Why do Americans (from the U.S, anyway) always refer to "a" British Accent?

[Stark]

so if I spoke with a transatlantic accent, what would you guys think of me?

just curious

All the time, it would get old pretty quick (and tiring for you, I'd imagine!) but if you had a good one you could bring out at appropriate times, I love that shit.

 

[Mrrogers666]

There is no such thing as "a British accent". You realise when you say that you are encompassing three separate countries as well as literally hundreds of very different regional dialects, right. VERY different. So different that there are many other places in England alone where I almost cannot understand what people are saying.
It also seems to refer to what we'd call The Queens English accent, which extremely few people actually have. I guess because when Americans on TV play someone from here they always do that accent? Nobody talks like that! Apart from, annoyingly, English people in some movies :/

Not having a go, it just irks me.

 

[Jabberwocky]

@Mrrogers666
@ChemicallyEnhanced

By that logic there is no American accent either?

Do people from the UK/EU think all Americans talk with a western accent? or New York/midwestern/Wisconson-Minnesota accent/north eastern/southern/ebonics/mexican-american...etc accent?

People love to hate on Americans, and I understand why, but we're not all as uncultured/stupid/isolated as other countries think. I'm one of the few Americans that has traveled abroad especially in the EU.

I hate my country but also begrudgingly love it.

Don't judge the whole US based on the stupid uncultured ones (sadly probably the majority).

The UK has a lot of trash, too. Not trying to argue, just my observation. I've been there 5 times. The difference being the UK is in close proximity and has a lot of free/open transit to other cultures being in the EU union, unlike the US. We have Mexico (which is mostly unsafe to travel to if you're white)... and Canada which is just a better version of the US with colder weather.

 

[MsDiz]

Don't laugh at me 200 years later because I talk different then call your accent "british/irish/scottish" (which I honestly do... and I've been to the fucking UK 6 times!!).

Don’t lump Irish in with British please. Ireland is a separate country and went through hell (And still is in the north) to get the fuck away from the English.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Don’t lump Irish in with British please. Ireland is a separate country and went through hell (And still is in the north) to get the fuck away from the English.

I drink way too much, I honestly don't remember posting that. Blackout. Sorry....

also I loved Ireland, my favorite part of the UK. (not sucking up, true)

 

[MsDiz]

I drink way too much, I honestly don't remember posting that. Blackout. Sorry....

also I loved Ireland, my favorite part of the UK. (not sucking up, true)

Ireland isn’t part of the UK!! Lol Northern Ireland technically is but I’m hoping it won’t be for much longer. I wanna see a untied Ireland I my lifetime.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Why does the map on wikipedia say otherwise!?!??! I'm so confused! (no I didn't read the whole article)

I'm just a stupid American. I know about the "civil war" in the late 1990's if you want to call it that.
But I thought everything worked out.... but yeah I'm no genius. Every map of the UK contains the whole of Ireland (that I've seen).

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[matt<3ketamine]

There is no such thing as "a British accent". You realise when you say that you are encompassing three separate countries as well as literally hundreds of very different regional dialects, right. VERY different. So different that there are many other places in England alone where I almost cannot understand what people are saying.
It also seems to refer to what we'd call The Queens English accent, which extremely few people actually have. I guess because when Americans on TV play someone from here they always do that accent? Nobody talks like that! Apart from, annoyingly, English people in some movies :/

Not having a go, it just irks me.

4 separate countries you mean, I'm guessing you forgot us northern irish

 

[matt<3ketamine]

Why does the map on wikipedia say otherwise!?!??! I'm so confused! (no I didn't read the whole article)

I'm just a stupid American. I know about the "civil war" in the late 1990's if you want to call it that.
But I thought everything worked out.... but yeah I'm no genius. Every map of the UK contains the whole of Ireland (that I've seen).

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The maps mostly shown are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but most people, including English and Welsh people, forget we are part of their country

 

[matt<3ketamine]

IME Northern Irish men speahk in a flat intonation til t'end of te sentence? Where they raise te' pitch like eht's a question?

Itas wee bit mor lik iss, so it is, an it can b very easy to understand t'da pure norn irish accent, we get along sweet with Glasgow crowd, so we do, Glasgow is like talking after you've had a vallium with a dash of heroin, whilst northern irish is like a vallium and strong whiskey, so very similar

 

[matt<3ketamine]

Norn Irln accents sound quite different to Southern ones to my ear, though tbf I still hear the coarse tubthumping rhetoric of the late Ian Paisley echoing around in my empty head whenever I try thinking of the sound

I've had dinner with Ian pasley and his wife, very odd experience

 

[MsDiz]

Why does the map on wikipedia say otherwise!?!??! I'm so confused! (no I didn't read the whole article)

I'm just a stupid American. I know about the "civil war" in the late 1990's if you want to call it that.
But I thought everything worked out.... but yeah I'm no genius. Every map of the UK contains the whole of Ireland (that I've seen).

