Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| random_person |
Trivial question - is it true that American women......have a thing for men who speak in Received Pronunciation (RP)? As in the accent common in the South East region of England, around London? 'Queen's English', if you will. The accent most foreigners seem to think of when they think of the UK. I know individual tastes come into a lot but generally speaking from observation?I personally haven't really had much in the way of personal interaction with American girls, but on my various trips across the pond, I do notice that people I speak to tend to react somewhat curiously to my accent. Not in a negative way, they just seem to suddenly think they're talking to somebody with more 'class' even if I'm not likely to be any richer or more presitigious than them at all. Of course, that's more an observation of Americans I've talked to in general than what I'm sepcifically asking about in my question. Anyway, enough with the anecdotes - is there any truth behind the popular notion or not? (Oh, and don't say that there is simply because you're taking pity on the single English Southerner with a practically non-existant romantic life  )
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| Brock07 |
Yeah, from my experience, its true. | ||||||||||
| NoOneMournsTheWicked |
...Yes. I once went on a date with a random guy for his Liverpool accent. So any type of British accent, really. | ||||||||||
| Pounce |
Re: Trivial question - is it true that American women...
No, I definitely think you are tossing out a lure for an American girlfriend.
Just stay away from those Canadian girls...they are no good!
But yes, some of the British dialects do intrigue Americans. Couldn't tell you which because as you know there are so many of them. |
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| Brock07 |
I'm going to go out on a limb and say most American women don't know the difference in the different British/Australian (another one they tend to swoon over...hell, I swoon over many of the ladies with them as well) accents. | ||||||||||
| random_person |
Re: Trivial question - is it true that American women...
No, I mean that the results of this thread will decide whether or not I go forth with the cunning plan on the drawing board to fix my current state of being 17 and never so much as kissed by a girl, let alone had a girlfriend  It's extreme, but if it gets me results, I'm satisfied! 
And hey! Canadians are great people...they have vinegar on their chips! Like civilised people! (Joking, joking - you Yanks are good in my books too!)
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| wicked_diva |
I don't think it's necessarily RP. For me, the most swoonworthy accent is a nice Scottish brogue. A lot of other people I know have a thing for Irish. And there's plenty of people who will go for an Italian or Spanish accent. I think it's really just the allure of having any foreign accent.
That said, I'm determined to marry a nice Scottish man with an accent, a castle, and a horse. 
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| le_moofin |
^ As above, my favorite is a thick Scottish brogue. BUT any Scottish/Irish/Welsh/English/Australian accent has a good chance of making the average American girl swoon 
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| dolbinau |
Do gay Americans like Australian accents? | ||||||||||
| MiSS.DRAMAqueen |
Maybe I'm shallow,
but I enjoy an accent every now & then. P.S. - I can't really tell the difference between an English accent & an Australian one, unless I'm really listening. |
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| Pounce |
Funny thing is Americans confuse Irish and Scottish dialects. To me they are very different. And I believe Northern Ireland has its own distinct dialect. Australian is very different but I can not tell the difference between an Aussie and a Kiwi (New Zealand). | ||||||||||
| Felix Felicis |
We do, and it's horrible. |
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| LaurelDP |
American girls go crazy for most all accents from English speaking countries (except USA, of course).
I'm no exception. I used to be obsessed with an Irish bartender, and an Australian classmate of my friend, almost entirely because of their accents. |
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| MiSS.DRAMAqueen |
seconded =) |
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| random_person |
Wait, just any foreign English-speaking accent will work? Forget the drawing board - I'm hopping on the next flight to the States and leaving this crummy country behind me! 
*Remembers there are other Brits on this site* ..I mean, 'tearfully departing from my beloved island to seek better fortunes in the New World'
Oh, and if the Spanish & Italian thing is to any extent true, I'm in luck cos while I've always had British citizenship because my father, I'm Venezuelan by birth with Italian blood (hence my slightly tanned complexion...or as my less-than-politically-correct friend puts it, 'coffee coloured') and speak fluent Spanish.
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| dolbinau |
Can you Americans tell the difference between USA/Canada?
(Since I can't, I imagine it's analogous to Australia/New Zealand) |
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| bare24601! |
I love accents.. so much. Especially Australian and Scottish.
