Why are British English and American English so different?

[Jainarayan]

Yes, Virginia, there is a "Virginia" accent. There are also distinctive accents in most Southern states.

I knew a guy from Nawf Cahlahna that I couldn't understand for love or money at first. I gradually got used to his accent (accent my butt, it was another language ). When he threatened his kids with punishment it came out as "you botta xxxx " (you better...). In a restaurant he ordered "mixed sol-uds" (mixed salads). And that's what I could understand. He did fry a bangin' turkey though, and host a blow out pig roast (on a grill made out of a home heating oil tank). Gotta love dem Johnny Rebs.

 

[Jainarayan]

I was more getting at, Virginia is a large enough place and for it to have just one accent would seem odd.

New Jersey has a number of accents. Really! South Jersey is Philadelphia-influenced, north Jersey is NY-influenced, central Jersey is closer to north Jersey. Big migration from north to central. I was born and raised (until I was almost 15) in Newark (Nork) NJ. Yes, we did say Nork. Where this Newww-urk business came from is a mystery... no wait, probably from dem Middigans (Americans as Italians call them).

I was at a post office near my job, central NJ, talking to a woman I struck up a conversation with. She looked at me and said "you're from Newark aren't you?" I said yes as I closed my mouth before something flew in. I was shocked. She said she could tell by my accent. So yeah, 45 years later I still talk like a 'Nicky Nork'.

But I also pick up the accents of people I spend time with. I can effect a monster Italian accent (my background); Texas (I have no idea why); Russian; Indian and a few others. James Doohan (Scotty on Star Trek) could do that... effect almost any accent. I had a coworker teaching me a little Russian. He was amazed that I had almost no American accent. He asked if I am musical , I said yes. He said that's the reason, if you have an ear for music, you have an ear for languages.

But anywhose... even a tiny state like NJ has a number of accents.

 

[Revoltingest]

I had a tenant from Jamaica once.
She had a problem with her "fess bessin".
After a while, we figured out that it was
with her sink, aka "face basin".

 

[Rival]

New Jersey has a number of accents. Really! South Jersey is Philadelphia-influenced, north Jersey is NY-influenced, central Jersey is closer to north Jersey. Big migration from north to central. I was born and raised (until I was almost 15) in Newark (Nork) NJ. Yes, we did say Nork. Where this Newww-urk business came from is a mystery... no wait, probably from dem Middigans (Americans as Italians call them).

I was at a post office near my job, central NJ, talking to a woman I struck up a conversation with. She looked at me and said "you're from Newark aren't you?" I said yes as I closed my mouth before something flew in. I was shocked. She said she could tell by my accent. So yeah, 45 years later I still talk like a 'Nicky Nork'.

But I also pick up the accents of people I spend time with. I can effect a monster Italian accent (my background); Texas (I have no idea why); Russian; Indian and a few others. James Doohan (Scotty on Star Trek) could do that... effect almost any accent. I had a coworker teaching me a little Russian. He was amazed that I had almost no American accent. He asked if I am musical , I said yes. He said that's the reason, if you have an ear for music, you have an ear for languages.

But anywhose... even a tiny state like NJ has a number of accents.

Here in Britain it's not uncommon for each village to have its own accent. I guess I assumed the US the same.

 

[Jainarayan]

The obvious reason is that we are a small, highly-urbanised country with national radio and television.

Yep, there ya go... people speak like those around them. With mass voice media, social media videos, people pick up what they hear. There's a phenomenon hitting young American women... talking like Kim Kardashian and her 'vocal fry'. It's obnoxious and looked down on when a woman does it (particularly in business), but when a man does it, it makes him sound more "in charge".

 

[Jainarayan]

Here in Britain it's not uncommon for each village to have its own accent. I guess I assumed the US the same.

Yeah, it does exist here.

 

[BSM1]

I knew a guy from Nawf Cahlahna that I couldn't understand for love or money at first. I gradually got used to his accent (accent my butt, it was another language ). When he threatened his kids with punishment it came out as "you botta xxxx " (you better...). In a restaurant he ordered "mixed sol-uds" (mixed salads). And that's what I could understand. He did fry a bangin' turkey though, and host a blow out pig roast (on a grill made out of a home heating oil tank). Gotta love dem Johnny Rebs.

I live very near the NC/VA line and I can almost tell you what part of NC you're from by your accent.

 

[Subduction Zone]

There are different populations influencing the language. For example, you don't have as much of a Spanish influence on British English as you do is American English, as the majority of Spanish speaking countries are closer to America. Plus, you have practically every other language on Earth mixing with British English due to the fact that it's not across the Mediterranean.

I have noticed that Brits have very little problem pronouncing French words, but for those beyond that they are terrible. With Americans it seems that we have no problem with Spanish or Japanese words and others with relatively simple vowel pronunciations. When it comes to French pronunciation I go two different routes. Sometimes I try to be accurate, sometimes I murder the language.