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ireland is not part of the UK only Northern Ireland. The 6 counties which belong back with the republic. It wasn’t a civil war in 1990s. The English invaded in the 12th century, Irish people had many uprisings, Ireland declared they were independent in 1937. The north however remains under British rule for now. It won’t for much longer. There is still very much sectarian division in the north. The worst bomb in the atrocities was carried out in 1998 which isn’t that long ago, 29 deaths not including 2 unborn twins. There are still lots of bomb scares and paramilitary activity. The UVF and IRA both opposing paramilitary groups are both known to be behind much of the drug trade in the north.

It’s a complicated situation and it’s hard for an American to understand I’m sure. It’s just pretty insulting to lump Ireland with the UK still when we fought so hard for independence.

 

[CFC]

I've had dinner with Ian pasley and his wife, very odd experience

Oh wow, I bet it was. Not trying to pry, but was there a special reason?

 

[CFC]

Ireland is not part of the UK only Northern Ireland. The 6 counties which belong back with the republic. It wasn’t a civil war in 1990s. The English invaded in the 12th century, Irish people had many uprisings, Ireland declared they were independent in 1937. The north however remains under British rule for now. It won’t for much longer. There is still very much sectarian division in the north. The worst bomb in the atrocities was carried out in 1998 which isn’t that long ago, 29 deaths not including 2 unborn twins. There are still lots of bomb scares and paramilitary activity. The UVF and IRA both opposing paramilitary groups are both known to be behind much of the drug trade in the north.

It’s a complicated situation and it’s hard for an American to understand I’m sure. It’s just pretty insulting to lump Ireland with the UK still when we fought so hard for independence.

It's interesting that even some Tories now seem to think that reuniting the Irish people and handing back the occupied territories is a good idea. Hopefully, especially with Brexit occurring, people in NI will begin to understand just how little English politicians in Westminster really care about them or their history in any way at all.

 

[Shady's Fox]

Same reason, why I AM QUITE AT WAR WITH this accentah..

It has a H, this this is something that I've always asked myself but no one quite answered, I actually asked a librarian and travel agencies but they just say ''That's how they were born''

 

[MsDiz]

It's interesting that even some Tories now seem to think that reuniting the Irish people and handing back the occupied territories is a good idea. Hopefully, especially with Brexit occurring, people in NI will begin to understand just how little English politicians in Westminster really care about them or their history in any way at all.

They never wanted the north, it’s a total bother to them and costs them too much money. They’d drop it like a stone if they could. The only reason they cared recently was because the super backward DUP was helping make up the numbers in parliament and they needed them.

English politicians know next to nothing about the north or Ireland even recently some of the statements made show a shocking lack of insight as to what’s happened there or happening now even.

Brexit is moving us closer to a United Ireland.

 

[matt<3ketamine]

Oh wow, I bet it was. Not trying to pry, but was there a special reason?

It was over in France and it was for the first of July, that's all I'll say else I make it obvious who family is

They never wanted the north, it’s a total bother to them and costs them too much money. They’d drop it like a stone if they could. The only reason they cared recently was because the super backward DUP was helping make up the numbers in parliament and they needed them.

English politicians know next to nothing about the north or Ireland even recently some of the statements made show a shocking lack of insight as to what’s happened there or happening now even.

Brexit is moving us closer to a United Ireland.

There was an English woman who was put in charge of something in our government and she had no idea about our past, because nothing spells success like putting someone who doesn't know about a volatile country's history in charge of said country
I'm split on the whole united ireland thing, I want the 2 countries to come together but I don't want to lose the nhs

 

[CFC]

I don't want to lose the nhs

Yeah, this comes up a lot in NI. I wonder if it might push the South to do the right thing and sort out their healthcare system?

 

[matt<3ketamine]

Very much doubt it would, too much money and hassle to reorganise it

 

[MsDiz]

I know it’s hard thing to lose the NHS but let’s be honest here. It has gone down so fucking much. You could wait 3 years for a rheumatologist appointment. If you have a disability we have a medical card down south so you don’t pay for the dr or anything. Plus insurance covers what’s necessary if you’re not disabled.

Very much doubt it would, too much money and hassle to reorganise it