^ I can if I hear them pronounce certain words, like "sorry" or "about", because they pronounce them a little differently. Otherwise I can't. |
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| LaurelDP |
America has lots of regional dialects, as I'm sure Canada does, and most countries do. Most people recognize a Canadian "accent" as something similar to a Northern Midwestern dialect (may actually officially be called North Central American, don't remember). |
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| wicked_diva |
I can tell the difference when listening to Scottish v. Irish accents (and NZ v. Australian) but whenever I attempt to do an Irish accent, it's like just a lighter version of my Scottish. And my Scottish tends to like to fade to Yorkshire, too. I'd love some coaching on it. At this point, it's completely self-taught. |
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| LaurelDP |
My tip for Irish dialect, is that it is all based and formed in the front of the mouth, in the lips, as if all the words are coming from right outside the mouth. And Scottish is almost totally in the jaw. |
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| ilovemusicals! |
yes, kind of. it really depends on where in Canada there from. Vancouver area does not have a great ditinction, but in some parts they throw in an 'aye' at the end of their sentence. overall, the difference is subtle. |
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| Pounce |
Re: Trivial question - is it true that American women...
Trust me. Next time you cross the pond go up to the prettiest American girl and say... Chip Chip Cheerio! Hello, what's this? No Fish and Chips? McDonalds...Oh I say, Jolly good! Well...Tally-Ho! Be highly animated and wearing a Boller Hat and carrying an umbrella would help too. After that she'll swoon and fall into your arms.
Yes, but never...ever...date one! Canadian women are for divorcing.
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| Vanessa20 |
Hell yes. I'm a sucker for British accents. But as others have said, not just RP: also Scottish, Irish, pretty much any type of regional English accent, and maybe Australian too. They're all exotic and cool to an American girl. | ||||||||||
| kozafluitmusique |
Depends. British accents are cool, but I'm fond of others. | ||||||||||
| random_person |
Re: Trivial question - is it true that American women...
Damnit! The only classic hat I've got is a Trilby >.> You know, I actually wonder what it would be like if I played up the 'poshness' of my already rather proper-sounding accent and went up to people doing that sort of routine to see how long it takes each person to realise I'm putting on an act. [/quote]
Right, I shall take the advice to heart.
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| Pounce |
It's hard. It's only when a Canadian says "eh", or "zed" instead of "zee" can you rat them out. It's the little differences. I suppose there are subtle accents but that exists even in the US. With a small amount of effort a Canadian can completely blend into the American culture. It might take more effort but I suppose an American could blend into Canadian culture. I think the timing and intonation of "eh" could be tricky. Plus to pass as Canadian you have to know ice hockey inside and out.
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| Brock07 |
My question is do British/other english speaking forgeiners find american accents sexy?
Not that I have an accent. I speak normally. Its everyone else who has the accent. |
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| random_person |
I for one never have, but you're bound to find a few. |
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| Cinderelli |
What most Americans consider to be an Irish accent is quite far from reality. Whilst there are still some places with strong accents, most have become Americanised because the most recent generations have been watching too much tv. The dialect of our capital, Dublin, is mostly flat and dull to my ear, nothing like the lilting, lyrical tones you all seem so obsessed with!
Also - a weird, unrelated fact for you... Bono went to my school, but got kicked out in his first year for throwing sh*t at a teacher! I hate that guy. My school is great
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| ActingDude17 |
I sometimes have a thing for Brit girls. Just to name a few...Emma Watson, Bonnie Wright. Emma Watson... | ||||||||||
| thewordisno |
I don't really think about Canadians that much J/k. (I actually really dig Nunavut... not kidding!)
I've moved about alot, so I can easily hear the differences between the accents of the US. Sadly, I've moved about enough that I've settled with a slight Southern & Yinzer (aka Pittsburghese) mix accent. I actually find the Pittsburghese to be charming, in its own weird way. (For those who don't know about it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburghese) |
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| ilovebway |
HANDS OFF EMMA! She's mine
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| ActingDude17 |
Is that a challenge I hear, Gil? 
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| dolbinau |
I'm not sure if "sexy" is the right word but I'd definately give someone more attention if they had an American accent. |
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| Euphi |
Re: Trivial question - is it true that American women...YES IT'S HOT. |
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| MiSS.DRAMAqueen |
I'm from Pittsburgh too ! |
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| RED15 |
most of my family is from philly, do you want to talk about bad accents, words like "yous" are frequently and accidently slipped into my every day language, I also say things like "caw-fee" where 'o's are made into aws
the rest of my family is from south jersey, which unlike in north jersey (what you see on the sopranos), they don't have the whole NY accent thing going on but we still talk REALLY fast. |
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| Chevstriss |
I'm going to jump to the conclusion that he was tossing argumentative hyperbole, not that Bono actually vaulted feces at his instructor. please clarify. If indeed we can assume the worst, was it human feces? his own? did he soil his diaper then stick a hand inside digging for ammo? |
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| dolbinau |
Bogan Australians also say "yous" . I thought it was only isolated to our continent.
