Did the British used to have American accents?

In all reality, the standard British accent was the one that changed significantly in the last two centuries while the American accent stayed more or less the same. During the American Revolution, the English language started to change in Britain. A new wealthy sector emerged during the industrial revolution.

Which American accent is closest to British?

The Mid-Atlantic accent, or Transatlantic accent, is an accent of English, fashionably used by the early 20th-century American upper class and entertainment industry, which blended together features regarded as the most prestigious from both American and British English (specifically Received Pronunciation).

Where is the American accent most attractive?

In fact, this finding is arguably backed by a recent YouGov survey that named southern coastal accents as most attractive (according to almost one in five, or 18%, of respondents), closely followed by Texans, which were dubbed most attractive by 12% of respondents.

Why does the UK have more accents than the US?

Dialects and accents developed historically when groups of language users lived in relative isolation, without regular contact with other people using the same language. This was more pronounced in the past due to the lack of fast transport and mass media.

Why did America lose British accent?

In America the spread of industrialization shifted the power centers to the Midwest, which was largely settled by people of Scot-Irish heritage who still pronounced “r” as “r.” So, Received Pronunciation faded and General American became the standard.

How did America lose the British accent?

The first is isolation; early colonists had only sporadic contact with the mother country. The second is exposure to other languages, and the colonists came into contact with Native American languages, mariners’ Indian English pidgin and other settlers, who spoke Dutch, Swedish, French and Spanish.

What state has the thickest accent?

According to Americans, the place in the US with the strongest accent is Boston, with 23% of people choosing this response. Another 16% say the Southern coast has the strongest regional accent, while New York and Texas were tied, with 13% saying these states had the strongest accents.

Which country has most accents?

the United Kingdom
For example, the United Kingdom has the largest variation of accents of any country, meaning that there is no single ‘British accent’.

Can you have Indian accent?

The truth is: there is no Indian English accent. It’s shaped by the vernacular we speak and the vernaculars we speak are many. Guwahati onwards, into the NE, they have a beautiful way of softening the ‘r’. Malayalam and Tamil will shape your English vowels in their own manner, so will Bangla.