I have Questions for Americans!!!
1. Which area's accent is closest to Standard American accent a.k.a general American accent?
I heard it's somewhere in Midwestern area, is that correct?
2. Which state reflects the most typical American life and culture?
I also heard it's somewhere in Midwestern states such as Illinois or Indiana, is that right?
I would like to learn the most standard and typical accent and culture of USA.
I travel a lot, and I hear a lot of comments about my accent, or rather, the absence thereof. People have told me that I have "no accent", and that I speak what would be referred to as "standard American."
I grew up in rural Missouri.
2. Which state reflects the most typical American life and culture?
I also heard it's somewhere in Midwestern states such as Illinois or Indiana, is that right?
I would like to learn the most standard and typical accent and culture of USA
No, you are wrong. The West Coast reflects the average American accent.
There are two Skippys? That's gonna get confusing...
I find what they speak in the western states (Arizona, Colorado, etc.) to be the closest to Standard American...
But I do think Southern is the sexiest...Not the non-rhotic east coast, but middle class Texas twang...
People from Boston tend to think they have no accent. Midwesterners know that Bostonians have quite strong accents. Midwesterners tend to think they speak "General American". Californians know that Midwesterners have quite strong accents. Californians think they have no accent. Other Westerners think Californians have accents. Other Westerners think that they have no accent. I think I have no accent. So do most people. "Cot" and "caught" sound like the same word to me. "When" and "win" sound the same as well. So do "windy" and "Wendy". However "Pin" and "pen" sound quite different. I pronounce "get" like "git'; shopping like shoppeen. Bag, vague, and beg, as well as bay and bang have the same vowel. "Culture", "hull", and "cult" have 3 different vowels. But even with all that, most don't think I have an accent. But as you can see, I would hesitate to say what I speak is "Standard American".
>> I would like to learn the most standard and typical accent and culture of USA. <<
The most typical accent and culture is that of the Pacific Northwest.
I think not only does the Pacific Northwest has a neutral accent I also think areas of Florida south of Gainesville with the exception of Miami has a very neutral accent. Some people have to realize that the U.S is so vast that a person like me (I live in destin, Florida) if I were to go to areas such as California and the Northeast it would seem like another world to me. The culture in those regions are very different. The stores and restaurants are different. I remember when I went to California and someone i new wanted to go to eat either to Jack in the Box or El Pollo Loco one day and I was like what? I had never heard of any of those restaurants before. I thought Jack in the Box was a make believe restaurant that Hollywood movies use kind of like how all telephone numbers in hollywood movies always begin with 555. Many Floridians who have never gone out of the state probably never been to restaurants like Jack in the Box because they simply don't exist here.
The most beautiful example of American culture can be found at 317 Broadway, New York, New York where there stands a great big McDonalds restaurant.
I would have said NEW YORK because it represents the IDEAL American culture/etc, but the New York accent is not representative of "Standard American."
Californian culture is more representative of American culture, and so is the Californian accent.
BAD FORUM GO TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE FORUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>> Californian culture is more representative of American culture <<
Really? I do believe Californian culture is very different than that of say, Idaho culture, or New York culture, or Kansas culture. How can California represent the whole country?
>> so is the Californian accent. <<
California has the California vowel shift. Therefore it is hardly neutral. Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico all have the same accent as California minus the vowel shift.
California culture is different from Idaho culture and Kansas culture, but it is more representative because that's what people think of when they think of America.
And so what if we have the vowel shift?! That doesn't mean that we aren't neutral. We just don't differentiate between words that should sound the same O=)
>> California culture is different from Idaho culture and Kansas culture, but it is more representative because that's what people think of when they think of America. <<
Really? When I think of the terms "Americana" and "All-American" I think of the culture of the Midwest or the heartland.
California culture...celebrities, the beach, reach people, "magically tan all year round fake blondes with even faker boobs".....yea that does NOT represent America. You cant really summarize America...the North is extremely different from the south...but then one neighborhood is completely different from the next. Its almost like travelling to different countries when you go from one state, city, neighborhood to the next. But the real "standard" accent is the midwestern one because they dont have an accent. If you think America is California, you are sadly mistaken, even California is not all glits and glamour, they have lots of ghettos lol