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| Damask and Dark |
I've heard some people from the northern Midwest say "yous" as well. |
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| fjays |
I'm from Australia, but I'll also say EVERY SINGLE GIRL HERE WILL SWOON OVER AN ENGLISH BOY.
Seriously. We had a group of exchange students here a few weeks ago, and every girl in my school literally drooled over them. Any kind of British accent is cool. I love me a good British boy accent, I do. A guy from Burmingham came into work the other day, I just about died Haha
What do y'all think of Aussie accents? |
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| random_person |
I actually like Aussie accents more than those of Yanks or Canadians. Probably because there's still a noticeable similarity to several of the accents found in England. Besides, you lot stayed loyal to the Crown, unlike them folks across the pond with their fancy-pants 'independence' and 'freedom'.
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| Brock07 |
I don't even want to hear that crap...the way I remember it, we bailed your @SSes out of not one but TWO world wars.
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| random_person |
Ah, but remember that the staging areas for the push into Europe by us Westerners were our fair island (for Normandy) and North Africa (for Italy), both of which were theatres of war primarily fought by British Imperial troops. We're eternally grateful for your trade support and giving our side the boost in numbers and strength needed to make that final push and bravo for your efforts over in the Pacific, but don't forget that even you ultimately could only have brought down Germany because of British effort. Considering how your population is many times bigger than ours and, unlike you, we were right on the enemy's doorstep, I think we did pretty damn well for ourselves. If I recall correctly, after the Battle of Britain, the Nazis admitted that an invasion of the country was not a feasible option, so don't buy too much into the notion that we were inevitably going to fall without you.
Oh, and we best also thank the Soviets for their play. I mean, they did take the most casualties and have suffer a full-scale assault from one of the most powerful countries in the world, yet ultimately resisted and pushed on right to Berlin. Right, I think that's enough history for today.
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| Xxmcfly85xX |
BAHAHAHA! fjays, you are so right. |
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| TylerMcMahon |
YES! I love a man with an English or Australian accent! |
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| Brock07 |
Oh how I hate it when people know the true story of WWII. |
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| Matthew |
I don't get the whole accent deal. Not my thing. | ||||||||||
| LisaKitty |
Speaking as a heterosexual American female, I can say quite definitively that British accents are HOT!! Double that if you've got a deep voice and a British accent (okay, the deep voice thing may be just me ...)
As far as the Canadian thing goes, yes, there is definitely a "Canadian Accent". I live pretty close to the US/Canada border, so we hear it a lot. It's only in particular words ("sorry", "borrow", and "about" are good examples), but it is very noticeable. Actually, the guy playing Curley in our production of Oklahoma is Canadian, and the director/MD have had to correct him several times on pronunciation. Though I must admit to being one of the ones who giggled when he sang "When I take you oout tonight with me ..."
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| emmy05 |
I'd have to say not only every girl - but every woman. I've never met one who wouldn't swoon over a guy with an english accent. |
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| Brigantine |
I'm from Minnesota, and I'd never heard anyone say that until we moved to PA. "Youse" sounds SO horrible and uneducated, I can't stand it. As for the topic at hand, I too am guilty of swooning over foreign accents. Due to the year I spent in England in college and also traveling in Europe, I am proud to say I can correctly place a lot of regional English dialects as well as those from Ireland, Norn Iron, Scotland, Australia and New Zealand. Although, differentiating between Aussie and Kiwi now might be more difficult. I'm not really sure why, but I think the Manchester accent is my favorite. Probably from watching too much Coronation Street when I was there.
I think it's a natural response to be attracted to something different- makes it seem exciting and exotic, you know? Although, the regular old american accent probably isn't that exciting or exotic to anyone. 