 

[Mindmaster]

My dad was raised in a small Dutch community outside of Chicago. What's interesting is that he pronounced it "Chicawgo," whereas most people from elsewhere say "Chicahgo."

Pretty much everyone here calls it "Chicawgo", self included, which is basically a south-side Irish holdover. If you think that's bad ask people to say, "Illinois." People who live here say, "Illinoy." People in other states say, "Illinoise", and and nearly any other permutation you can imagine. A lot of old hold-overs are here.. "pop not soda", "front room or parlor, not living room", "dining room=kitchen" (most of our homes didn't have separate dining rooms, and if they did we'd still not use it unless that kitchen was actually tiny -- most weren't), "fridge = ice box", etc. Even the hip hop speaking south-sider's would still use these terms. These terms even creep into things like, "funeral parlor", versus "funeral home", etc. (Our funeral homes are mostly set up like what other people would think is a living room, etc.)

"Chicahgo" just means to us you never lived here, lol. So, our next question will be, "Where ya from?"

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Pretty much everyone here calls it "Chicawgo", self included, which is basically a south-side Irish holdover. If you think that's bad ask people to say, "Illinois." People who live here say, "Illinoy." People in other states say, "Illinoise", and and nearly any other permutation you can imagine. A lot of old hold-overs are here.. "pop not soda", "front room or parlor, not living room", "dining room=kitchen" (most of our homes didn't have separate dining rooms, and if they did we'd still not use it unless that kitchen was actually tiny -- most weren't), "fridge = ice box", etc. Even the hip hop speaking south-sider's would still use these terms. These terms even creep into things like, "funeral parlor", versus "funeral home", etc. (Our funeral homes are mostly set up like what other people would think is a living room, etc.)

"Chicahgo" just means to us you never lived here, lol. So, our next question will be, "Where ya from?"

Ill-annoy...

"Are you from Chicago?"
"Yeah, only about 250 miles southwest."

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Middle of Central Illinois.

To people from Chicago, I'm from the Deep South.

To people from Southern Illinois (Not to mention further south...), I'm from the far North somewhere...

 

[Augustus]

I have noticed that Brits have very little problem pronouncing French words,

Is there more than one Britain?

Brits have very little problem pronouncing French words with an incredibly bad accent "juh voodraizz duh paynes si voo plate"

You mean Bretons perhaps?

 

[Augustus]

I mean...they sound like two completely different language....so many differences as for phonology...how is that possible? I mean...only 3 centuries separate the English from the Pilgrim Fathers

Normal British English is closer to normal American English than regional British varieties are to normal British English.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Boston english sounds more English than English.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Is there more than one Britain?

Brits have very little problem pronouncing French words with an incredibly bad accent "juh voodraizz duh paynes si voo plate"

You mean Bretons perhaps?

In comparison to Americans at least. For example gets one of to even try to pronounce "Champs Elysees" . We will pronounce every consonant in those two words.

 

[Augustus]

In comparison to Americans at least. For example gets one of to even try to pronounce "Champs Elysees" . We will pronounce every consonant in those two words.

That's somewhat of a low bar to clear...

 

[ChristineM]

I mean...they sound like two completely different language....so many differences as for phonology...how is that possible? I mean...only 3 centuries separate the English from the Pilgrim Fathers

Languages evolve.

 

[Estro Felino]

Languages evolve.

Not all of them.
Italy was full of dialects\languages during the Renaissance...but we decided the Italian language had to be the language used by Dante in his Divine Comedy...(1300 ca.)
Italian hasn't evolved much since then.

 

[LuisDantas]

This thread makes me wonder how unusual Brazil may be regarding language and specifically accents.

For instance, one of the most easily noticeable occurrences here is the arising of a very characteristic Northeastern accent. While there are some internal variations, Northeasterners tend to speak with far more open vowels than most other Brazilians, and often a bit faster as well. There is even a bit of a social stigma associated with that accent, and for that reason many people of higher income and/or social status try to change it towards a more neutral accent.

Yet that accent is not very difficult to find in any major city, far as I can tell. Brazilians tend to travel a lot and to split apart from their own origin families fairly often, perhaps significantly more so than people of other origins (I am not sure). It is entirely too common for Brazilian people to apply for educational and work opportunities from a wide variety of cities, with a perhaps archetypical example being the Northeastern young adult who attempts to be a governmental worker and spends a couple of years participating on admission contests for that purpose. The end result are comparably well educated Northeasterners (with typical accents) existing as a noticeable and reasonably well integrated minority pretty much everywhere in Brazil, often with varied degrees of craving to return to the Northeast if the proper conditions arise.

It feels like such a situation may have made us somewhat more accepting and expecting of significant accent variation than people of other origins tend to be.

 

[ChristineM]

Not all of them.
Italy was full of dialects\languages during the Renaissance...but we decided the Italian language had to be the language used by Dante in his Divine Comedy...(1300 ca.)
Italian hasn't evolved much since then.

You think...

budget, byte, festival, petaloso, piccare, tecnicalità, trollare.

Just a few ways your language has evolved in the last few years.