Hello everyone!
I don't think it s impossible to pick up an accent either, however its a little bit hard at the beginning to get that intonation, especially for me who speak spanish and have another intonation patterns, its like trying to sing a note I ve never sung, heheh but I ll keep trying and let you know how I progress, thanks for the tips,and send more!! bye
First off, this is an interesting board to read and nice job everyone with your insightful posts. The reason why I am adding a comment is that I am from New York (Long Island) and have been ask by my Irish friends at the local Pub which part of Dublin I am from originally. I have to say I was stunned and all to hear that question from real Irish people. I never knew my accent refected that part of the world but like one of the previous posts on this board, the American accent is very much influenced by the Irish accent. I figure it's because of the HUGE influx of Irish the last 200 years or so (particularly to New York). The one thing I have always Known (not just believed but know) is that NOT everyone from New York talks like "Dee's and Doh's (these and thoughs) It's not all "Da cawna uv Toity Tiod and Toid" (The corner of thirtythird and third). We Don't all talk like we're from Brooklyn and we aren't all of Italian/Jewish decent (or speaking influence).Those accents represent the more "harsh" New York accent. Personally I don't care for it but if you talk like that, more power to you! Ther's Brooklyn Italian and Long Island Jewish and then there's the rest of us.
I agree, Kevin. We here in Jersey get a bad rap too.
I think it is perfectly all right to learn a different accent. I don't know why some people are getting upset about it. I find it fun to pick up various accents as a hobby. I usually get them by hearing someone else talk for awhile. For me it is easy, for others it may not be. For Chris, who I believe started this thread, it sounds like he would be able to pick up an American accent since he's picked up others already.
Now, that said, I should mention that there are many different American dialects. I'm from Minnesota, one of those midwesterners they've been mentioning :) Let me tell you, I do at times have trouble understanding the accents of fellow Americans sometimes when on the phone. So picking up an "American" accent is, well, its difficult to pick just one.
I love this message board :)
I just wish people wouldn't be so hard on other cultures, putting them down and such, try not to be ethnocentric people.
Kevin,
you're right, between all the accents i know : australian, english, scotish, welsh, irish etc The irish one looks the closest.
If you think the german immigration was the biggest one in the U.S, why the german accent did not influence more the english?
Nice message Kelly, actually I' ve been pregressing in picking up some american accents, however I can tell there are so many, so I m chosing the ones I like, for example I dont like southern or too nasal accents, I like the accent from New Yorker or the standard accent better. When I watch a TV show or movie I find different accents so that makes me wonder..uhhmmm what accent am I learning?hehe, so you are right when you say its hard to pick up just one accent.
Thanks for the tips, thank YOU ALL for posting your messages you 've made this forum what it is, so keep sending your valuables opinions :) not only for me but for everyone who needs your help, bye
A friend,
Chris
Kelly, I hope you weren' thinking I was picking on or putting down Any ethnic background for I was not. I was trying to explain how it is here in New York. I very much have the feeling (more so here in the US than in Europe) that people in the rest of America tend to streotype New Yorkers as all sounding like their from Brooklyn! The prevelent citizenship of that wonderful borough are Italians and Jews. Their accent infulence is strong but not completely shared by everyone here. Infact I'd say that accent is LESS than how everyone else speaks. The fact of the matter is (and so sorry to sound harsh) that Italians have a "hard" pronunciation and Jewish people (NOT all) very often have a "whiney" sound (think Long Island Jewish woman...Fran Dresher). God bless all these people, I have not an unkind word to say about them but I am just trying to attempt to explain Metro-New York regional dialect.
Kevin-
Oh my goodness, No I wasn't talking about your comment at all :)
Nicolas, thanks for responding to my post. In regards to a German influence, I think perhaps that did happen although I believe the Germans "dispersed" more throughout the country than did the Irish. The Irish stayed on the eastern seaboard more, especially in New York and the Boston area. The Irish stayed more concentrated and the Germans thinned out. I have no idea which country immigrated more people but the accent of the Irish certainly stayed prevelent. Obviously the Germans...not so much. Actually as I think of it, maybe hints of a German "sound" may be heard in other areas of the USA but I haven't been around many parts to find that out.
Quote/// Gaurav
Kisi American ladki se shaadi karlo
///Quote
That is urdu for marry an american Girl....
BTW i watch american shows and i am born and raised in England, i have a perfect American accent, all the peeps in my school think i'm from there lol... I just play along...
This is true that only by living in English spoken environment you can't learn native accent & speaking style.For this purpose you 'll have to work alot & need more practise.But I would recommend instead of learning accent concentrate to improve other skills.speak english in your own style.
Is the letter "W" pronounced "doubleyou" in America but differently in Britain, Canada & in Australia and please I want to listen to it in the other accents & please I want you to give free sites for listening task and tests and also the sitea of dictionaries to the previous English accents & its pronunciation. Thanks
i just wanna say something about the shows:
On Friends the only one that has a truly New York accent is Joey, which i dont know why since David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston were both raised in New York.
Everybody Loves Raymond is another sitcom that takes place in NYC and is filmed in LA. All of them have New York accents except for Debra (maybe because the actress is from Ohio and the character is from Connecticut). Ray Romano and Brad Garret have Italian accents, and Doris Roberts (Marie)- Jewish.
I proudly state that 3 years ago I couldn't speak one word of English but today I am perceived by everybody here in Sydney as American
And to you all loosers I say the American accent is the coolest English accent you can ever come across. And to you all who don't like it I say turn green from jealousy, you just don't like it 'coz you can't do it.....loooooooooooosers!!!!!!!!