Hey British guys, I love this accent!!!

<<Thank goodness they changed their name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha....what a mouthful.>>

Not as much as if the Duke of Edinburgh hadn't changed his name also and they had done what many posh families do and had a double-barrelled name, then Charles would be Charles Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg............try having a name like that and trying to convince people that you're not German!

<<Sure was interesting, Kirk. I enjoyed it. Yes, strangulated, but then again she came across as intelligent and precise unlike some other world leader, who shall remain unnamed.>>

Glad you liked the clip :) For some reason I haven't been able to find any good audio clips of more recent speeches she's done; I'd like to compare her accent and how it's changed. Anyone know of any good sites?

Question: Why does she use that 'r' pronunciation in "very" and "there are"? I thought that was a crappy feature of Spanish and Italian speakers.
Is it that she copied that from Scottish accents? how and why?

<<Question: Why does she use that 'r' pronunciation in "very" and "there are"? I thought that was a crappy feature of Spanish and Italian speakers.
Is it that she copied that from Scottish accents? how and why?>>

That used to be a feature of standard British English as well, but long ago the current kind of Southern British /r/ began gaining influence to the point that the tapped version heard in varieties like Scottish English is now the exception to the overall picture of English.

Who else thinks Roddy McDowell's voice (especially as Cornelius) is the COOLEST ever?

Hi guys,
I am an American and I admire British accent. In fact I'd love to meet British guys in their late forties. There is something on the accent that is very appealing. I was in London last August on a business trip and I met a guy, he was very nice, the problem is he is very reserved. Is that the characteristic of a British guys? Educate me... Stop discussing the accent. British accent is most admired here in the US. My girlfriends and I wants to meet a nice British guys. ARE YOU OUT THERE? PLS. REPLY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED???

I have a questions... the word "cuppa" means cup of tea....what part of Great Britain is mostly used. Is Van Morrisson from Ireland?? He used the word Feelaa...what is this mean??? please educate us...thank you...

****British accent is most admired here in the US****

Nora:

....if you say so then we believe you...but WHICH British accent? Take your pick....there are loads of them. I wish you Americans who feel this way about British accents would just admit that it's the standard English of Southern England RP (Received Pronunciation) accent with which you are having this supposed love affair.

Somehow I can't imagine you feeling too enamoured of broad Glasgow or Scouse (Liverpool) or Brummie (Birmingham)...or Sahf Landun (South London) .... but who knows.....they may enthral you but I wouldn't place any dosh on it. But you've been here (well, to England anyway) so you obviously know what you're talking about.

Cuppa is a cup of tea and as far as I know it's used mainly in England (I don't know about Wales). A cuppa up in these parts (Scotland) is a tassie. Goes well with an authentic scone...the Scottish ones and not the Devon variety.

That guy you met in London.....British guys generally are reserved, certainly in comparison with Americans. Once extricated from the (erm....fairly thin) shell......no turning back.....just takes a wee bit of time.

Van Morrison was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland (I know nothing of the bloke and just checked him out for you).

http://www.vanmorrison.co.uk

<<****British accent is most admired here in the US****

Nora:

....if you say so then we believe you...but WHICH British accent? Take your pick....there are loads of them. I wish you Americans who feel this way about British accents would just admit that it's the standard English of Southern England RP (Received Pronunciation) accent with which you are having this supposed love affair. >>

You're probably right, although I'm hardly adverse to the Scots and the Irish and Welch, they represent some of the sexiest men in American movies.

<<....if you say so then we believe you...but WHICH British accent? Take your pick....there are loads of them. I wish you Americans who feel this way about British accents would just admit that it's the standard English of Southern England RP (Received Pronunciation) accent with which you are having this supposed love affair.

Somehow I can't imagine you feeling too enamoured of broad Glasgow or Scouse (Liverpool) or Brummie (Birmingham)...or Sahf Landun (South London) .... but who knows.....they may enthral you but I wouldn't place any dosh on it. But you've been here (well, to England anyway) so you obviously know what you're talking about. >>

Damian, it's not like we can tell the difference! ;P

No, I CAN tell that they sound somewhat different, but as for placing them, forget it. Ain't happenin'. Nor do we associate the same social attributes to your various accents that you do --- to us, a Brit is a Brit is a Brit; you're all equal in our eyes. (I'm sure you're appalled, now!)

And I'm sure you have a winning way of talking, Damian -- it's not just the RPers we like!

(But you're right, most of us think "English" when we think of "British" ... well, not ME of course, 'cause I'm special ... and I've been hanging around you and Candy and Rick for FAR too long now....)

I'm glad we have some sort of influence on you from this side of the Puddle, Uriel! In no time at all we'll have you chattering away in pure Blightyspeak...in one of it's many forms anyway. Which one exactly would be up to you entirely!

btw: I agree......you are indisputably special.

<<Damian, it's not like we can tell the difference! >>

Are you serious, Uriel? I can tell the difference between the English and the Irish and the English and the Scots but I have trouble distinguishing between the Scottish and Irish accents. They sound very similar to me. I don't know anything about Damian's "Scouses" and "Brummies" but they sure don't sound appealing.:)

<<.....they may enthral you but I wouldn't place any dosh on it. >>

If suspect I wouldn't place any "dosh" on it either.

I'm guessing a Scouse might have a cockney accent. Not the sexiest accent on the planet.:)

<<I'm guessing a Scouse might have a cockney accent.>>

Psst...Cockney is London, Scouse is Liverpool. ;-)

<<Psst...Cockney is London, Scouse is Liverpool. ;-) >>

Thanks for pulling my coat, Lazar.:) BTW, do they sound anything alike, do you know?

Yes, I get the Irish-Scots thing all the time. "What's the difference?" they say. Only the Irish sea I guess...
Don't worry, 'Brits' have a hard time distinguishing Texas and Kentucky accents as well as Massachusetts and New York too and can be quite ignorant also. But there is less of a difference in those...
My fiance is a New Yorker, but doesn't have the strong accent because she grew up on Governor's Island so she was isolated from it. She does think that the best accent is the Southeastern accent as Nora mentioned, but that's probably because it has been popularised by TV over here in the USA. And besides, they can't understand anyone else! It's the same with British people I've found prefer the California accent typically, or the New York accent because of Hollywood and think that the Southern accent sounds stupid.