Fiona- you LIKED the Brummie accent?? |
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| random_person |
Intriguing... Yes, it makes sense to be attracted to something different (perhaps linked in with the need for biodiversity? I dunno), although in terms of accents, I've never actually found foreign ones to be in any way more alluring. Call me Anglocentric, but my favourite accents are actually ones that are found in my home country. Of course, part of this may stem from the fact that while I've lived here for the majority of my life, ethnically/racially-speaking I'm Hispanic and feel rather attached to South America, even though in terms of personality, I'm very English. |
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| Cinderelli |
Argumentative hyperbole...
Unfortunately, he DID vault faeces... Apparently it was dog poo - I think he was on a school trip My mother has met him a few times, too. Overall a very unsavoury character.
We say it in Dublin, too! Sometimes even 'yiz' 
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| liza_minelli |
people from the north east say 'yous' or 'yuz'
geordie accents.. when i went to see billy elliot, the group of american tourists sitting in front heard me talking and decided that every time they didnt get a word they would tap me on the shouler and ask what it meant.. i love being a geordie though. |
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
I wonder where that "How ta spek Noo Zullund" list went. I shall have to find it again. | ||||||||||
| thewordisno |
I'm sure 'Yiz' can't be as bad as 'yinz'.. or the even worse 'yinz all', which would be translated as "you all all". Speaking of accents, but more "regional grammar", I was a college freshman before I realized that "to be" went in front of verbs. Example: Correct Grammar: The car needs to be washed. Also Correct Grammar: The car needs washing. Pittsburghers: The car needs washed. All the time. And it's not just the "under-educated" of the area, I've heard it from college professors, doctors, and more appallingly English Teachers. |
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| Quique |
My best friend is a Kiwi. His accent makes me chuckle sometimes. 
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| Chevstriss |
somehow I'm feeling this is appropriate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs_rXxi0zhM |
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| idTAPthat89 |
Yup. All true. | ||||||||||
| Mumsytype |
I think it's derived from Irish grammatical structure, saying 'youse' to denote the plural. |
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| Mumsytype |
 Has someone perchance just finished History GCSE? My father fought in Africa, a proud member of the Imperial NZ Second Expeditionary Force that joined the Eighth Army. In spite of all the re-writing of history by Hollywood, a balanced and accurate view of just how much each nation contributed should be borne in mind. If you learnt your history from Hollywood, you'd think the Yanks did it all virtually single-handed!
To say nothing of the American lend-lease arrangements that crippled the British economy after the end of WWII, the last repayment for all that wartime assistance having only been made in 2006. The Brits paid back every penny, plus horrendous amounts of interest. My tuppenceworth... any foreign accent is of interest, whether positive or not depending on the perceived context of the encounter. It's a basic human attribute to react with heightened attention to a 'different' appearance or sound. Having lived all over the world, I've always been an outsider in terms of accent and culture, so I don't automatically associate foreign accents with attractiveness. I speak 'cultured south-east English' - not the strangulated vowels of RP or old English films - I consider it a very ordinary sound. I shudder at the noises emanating from the mouth of Janet Street-Porter, who is a socialist fake 'Mockney', but most other true Londoners sound fine to me. When I lived in Canada as a teenager, my London accent at first intrigued my classmates, but once they'd run the gamut of imitating (Dick van Dyke has a LOT to answer for with his ghastly attempt at Cockney in Mary Poppins) and teasing, it all settled down and stopped being amusing. Oh, and Random... the Canadians didn't declare Independence. They were staunchly loyal to King and Crown, being proud sons of Empire until the Empire was disbanded after WWII... at guess-who's insistence. |
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| Mumsytype |
http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/index.html
That might be a useful resource for differentiating between the many English accents around. This is typical London: http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/text-only/england/peckham/ And this is 'posh': http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/text-only/received-pronunciation/london/ And this is GENUINELY upper-class: http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/text-only/received-pronunciation/burnham-thorpe/ |
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
Wait, what? What do you mean by the Empire disbanded? The Commonwealth is still intact, and Bessy II (Huzzah for the Cactus reference) is still the Queen of Australia. |
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| Mumsytype |
The Empire itself slowly disbanded following the Statute of Westminster (1930) which was a response to the Amritsar Rebellion in India, and the realisation that it was no longer profitable nor feasible to keep a quarter of the globe under direct British rule. Also, some former colonies, such as Australia, Canada and NZ were given 'Dominion' status after they had set up their own parliaments and proved they could rule themselves after the British model. The idea was that all former colonies would be independent, but continue close trade and legal links with Britain through their systems of government and law. Sadly, most of the former British African colonies have reverted to rule by warlord and brutal oppression of any members of the non-ruling tribes - this was exactly what Colonial rule had prevented. The economic strain of WWII - including the USA's strictly enforced Lend-Lease repayments - hastened the end of the British Empire, which was finally abandoned when Aden was evacuated in the 1950's. I have read that one condition of Lend-Lease being offered at all was Britain's promise that the Empire would be formally disbanded immediately after the War... The Commonwealth used to be a viable, effective economic organisation, but sadly the Commonwealth Development Commission in London is now simply a property management company. The EU doesn't like Britain being involved in a Commonwealth of Nations, and nobody in government has the guts to tell the EU to stuff it where the sun don't shine. |
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| random_person |
I have actually not just completed GCSE history. In fact, I'm in college education at the moment. I have studied WW2 in the past though and do tidbits of research out of simple intellectual curiosity. Yes, it is certainly a thing to be proud of that we repayed our debts. I am also perfectly aware of the fact that the Canadians never shook off their ties with the motherland (I've been there a few times), my sentence was actually referring to the fellows just south of them. The fact they have vinegar on their chips says a lot about how British many of them truly are.
