Accent perceptions

Josh Lalonde   Fri Apr 20, 2007 10:06 pm GMT
This is mostly for non-rhotic speakers (ie. English, Australian, New Zealand, etc.). I assume rhotic accents sound foreign for you (just as non-rhotic ones do for me), but do non-rhotic Americans sound less foreign? I've noticed for example that Irish or West Country speakers generally sound less foreign to me than RP or other non-rhotic accents.
Andy   Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:31 pm GMT
Aussies, Kiwis and Americans (gawd bless 'em) all sound foreign to my English ears. I'm tired and I've been to the pub so I don't really follow the question. Aren't Americans rhotic? If so who/what's a non-rhotic american?. Some of the people in Frasier sound slightly more englishy than most Americans I hear on the TV. Does that help? (probably not).
'laters Josh
Sarcastic Northwesterner   Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:52 pm GMT
>> Some of the people in Frasier sound slightly more englishy than most Americans I hear on the TV. <<

Well, that's true. Frasier certainly doesn't sound like a Westerner, that's for sure. He's from Boston, right?
Guest   Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:00 am GMT
>> do non-rhotic Americans sound less foreign? <<

Nope not at all. One feature doesn't change much. Maybe because this feature is taken for granted by nonrhotic speakers so it is transparent in the big picture.
Lazar   Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:01 am GMT
Well, the character was supposed to be from Boston, but Kelsey Grammer grew up in the Virgin Islands and New Jersey, and there isn't anything distinctively Bostonian about his accent. Phonologically, his speech seems basically General American. I've heard his speech (or at least, Frasier's speech) described as a kind of American RP, but I think it's really just his manner of speaking that's distinctive.