Thursday, February 03, 2005, 23:45 GMT
New York Accent
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 14:56 GMT
I don't believe taht NY accent is any close to Italian accent.
I would say that these Italian American actors who have so-called Italian ccent have rather a different tone in their speech, than accent.
True Italian is very different than what some people call here in the USA Italian accent. Here, that accent is fake I always can tell the difference.
I would say that these Italian American actors who have so-called Italian ccent have rather a different tone in their speech, than accent.
True Italian is very different than what some people call here in the USA Italian accent. Here, that accent is fake I always can tell the difference.
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 15:19 GMT
I don't believe taht NY accent is any close to Italian accent.
I would say that these Italian American actors who have so-called Italian ccent have rather a different tone in their speech, than accent.
True Italian is very different than what some people call here in the USA Italian accent. Here, that accent is fake I always can tell the difference.
I would say that these Italian American actors who have so-called Italian ccent have rather a different tone in their speech, than accent.
True Italian is very different than what some people call here in the USA Italian accent. Here, that accent is fake I always can tell the difference.
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 16:35 GMT
New York accent.....maybe confusing to British people visitng the place, but as I have never been there I wouldn't know.
All I know from visiting a website a friend told me about the other day when discussing trans-Atlantic "language" problems, is that many British people who have lived in the United States for a long time still encounter comprehension difficulties over there resulting from their (varied) British accents. Sometimes they have to resort to some form of artificial "Americanisation" in order to try and get themselves understood when speaking their NATIVE language, even though thay have no intention whatsoever of losing their British accents, however long they resisde over there.
Check out:
http://www.britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=282004=1&pp=15
Quite an eye-opener.
We were discussing this in a small group and one of the guys said that many Americans (maybe an overwhelming majority?) are completely unused to hearing accents other than general American (or their own local variety) so it sort of throws them when "aliens" come on the scene! ;-)
I have seen and heard many American tourists here in the UK (especially here in Edinburgh) and have been stopped and asked directions or just chatted causually. I never had any difficulty understanding them but more than once I got an "excuse me?" and had to rephrase my responses almost monosyllabically and at a very slow pace and try to Anglicise my accent.
All I know from visiting a website a friend told me about the other day when discussing trans-Atlantic "language" problems, is that many British people who have lived in the United States for a long time still encounter comprehension difficulties over there resulting from their (varied) British accents. Sometimes they have to resort to some form of artificial "Americanisation" in order to try and get themselves understood when speaking their NATIVE language, even though thay have no intention whatsoever of losing their British accents, however long they resisde over there.
Check out:
http://www.britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=282004=1&pp=15
Quite an eye-opener.
We were discussing this in a small group and one of the guys said that many Americans (maybe an overwhelming majority?) are completely unused to hearing accents other than general American (or their own local variety) so it sort of throws them when "aliens" come on the scene! ;-)
I have seen and heard many American tourists here in the UK (especially here in Edinburgh) and have been stopped and asked directions or just chatted causually. I never had any difficulty understanding them but more than once I got an "excuse me?" and had to rephrase my responses almost monosyllabically and at a very slow pace and try to Anglicise my accent.
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 16:53 GMT
You guys get American movies and TV shows over there. Americans don't get a lot of that stuff from the UK, Australia, or New Zealand. So it doesn't surprise me that Americans may have a difficult time understanding other accents, while you guys understand GAE without too much difficulty.
mjd 
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 17:56 GMT
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 17:56 GMT
While they get more exposure to American accents in the UK and Australia, there is enough exposure here for it not to be a significant problem.
We hear British accents all the time in commercials, movies, etc. Craig Ferguson, a Scotsman, is CBS' new late-night man.
We hear British accents all the time in commercials, movies, etc. Craig Ferguson, a Scotsman, is CBS' new late-night man.
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 19:10 GMT
I have thought more about this and I talked on the phone with the friend I mentioned (we are meeting up tomorrow Sunday as it happens). He told me that it really depends where in the USA you visit as a tourist, or live if you are a Brit resident (temp or perm) over there. Centres like NYC or Washington or New England generally are much more used to British accents so I guess the problem is not so acute in those areas, especially as so many Brits visit the USA. Maybe not so British people many visit rural Arkansas or Nebraska for instance on holiday, but they DO go and live in such areas, as you can see from the link. I guess that's where and when all the misunderstanding fun occurs! ;-)
It is a bit unfair I guess to make this some sort of American "problem"...believe me, guys, people within the UK have similar problems understanding speech from other areas....like a Londoner trying to converse with a guy from Glasgow! (especially if the latter is a wee bit bevvied!) I have felt stupid trying to decode a convo I had with a Geordie when I went to Newcastle for my first uni interview in 2000. I ended up at Leeds (my prefered location as it turned out), where the local broad Yorkshire was almost as much of a challenge. I had to get used to all new local terms of endearment!
It is a bit unfair I guess to make this some sort of American "problem"...believe me, guys, people within the UK have similar problems understanding speech from other areas....like a Londoner trying to converse with a guy from Glasgow! (especially if the latter is a wee bit bevvied!) I have felt stupid trying to decode a convo I had with a Geordie when I went to Newcastle for my first uni interview in 2000. I ended up at Leeds (my prefered location as it turned out), where the local broad Yorkshire was almost as much of a challenge. I had to get used to all new local terms of endearment!
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 19:13 GMT
<<Maybe not so British people many visit>>
I threw the words up in the air and they didn't come down in the right order...sorry...... "Maybe not so many British people visit......"