However, let's not be so hard on the Yanks for their Hollywood movies. I personally think it's just a case of wanting to cater to their own people, who had relatives who fought in the war, and as such focusing on the American-involved theatres. It's like how a Russian film would probably focus on the German Invasion of their country or a British film like Bridge on the River Kwai focusing on our own efforts. The only American film that comes to mind in terms of really pushing it with artistic license is that controversial one where they retold the capture of the Enigma machine replacing the Royal Navy with their own... |
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
I pitty those who don't know the joys of fish and chips. | ||||||||||
| kozafluitmusique |
I've never had it all to my own, but I do, too ... it's so good! |
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| Chevstriss |
accent that turns women off -
Appalachian |
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| actor |
My accent is the same one from Billy Elliot 
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| Matthew |
Yeay being neutral and not having an accent of any sort! | ||||||||||
| actor |
uhm... everyone has an accent. I heard your Manchester, England a while ago and you definately have a strong American 'r'. Your voice only sounds neutral to you and people from the same area as you. | ||||||||||
| Matthew |
In linguistics, it's generally accepted that California has the most neutral accent, so... You fail. | ||||||||||
| Mungojerrie_rt |
If anything, the most neutral English accent would be well, English. Whichever one is broadest there. | ||||||||||
| actor |
A Californian, valley-girl type accent is probably one of the strongest American accents, especially to someone from England. It's a fact that no accent is neutral so... you fail. |
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| Matthew |
The California-Valley-girl accent applies to about 5,000 out of the 36,756,666 of us that live here, ergo your argument still fails. | ||||||||||
| actor |
Anyone who thinks that they don't have an accent is ignorant. If you have a voice, you have an accent. Do you think having an accent is something bad that you should be ashamed of or something? | ||||||||||
| Matthew |
No, that's an stupid assumption you're trying to force on my person, ergo... haha.
Take a linguistics class and we'll talk. |
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| NoOneMournsTheWicked |
It's very Brooklyn to say "'ey! Yous guys!"...no one really uses H's or R's here. |
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| LaurelDP |
I don't know how it is for actors in the UK, but most all American acting schools put a lot of effort into neutralizing speech. Accents aren't a bad thing. But it's good to have a neutral base to add onto and work from. Not to mention neutrality lends itself to clarity, which is essential for actors. |
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
I bet you pronunciation of words like 'can't' 'colour' 'dance' and many others is all the typical American way, and not at all neutral.
