CringeFest 7: I don't have an accent

Guest   Sun Jun 01, 2008 12:22 pm GMT
Doesn't it make you cringe when people claim they don't have an accent! What is the reason for this common misconception, that they don't have an accent? It just makes me want to die?
Barmy   Sun Jun 01, 2008 12:32 pm GMT
Those are some pretty strong emotions over something so trivial. I think most people, like myself, who claim not to have much of an accent, mean that they sound like everyone else FROM THEIR AREA. I'm sure if I were to travel to Britain or France or another foreign country, I would have quite a strong accent.
Guest   Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:30 pm GMT
The only two cities in the US with no accent: Indianapolis and Columbus.
(Their neutral accent: Midwestern/newscasters' accent)
Barmy   Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:37 pm GMT
*shrugs* I guess that's your opinion, but have you ever been to Kansas City? I've been to Indianapolis, and they sound exactly the same as we do here in KC.
Skippy   Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:08 pm GMT
Indianapolis and Columbus speakers have accents... A language is made up of accents, but if you're claiming their speech is most similar to SAE then I'd probably disagree... I'd say cities in the Mountain West or Southwest exhibit a more standardized dialect... Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix... Even El Paso (younger people).
Rilian   Mon Jun 02, 2008 1:25 am GMT
I've heard it said that people from Omaha Nebraska do not have accents, but I heard one speak and he sounded weird.
Quidsane   Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:19 am GMT
Phoenix has no accent...
Jasper   Mon Jun 23, 2008 6:33 pm GMT
<<The only two cities in the US with no accent: Indianapolis and Columbus.
(Their neutral accent: Midwestern/newscasters' accent)>>

This is perhaps the most widely held misconception in the Midwest today. People from those areas speak in a dialect known as the Great Lakes dialect, characterized by vowel raising that tends to be perceived as nasal by non-speakers.

If someone from those areas relocates to Western states, their accents are noted almost immediately.
Guest   Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:01 pm GMT
Why is it only Americans or Canadians who [wrongly] insist that they have no accent? You will never hear a Brit or an Aussie say that.

IDIOTS OF THE WORLD, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT EVERY SINGLE FUCKING PERSON ON EARTH HAS AN ACCENT OF SOME SORT.
Guest   Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:24 pm GMT
Idiots speak all sort of languages, there are also Spanish people who claim they don't speak Spanish with an accent. You just cannot speak a world language without an accent, that may be half true for some minuscule country in central Europe with only one accent, but not for English, French or Portuguese.
Guest   Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:20 pm GMT
Actually, I hear Australians claim this even more than Americans do it!
Guest   Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:22 pm GMT
The Queen has no accent. Her English is inspired by God.
Genetd   Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:24 am GMT
Ok. Hey so dig it out, I'm talking in American English with NO Foreigner ACCENT. So it's totally freaking possible to talk with out the accent even in another language that's a different from your own language of your own country. And I'm even translating for the other people I know from English to our language and I'm sometimes talking in the patois of the regions and the oppressed parts of the US if I have to. This is especially happens when I'm listening to the songs from the US. I dig it to listen to the American Black music and the poor rural American Country in Western musics too and I'm talking with the downhome sound like in the Georgia or such. Uncounsiously I'm doing a shadow of the Travis Tritt talking like when I say, "Win we was little keeids, we was reeel poor and we was all saleepin' ee-in jest one little room and such for the working of mah daddy was not to bring us much moneys ya'll know?" But I think not all of the people can do that advance talking with the various accents and be as totally freaking accurate as I can.
Brian   Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:32 am GMT
<<Ok. Hey so dig it out, I'm talking in American English with NO Foreigner ACCENT. So it's totally freaking possible to talk with out the accent even in another language that's a different from your own language of your own country. And I'm even translating for the other people I know from English to our language and I'm sometimes talking in the patois of the regions and the oppressed parts of the US if I have to. This is especially happens when I'm listening to the songs from the US. I dig it to listen to the American Black music and the poor rural American Country in Western musics too and I'm talking with the downhome sound like in the Georgia or such. Uncounsiously I'm doing a shadow of the Travis Tritt talking like when I say, "Win we was little keeids, we was reeel poor and we was all saleepin' ee-in jest one little room and such for the working of mah daddy was not to bring us much moneys ya'll know?" But I think not all of the people can do that advance talking with the various accents and be as totally freaking accurate as I can. >>

Your English is full of mistakes. If you can't even write in English like a native, then I do not believe for a millisecond that you speak it with NO foreign accent.
Guest   Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:45 am GMT
Brian , could you cite his mistakes please? I want to learn.