I threw the words up in the air and they didn't come down in the right order...sorry...... "Maybe not so many British people visit......"
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 20:01 GMT
My grandpa's from Brooklyn, but he moved to California a really long time ago. In the 40's I think. He definitely still has an accent though. A few pages back I saw someone say that New Yorkers say /ahrange/ for "orange", and that's really funny because that's exactly the way he pronounces it!
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 21:52 GMT
New Yookas dont know notin bout no talking. Thems canut speeek fur uh shiet. Dame tem ter new yookas.
Saturday, February 05, 2005, 22:26 GMT
MJD wrote: "We {Americans} hear British accents all the time in commercials, movies, etc. Craig Ferguson, a Scotsman, is CBS' new late-night man."
This is true. In fact, I've heard that both linguistic and marketing analysis surveys show that Americans find British accents pleasant and actually respond to an advertisement with them better than they do to American accents. Whether this is just a passing phenomenon or something that's going to be around for a long time is hard to tell.
My reply to David is that even if you don't grow up speaking a certain accent it is possible for just about anybody to be able to mimic one. I've heard Jeff Fenholt (who played Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar")do an excellent British accent even though he grew up in Ohio. You do have to listen to people who speak with that accent though. If you don't live in New York or know any New Yorkers, then try to listen to broadcasters from there (who are quite numerous) on radio and television. Watch films and movies too. Broderick Crawford of the 1950's "Highway Patrol" series had a classic New York accent." Keep in mind that the New York 'r' sound as in rhaw-buh (robber) and (bawll pawrhk (ball park) is a velo-palatal r which sounds almost like an l. It is a very rare linguistic phenomenon found elsewhere, I understand, only in two Polish dialects and several South American Indian languages. There are also velo-palatal sounds in Latvian and Eskimo (Inuit) which are closely related.
This is true. In fact, I've heard that both linguistic and marketing analysis surveys show that Americans find British accents pleasant and actually respond to an advertisement with them better than they do to American accents. Whether this is just a passing phenomenon or something that's going to be around for a long time is hard to tell.
My reply to David is that even if you don't grow up speaking a certain accent it is possible for just about anybody to be able to mimic one. I've heard Jeff Fenholt (who played Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar")do an excellent British accent even though he grew up in Ohio. You do have to listen to people who speak with that accent though. If you don't live in New York or know any New Yorkers, then try to listen to broadcasters from there (who are quite numerous) on radio and television. Watch films and movies too. Broderick Crawford of the 1950's "Highway Patrol" series had a classic New York accent." Keep in mind that the New York 'r' sound as in rhaw-buh (robber) and (bawll pawrhk (ball park) is a velo-palatal r which sounds almost like an l. It is a very rare linguistic phenomenon found elsewhere, I understand, only in two Polish dialects and several South American Indian languages. There are also velo-palatal sounds in Latvian and Eskimo (Inuit) which are closely related.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005, 17:12 GMT
HOw is a velo palatal R produced?
Wednesday, February 09, 2005, 23:16 GMT
Dean,
The linguistic literature that I've read indicates that velar r's exist in both Cockney and New York English but the Cockney r is just a little different from the New York one that lnguists classify them as a separate phonemes. Their sound approaches the sound of the consonant l. I think that the best way to find out how they are pronounced is to listen to them and then try to mimic them. Certainly, the tongue is positioned differently when pronouncing velar r's than standard American English gritty-sounding r. In fact the tongue seems to be pulled down instead of curled upward. But then again, I am not a professional linguist just a hobbyist in this area.
The linguistic literature that I've read indicates that velar r's exist in both Cockney and New York English but the Cockney r is just a little different from the New York one that lnguists classify them as a separate phonemes. Their sound approaches the sound of the consonant l. I think that the best way to find out how they are pronounced is to listen to them and then try to mimic them. Certainly, the tongue is positioned differently when pronouncing velar r's than standard American English gritty-sounding r. In fact the tongue seems to be pulled down instead of curled upward. But then again, I am not a professional linguist just a hobbyist in this area.
Thursday, February 10, 2005, 18:11 GMT
"In fact, I've heard that both linguistic and marketing analysis surveys show that Americans find British accents pleasant and actually respond to an advertisement with them better than they do to American accents. Whether this is just a passing phenomenon or something that's going to be around for a long time is hard to tell."
I'd agree with that: when I was in high school (late '90s) in a Dallas suburb, I knew this British girl who lived there, and she said that the Godiva Choclatier at the local mall wanted her to work there because her accent sounded "prestigious."
"Hey, I really need help. I'm in the theatre production where I'm supposed to use a New York accent. I've never used one before, and I can't figure out how. Do any of you know its "rules"? "
Sure, I wrote a whole page on it. It may not be the "last word" on the subject but at the very least it will help you navigate things like the short-a's. Go to http://students.csci.unt.edu/~kun and look down the side menu.
I'd agree with that: when I was in high school (late '90s) in a Dallas suburb, I knew this British girl who lived there, and she said that the Godiva Choclatier at the local mall wanted her to work there because her accent sounded "prestigious."
"Hey, I really need help. I'm in the theatre production where I'm supposed to use a New York accent. I've never used one before, and I can't figure out how. Do any of you know its "rules"? "
Sure, I wrote a whole page on it. It may not be the "last word" on the subject but at the very least it will help you navigate things like the short-a's. Go to http://students.csci.unt.edu/~kun and look down the side menu.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005, 02:06 GMT
Hi. I wanna say that I love the sound of the New York accent, and I want to know where I can learn to speak in a New York accent, or even just fake it. Can you help me out?