---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <fleetwood_macncheese@...> wrote :
I am fascinated with English and American accents, especially when each, does the other's. I have found that when English actors do American accents, they are far more successful, than the reverse. My reasoning is that the English are in general better actors, that they take the craft a bit more seriously I think we're just better at everything ;-) I know what you mean, the upper class English accent is the easiest to pull off for an American as it's so cartoon-ish anyway. The Americans I know can't say "mate" so maybe there's a bigger difference in the way we speak than we realise. I have also read that when an American tries to sound, "English", a native of England hears several distinct accents, from different areas of the country, and social strata, whereas 'American' has a more homogenized accent, and may be easier to emulate. The 17th century English accent in the sample, sounded Irish to me. The Shakespeare dialect there sounded more reminiscent of the west country, from Devon or Cornwall. But not Irish to me, and Ireland has a big variations in its regions too, I'm sure Share will back me up in that. Compare Galway to Belfast, amazing. England apparently has 44 regional accents. The theory is that they evolved in isolation from each other whereas the US accent evolved after railways had been invented so there was more cross over and connection with other parts of the country and thus only small differences by comparison. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> wrote : . And how to read Shakespeare correctly! 5 things you never knew about your accent - Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/11167569/british-american-accent-facts.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/11167569/british-american-accent-facts.html 5 things you never knew about your accent - Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/11167569/british-american-accent-facts.html Why English people sound American when they sing, and other intriguing linguistic theories View on www.telegraph.co.uk http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/11167569/british-american-accent-facts.html Preview by Yahoo
