialects sound a bit unrefined (though for the record I love that accent, one of my favorites to mimic), also British people say **** a lot more, and there isn't much refined about that.
On the other end they usually enunciate their words more clearly (I'm not sure which region it is that has that more refined tone, now that I think about it... hmm...), and also since they use the u's in various words (colour, flavour) it sounds a bit more sounded out. This is what I'd point to on the "they sound more refined end"
That said, anyone sounds more refined than the terrible deep south accent large numbers of Americans use.
That also said, rock whatever you have and don't feel ashamed or shy about your accent, in no way does it actually make you any more or less refined. The human voice and it's cadence and inflection make it so throughly unique that one can make it out with more clarity and accuracy than a face or body when identifying that person, so be proud of your unique style, whatever that may be.
Cockney dialects sound a bit unrefined (though for the record I love that accent, one of my favorites to mimic), also British people say **** a lot more, and there isn't much refined about that.
On the other end they usually enunciate their words more clearly (I'm not sure which region it is that has that more refined tone, now that I think about it... hmm...), and also since they use the u's in various words (colour, flavour) it sounds a bit more sounded out. This is what I'd point to on the "they sound more refined end"
That said, anyone sounds more refined than the terrible deep south accent large numbers of Americans use.
That also said, rock whatever you have and don't feel ashamed or shy about your accent, in no way does it actually make you any more or less refined. The human voice and it's cadence and inflection make it so throughly unique that one can make it out with more clarity and accuracy than a face or body when identifying that person, so be proud of your unique style, whatever that may be.
Why is the first thing I think of a thick Brummy accent? Y'know the least sophisticated accent in existance. I call shenanigans on this entire thread!
Though apparently American girls find certain English accents sexy... Not sure if I should call shenanigans on this as well or book a one way flight to America posthaste!
Though apparently American girls find certain English accents sexy... Not sure if I should call shenanigans on this as well or book a one way flight to America posthaste!
As a Brit; it depends on the accent.
To me a Welsh accent sounds friendly but simple and Scottish accents can either be extremely friendly or extremely aggressive. As for England, Southern accents can either be incredibly smug and pretentious or just thoroughly stupid, whereas I tend to think of Northern accents as sounding arrogant and stubborn. And finally Midlands accents just sound normal to me, except for Birmingham... horrid accent.
To me a Welsh accent sounds friendly but simple and Scottish accents can either be extremely friendly or extremely aggressive. As for England, Southern accents can either be incredibly smug and pretentious or just thoroughly stupid, whereas I tend to think of Northern accents as sounding arrogant and stubborn. And finally Midlands accents just sound normal to me, except for Birmingham... horrid accent.
Generally speaking, yes. But as far as I can tell it's mostly the exotic factor for me, seeing as I'm an American American from America.
HeyToTaL LoLiGe said:
I'll have you know, I'm from Shrewsbury (West Midlands). And I wouldn't agree that our accent sounds unintelligent.
It depends who you talk to, however. The scruffier classes in the regions use stronger slang, and are less conservative and mannered in tone and speech. The accents can be presented with sophisticated and unsophistcated twists.
There are many different "British" accents, I'll assume you are talking about the stereotypical posh accent. I guess it sounds more sophisticated but personally I think it sounds stupid, it isn't even the proper way of speaking like many assume it is, it was developed by the nobility and primarily used by them, so everyone who speaks it and isn't an elitist bastard is basically their ***** because they are speaking a dialect invented simply out of the want to make the difference between the rich and the poor more apparent. (I heard this a while ago, pretty sure there is some truth to it but if I am way off let me, don't feel like looking it up right now.)
Umm just so you know there are 4 different British accents that would be the Welsh ,Irish ,Scottish and English accent and as a English man living in London I must say no I meet people on a regular basis who sound monumentally stupid. Yet I have to agree on some scale as people who speak "Queens English" which most if not all presenters of BBC shows use. Queens English is speaking English without the use of common slang that is how I talk and well people assume that I?m upper class the 1% if you will just from the way I talk but in fact I?m just about middle class. It does seem that mostly Americans find the British accent to be more intelligent I only say this because a girl from America fell for me and it was partly at the start due to my accent. (she says it made me stand out from the rest)DrunkPickle said:
More sophisticated than... what? Ultimately, judging sophistication by accent is going to boil down to stereotypes facing off against each other. It's a hard call between the stereotypical snobbish Frenchman and the stereotypical snobbish Englishman. Heck, the word 'sophisticated' itself carries stereotypical connotations.