(Or even worse, 'aluminium') |
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| Matthew |
I LOLed. |
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| actor |
I have a very strong northern English (Billy Elliot) accent yet I can easily change it for whichever role I'm playing whether it's upper-class British, or American. It's all in training and whether you're a good actor or not, not what your normal, base accent is. And my clarity's fine. |
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| LaurelDP |
I assume Matthew and myself would both pronounce your list: kænt ˈkʌlɚ dæns And I can't think what would be a different, more neutral pronunciation. dɑns for dance would be more RP. |
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| Matthew |
I was going to the IPA of how we say it, but got too lazy. This is how I say it as well. Thank you, Laurel. |
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| SmallTownIngenue |
What are you talking about Chev? Appalachians are so sexy. Kidding. But I have an slightly noticable North Dakotan/Minnesotan accent-It's not of "Fargo" proportions, but I can notice it, especially with my "oh"s. Working on that. |
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| LaurelDP |
Well, that's the idea. Some people just have difficulty neutralizing their accents. And linguistically, y'all, American Standard is considered more neutral than Received Pronunciation. Though they are similar. |
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
Thankyou for the... uninteligable symbols, but interesting that you can read international letters. I can only assume what they mean, but I think the one you lable as 'RP' (whatever that stands for) is quite normal, and much nicer if you ask me. Funnily enough, it seems mostly to be the American accent which hangs on in singing. other places once singing you cannot catch an accent, but you with Americans. |
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| actor |
And how is kænt and dæns more 'neutral' than kahn't and dahnce? If anything, the way British people say it is more open and better for clarity as the one before makes the voice quite thin and nasal. | ||||||||||
| Matthew |
This shows your intelligence on this topic. |
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| LaurelDP |
That is a difference between RP and American Standard, is that RP has more open vowels. That "bad" thing about that is the vowels can get mashed and blended. The use of lateral and nasal vowels adds more variety and specificity to American Standard. And I want you to be certain that this is just a speech and linguistics debate, not a personal attack. |
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| LaurelDP |
And to those criticizing the "neutrality" of American Standard dialect, I wonder if you've heard it properly spoken.
Because its not spoken widely, except by some obsessive acting students. Its a stylized dialect mostly used in classical theatre in the states. Matthew is right in that California has the most neutral dialect, especially in USA. But when spoken casually, often times lateral vowels are even wider and r's are hit with more emphasis, among other things. |
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| actor |
Oh I know, it's OK. I openly admit my accent's gross anyway lol |
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| LaurelDP |
I tend to think that parts of my accent are gross, as well.
I was raised in the American South, and even though I try to speak in American Standard in my daily life, I still slip into some Southern regionalisms when speaking casually. Mostly i-e substitution. It sucks. |
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| Cinderelli |
True. tú means you & sibh means youse. Not 'you all', youse
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
Right, I shall never compliment someone on being able to do something I can't again. |
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| Canadian Drama Geek |
I can honestly say that until I was informed of the differences between 'American' and 'Canadian' accents, I could never get the difference. Apparently we have a vowel raise that let's us distinguish between the words 'writer' and 'rider' in common speech. I'm guessing that in the US you have to assume that when someone says they're a night rider that means they don't write prose during late hours.
Even now, I've met a great many more Canadians that pronounce things as though they're from south of the border. Apparently I talk like a Canadian; good for me. I even say eh at the end of sentences... Is it true Americans say semi like sem-eye? I was always curious about that. |
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| Vanessa20 |
It varies: some people say sem-eye, some say sem-ee. And I can always tell the difference between "writer" and "rider." Maybe in some US dialects they sound the same, but none that I know of. |
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| Damask and Dark |
They're not pronounced the same, but in many US dialects "t" between two vowel/diphthong sounds is not pronounced as a regular "t," but as a flap, which would make it sound similar to a "d." Both "d" and "t" are dental plosives; the only difference is that "d" is voiced and "t" is not. To compensate for this, in English, "t" is often pronounced with aspiration, or a sort of extra puff of air accompanying the sound. If you (if you're a native speaker of American English) put your hand in front of your mouth and pronounce the word "ten" and then the word "den," you should feel the aspiration against your hand with the former and not the latter. However, if you do the same with "writer" and "rider," you will not feel the difference as much because the "t" in writer may be pronounced as a flap and not an aspirated unvoiced plosive. This means it may be harder to distinguish from a regular "d," especially for a non-native speaker. For example, in some languages, such as Finnish, voiced plosives (like d) are very rare compared to unvoiced plosives (like t), and therefore speakers don't aspirate their unvoiced plosives because there isn't as much of a need to distinguish them. Then, if they hear a language like American English, it can sound a bit odd. |
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
I never hve trouble distinguishing, but then, I'm not in the US, which is kind of your point...
Explains all of the silly "Defying Gravady" singing though. |
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| Pounce |
I think the issue of accent is relative or in other words "point of view". How can any accent be considered "neurtal"? It's a judgment call by those in power what is neutral or standard. I thought the Brits were uniform on words like "can't" and "dance", but I've heard some say it the American was as well. I use the British pronunciation (we even differ on how to say that word) to spell. I hear in my head the British way to say "schedule" and "laboratory" because they say it as it is written. Americans say "Aluminum" but the Brits add an "i" with "Aluminium" and say it a different way. |