{"id":1032,"date":"2017-05-27T01:08:15","date_gmt":"2017-05-27T08:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/transitophile.com\/chango\/?p=1032"},"modified":"2019-07-09T10:08:44","modified_gmt":"2019-07-09T08:08:44","slug":"explaining-the-american-accent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/transitophile.com\/chango\/explaining-the-american-accent\/","title":{"rendered":"Explaining the American Accent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Europeans often recognize Yankee tourists for a trait that we Yanks often don’t know we possess: our American accents. I have one. Nearly everyone I knew in the U.S. — in high school, kollidge, beyond — had one.<\/p>\n

But, many Americans don’t know they’ve got ’em. Regional accents exist, sure: Southern, New England, New York City. But mainstream U.S.? Come on! Readers in much of the U.S. already may regard this post with skepticism, like a literary IPO for shares in the Brooklyn Bridge.<\/p>\n

If so, I’m sympathetic. I spent most of my life in the isolated U.S.: the world’s third largest country by area<\/a>, bordered by the second largest. Seventy percent of my fellow citizens are passport-less<\/a>; for many of my adult years, so was I.<\/p>\n

I get it. I’ve been there. I’m on your side.<\/p>\n

For lifelong Americans with similar backgrounds, please permit the following sideways sidle into an explanation:<\/p>\n

* * * * *<\/p>\n

Like you, I understand the sentiment that English is only properly spoken in the United States.<\/p>\n

English may have evolved in Britain in millennia past, but has become corrupted and debased there since, perhaps owing to the notorious perversity<\/a> of the isle’s menfolk. Shakespeare would roll despairing eyes at the tortured syllabification of a Richard Quest, would nod with relief while listening to an A-list American celeb like Dustin Diamond, Aubrey O’Day, Omarosa Manigault. This<\/u> is English, the Bard would think, and book a one-way flight.<\/p>\n

Hold that thought.<\/p>\n

Some of you have long secretly believed something like this, although you’re now understandably wary of me for stating the notion in such bold terms. Fine. No argument. I stand with pacifistically outstretched arms, a peaceful emissary.<\/p>\n

Now:<\/p>\n

Imagine yourself in the hub of a faraway European city with many international visitors. Most passersby speak in the native tongue, but you hear much English, too: in tones that mark the speaker as German, Australian, Indian, British. And in this global crossroads of a place, you also occasionally hear English spoken as God intended it to be spoken: purely, correctly, without discernible accent. Perhaps by a visiting American.<\/p>\n

With me so far? We’re almost there.<\/p>\n

The English spoken ‘purely, correctly, without discernible accent’ is recognized worldwide as an American accent.<\/p>\n

Really!<\/strong> I mean it!<\/p>\n

Continue your stroll about this global crossroads. Pass other English-speaking pedestrians. When you next hear the mother tongue spoken ‘purely, correctly,’ consider interrupting the speaker with a sociable question:<\/p>\n

“What brings you here from the States?”<\/p>\n

Expect to be answered, not corrected. I have erred only once, when posing similar questions in Madrid; the misidentified accent belonged to a Montreal-raised Canadian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Europeans often recognize Yankee tourists for a trait that we Yanks often don’t know we possess: our American accents. I have one. Nearly everyone I knew in the U.S. — in high school, kollidge, beyond — had one. But, many Americans don’t know they’ve got ’em. Regional accents exist, sure: Southern, New England, New York… <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nExplaining the American Accent - Tim Adams<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Recognizing your American accent, and distinguishing it from others.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/transitophile.com\/chango\/explaining-the-american-accent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Explaining the American Accent - Tim Adams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recognizing your American accent, and distinguishing it from others.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/transitophile.com\/chango\/explaining-the-american-accent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tim Adams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-05-27T08:08:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-07-09T08:08:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tim Adams\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tim Adams\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/transitophile.com\\\/chango\\\/explaining-the-american-accent\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/transitophile.com\\\/chango\\\/explaining-the-american-accent\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tim Adams\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/transitophile.com\\\/chango\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ad8751e401bdc8efc601320ef9b03a30\"},\"headline\":\"Explaining the American Accent\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-05-27T08:08:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-09T08:08:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/transitophile.com\\\/chango\\\/explaining-the-american-accent\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":454,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/transitophile.com\\\/chango\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ad8751e401bdc8efc601320ef9b03a30\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/transitophile.com\\\/chango\\\/explaining-the-american-accent\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/transitophile.com\\\/chango\\\/explaining-the-american-accent\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/transitophile.com\\\/chango\\\/explaining-the-american-accent\\\/\",\"name\":\"Explaining the American Accent - 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