What I find so interesting about British accents is something that the question you're posing manages to avoid - that there are SO MANY VARIATIONS OF IT. I mean, for a small region, there are so many distinct accents that it boggles the mind. Some day I'm going to have to look into the ethnohistorical explanation for that.
I've always been interested in accents, as I grew up with a Scottish (Edinburgh) accent that eventually naturalized into... well, whatever it is we have in Toronto (I'm reluctant to call it Canadian, as that calls to mind the stereotypical Canadian accent, which is... not what we have. At all.). Over the years, I've taken to mimicking interesting accents and idiosyncracies I've been exposed to, and I try to keep them polished. There's a few I've been meaning to get around to (South African, Australian, etc. - yes I know that's a generalization, but you have to start somewhere).
You know what would be funny? If everyone in Britain had the same 'sophisticated' accent and mannerisms that I imagine you're referring to. It would be hilariously surreal.
What I find so interesting about British accents is something that the question you're posing manages to avoid - that there are SO MANY VARIATIONS OF IT. I mean, for a small region, there are so many distinct accents that it boggles the mind. Some day I'm going to have to look into the ethnohistorical explanation for that.
I've always been interested in accents, as I grew up with a Scottish (Edinburgh) accent that eventually naturalized into... well, whatever it is we have in Toronto (I'm reluctant to call it Canadian, as that calls to mind the stereotypical Canadian accent, which is... not what we have. At all.). Over the years, I've taken to mimicking interesting accents and idiosyncracies I've been exposed to, and I try to keep them polished. There's a few I've been meaning to get around to (South African, Australian, etc. - yes I know that's a generalization, but you have to start somewhere).
You know what would be funny? If everyone in Britain had the same 'sophisticated' accent and mannerisms that I imagine you're referring to. It would be hilariously surreal.
You're wrong then and you've only ever heard a Home Counties accent. Listen to a Cockney, Geordie, West Country, Yorkshire or any other accent that isn't a Home Counties accent and you'll consider us inbred retards.
I was under the impression that pirates shouting 'yarr' was absolute bullshit. Pirates had no one accent and the only meaning I can think of for yarr is you, which makes it just seem stupid to be shouting you every so often in conversation.Rastien said:
The only thing I find hard about having that stereotypical British (English) accent, and I do, is that I seem to spend more time saying what I need too, and people get bored and talk over me and say it in less time by not pronouncing every syllabal like I do.
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First world problems I know, but when talking to Americans online it gets hard to say everything without being talked over, and somedays I just throw up my hands and just blurb it all out in a terrible American style mock up.
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First world problems I know, but when talking to Americans online it gets hard to say everything without being talked over, and somedays I just throw up my hands and just blurb it all out in a terrible American style mock up.
What how dare you sir that is slander and on the internet as well I will not stand for this outrage. The midland people are among the finest,intelligentist,handsome,brilliant most sophisticated people on the planet and are more better than anyone else so guess that showed you.ToTaL LoLiGe said:
(I may be joking here)If you cant guess I am from the Midlands originally generally though I find people near Brum think I am from Devon and people from Devon usually think I am from Brum (im from neither BTW), I would say my accent does not sound very sophisticated but I can put it on if I really wanted to I suppose.(I dont have a strong accent probably because I move around a fair bit)
There are a heck of a lot of different accents in Britain seriously if you walk for a day in one direction by the end of it odds are you will be hearing a different accent even if only slightly. Some are sophisticated some are bloody snobby and some are almost indecipherable.
I agree that "British" needs defining. There are a wide range of accents, many of which do not sound at all sophisticated. I am from the North of England and have quite a strong regional accent which I have spent years masking as I think it sounds horrible. It's a personal preference with accents. As a British person, I hear the range of British accents all the time and from some very unsophisticated people so, to me, it's just a noise...