The 'English' accent

Well it's a good job I was stalking above or I'd have missed all that, no alerts don't you know. The stalking arose from a rather offensive poster who you profess to love upon short acquaintance but has riled a lot of nerves this past day, well you may have gathered that the blue rabbit and I can be a tad sensitive. So tell me, when out and about in your current locale tell me you would only only speak the local language with your new USA neighbour as realise to speak together in English, even half the conversation in American English, would be a sign of total rudeness and show your terribly bad upbringing. Please do pop along and have some fun into the Wheelie bins diatrabe on the bad manners of foreingers in foreign lands. only 2 steps above in started.

2nd troll comes along. does anybody know if 'europe' and 'britain' are the same thing?

Hey, thea09! How flows the ouzo in your area this year? I actually get that here, as well! People love to ask me if I've met the Queen! "All the time!" I say. "Why, she and I are on a first name basis, as a matter of fact!" D'you know, some people actually fall for it!? Pathetic. On the subject of spelling, though, I've forced myself to use the American version. So much more concise. Not to mention the way they use apostrophes and quotation marks. So much more practical, I think. Especially when putting possessives in quotations. Ooh, I can't resist, thea09: Yesterday, I was concerned about what they were saying on the aerial about the coming storm, so after my elevenses, I stepped out of my terrace house for some victuals like bangers (there's this German deli nearby, see?) for making butty and such (can't cook, I can't, worse luck) and whatnot, like extra torches and candles. Actually, I have a lot of candles, but I tend to bung 'em about the place. Thought I'd also step into the chemists' just in case, and the off license, too, just to tide me over till, mind! (I don't actually take what you get at the latter, but have friends that do, and you know why I'm really writing this, don't you?) There's a department store nearby, so why drive? No need to take the artic I don't have (see above). As I'll be carrying stuff, I got on my mac and my trusty daps (just in case), and while I was about to get on the zebra crossing (there really was one), this bird calls out to me (the one that got me started on this post), and the rest is history. I actually exaggerate. I was quite chuffed to meet a new neighbor (notice the American spelling?), but that high pitched voice has to go. ' was a Gordon Bennett, it was! Otherwise, it was all rather corking. "Dialect", they call it. Barking, I say, absolutely barking! Well, that's that for me, for now. No storm, and I'm on my way out for a night on the town. Bob's your uncle!

Hello irishidid, Well, admittedly, I guess I do have an accent, but I must also stress the fact that I consider mine the default! I do know, however, that by American standards, the mid-western accent is likewise considered the default. Not sure about the British actors doing American better than otherwise, though. Must look into this further. Thanks for pointing it out.

Clearly you are intelligent. I like you already, though obviously I'm biased. Admittedly, even in the UK, there are a vast range of accents, though anything that deviates from the "Queen's" English, is considered sub-standard (perhaps a bit of an exaggeration... though not by much). That said, in comparison to the accents spoken in the US, Canada, or elsewhere, I tend to think that the ENGLISH spoken in ENGLand by the ENGLISH people is normal, while ENGLISH spoken outside it, is not. I have noticed, however, that some Americans from... ooh, I forgot which state it was, do tend to pronounce their words more in keeping with what I consider... correct. Lordy, this is going to bug me now... which state, which state, which state is it? ... (ooh, this is seriously going to nag at me)

I see your point, however, I believe that those who spoke it first, get first dibs. (ha! ha!) The further we stray from those who have first dibs, the more the "accent" gets pronounced. So that... ooh, let's say an Indian or a Chinese speaks English, while maintaining the sounds of their native language, then we get an accent! Americans, for example, consider a mid western accent to be accentless, the standard. Any deviations from that "accentless" speech, is an accent. Including English as we, the English, speak it. I very much beg to disagree. ... but then, I AM English... ... or so my passport says.