Question For Non-Americans

[ER]

What does an American accent sound like to you? Can you try to describe it?

[dean]

Depends on the accent but I guess I'm so used to it since I have 1. Some American friends and 2. Am being drowned in it through movies/tv.   So I guess it's not strange/unusual to me.

Compared to my accent certain inflections are different [eg, saying my name 'Dean' to some folks in NY when I was there recently was translated to 'Dane' because they didn't understand me properly, though I don't hear it myself.]

[Newt]

It's very regional ER.  So it depends.  The pronunciation of the vowels seems to be a big piece though.

[ER]

Thanks, guys!

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

I wonder at this as well, becuase when I hear pepple faking an American Accent, it sounds so wrong to my ears.  Even my english cousins mock my accent is the damnedest ways. 

[zelmo73]

Some actors can nail it really well, while others sound rather silly when they try to emulate it. Australian actors like Hugh Jackman, and British actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, are adept at American accents. Day-Lewis especially, who has gone so far as to regionalize his American accents in his movies.

[ER]

I know when I lived for a few months in northern England years ago, I was told Americans sound like we talk through our noses.

[Trevor]

What does an American accent sound like to you? Can you try to describe it?

Considering all the American friends I have, it sounds quite nice to me. 

Although there is one thing that irritates the hell out of me: the way that some people talk with the fake 'crack' in their voices as though their vocal chords are hanging on for dear life. 

[ER]

Although there is one thing that irritates the hell out of me: the way that some people talk with the fake 'crack' in their voices as though their vocal chords are hanging on for dear life.

Can you give an example of what you mean, Trevor? I guess I can't zero-in on that. You mean like people over-enunciating things?

[zelmo73]

Although there is one thing that irritates the hell out of me: the way that some people talk with the fake 'crack' in their voices as though their vocal chords are hanging on for dear life.

Can you give an example of what you mean, Trevor? I guess I can't zero-in on that. You mean like people over-enunciating things?

I thought he was referring to that Britney Spears thing; "like, oh my god!"

[Raffine]

I was told by a Kurdish buddy of mine that American English sounded to them like dogs barking.

[zombie no.one]

never really thought about it, but to me it does sound like the American accent relies a lot more on the A sound (as you would hear it pronounced in the word "Ham")

e.g. the sentence "I got lost because I went too fast"

now English pronounciation of that would be more like "I gott lorst becoz I went too farrst"

whereas American would be more like "I gat laast becaazz I went too faast"

(massive generalisation I know, but kind of true  )

[zelmo73]

whereas American would be more like "I gat laast becaazz I went too faast"

(massive generalisation I know, but kind of true  )

I find it hard to consider Bostonians as Americans. More like displaced Irish nationals that pledge allegiance to Beer.

[ER]

Posted by: zelmo73

I find it hard to consider Bostonians as Americans. More like displaced Irish nationals that pledge allegiance to Beer.

That actually made me laugh! I think the most grating accent I ever encountered was that of this girl from Danvers, Massachusetts back in the late '90s, though under the circumstances I doubt I would have liked her for almost any reason. She had this squeaky high voice and this acid-in-the-ears goshawful way of braying words. Still makes me shudder.

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

I think Trevor is talking about "Vocal Fry" something the kids like to do these days....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsE5mysfZsY