Which accent is more similar to that of the old English?

Yikuang   Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:00 am GMT
Hi everyone,

I'm from China. A question appears in my head from time to time, it isn't one that needs to be worried though. However, I'm interested in it. Since British and American accents are mainstreams of present-day English ones, I am concerned with these two for the moment.

I wonder which one is more similar to the old English? Does the British accent is nearer to the old English? Or the American one? Does the American accent originate from the British one and evolve over time into the present one? Or else, the American accent remains more or less the same as the old English accent, while the British accent has changed?

To make the quesiton specifit. In the course of evolution, do the American add the 'r' pronunciation in words like 'car'? or do the British omit the 'r' pronunciaiton? Why there is difference between the American pronunciation and the Briitsh one in pronoucing words such as past, bath, last, when an American person always pronouces the vowel like in 'cat'?

I would be grateful to anyone who gives me a brief talk about it.
Guest   Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:47 am GMT
This Video on How to speak Pirate may help you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA2Eps1zOF8
Go to   Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:17 am GMT