• Hamartia@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      7 months ago

      When I grew up near a town of 6000 people in northern Ireland in the 70’s there were four distinct accents. Partly because there were two different recent growth phases to the town that brought in new people (from other parts of northern Ireland). And also because TV + education caused a generational change too for the locals. The much older inhabitants had a more Elizabethan grammer and a mix of Irish/Scots Gaelic + old English nautical vocabulary.

  • feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    48
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    It’s not an accent. We’re the only people in the world without an accent. In fact, I’m the only person in the world without an accent.

      • orphiebaby@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        7 months ago
        1. Depends on your definition of “accent” (yes, really). Is an accent a deviation from standard/dictionary, or is standard/dictionary also an accent?
        2. Assuming standard isn’t accent, depends on the zone/individual. We all know about Brooklyn and Southern drawl and Minnesotan, etc.
        3. Assuming standard isn’t accent, Americans have less accent than other English-speakers, but more accent than you’d think. For example, Americans say “budder” instead of “butter”.
      • Cethin@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        7 months ago

        I think the closest widely spoken accent to what was spoken in England a few hundred years ago is southern American IIRC. I think there’s actually an island in Virginia that is almost totally isolated, and they have what we suspect is the closest.

        It’s still all accents obviously, but if you mean the least changed from what it used to be at one point (which is different than what it was at a different point), you are mostly correct. Obviously there are still a million variations of American accents, and even a lot of variations of the southern American accent.

  • h_ramus@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    35
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    Akchually, the United Kingdom has a wide variety of accents and no single “British accent” exists.

  • hactar42@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    7 months ago

    I’m an American who spent a lot of time in the north of England. If anything it gets even worse.

  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    7 months ago

    Nah, the moment they don’t think anyone’s listening, they all sound identical to John Wayne. Yes, the women and children too. Especially the children.

  • el_abuelo@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    7 months ago

    As I’ve explained to my Irish colleagues many many times - you’re the one with the accent!