Where does the generic American accent come from?
Though General American accents are not commonly perceived as associated with any region, their sound system does have traceable regional origins: specifically, the English of the non-coastal Northeastern United States in the very early twentieth century.
How did the American accent develop?
The “American English” we know and use today in an American accent first started out as an “England English” accent. According to a linguist at the Smithsonian, Americans began putting their own spin on English pronunciations just one generation after the colonists started arriving in the New World.
How did the American Southern accent develop?
The Southern Drawl, like any accent, developed over the course of hundreds of years. There were many factors that contributed to its evolution including: plantation and farm life, Western expansion, immigration, and an increasing number and size of American cities.
When did the general American accent develop?
The idea that there is one accent that is the most neutrally American has been around for a long time, and it is usually called “General American.” The term was coined in 1925 by the descriptive linguist George Philip Krapp as a way to describe the accent he thought was becoming the norm in the United States.
When did the Southern accent begin?
The non-rhotic coastal southern accent probably dates from the late 19th century, after the Civil War. Ultimately, the strongest foundational influences on that region’s speech appear to be the speech of southeast England.
How did the New York accent develop?
According to Prof Labov, the NY accent originates from London. “Back about 1800 all the major cities in the eastern seaboard of the United States began to copy the British pronunciation of not pronouncing the final ‘r’ as a consonant, saying ‘caah’ instead of ‘car’.
How did the New Zealand accent develop?
Explanations. In the past people complained that the New Zealand accent was due to laziness or bad influences. Today it is thought to be based on the accent of south-east England, where most migrants came from. The accent spread quickly among children in schools.
What is the origin of the American accent?
The American accent thus developed into new dialects due to the influence of the British colonizers and immigrants from Germany, Africa, and Dutch. In the 18th century, whether declaring America’s independence or pledging loyalty of King George, pronunciation were very much the same.
What is the difference between an American and a British accent?
The General American accent is rhotic and speakers pronounce the r in words such as hard. The BBC-type British accent is non-rhotic, and speakers don’t pronounce the r, leaving hard sounding more like hahd. Before and during the American Revolution, the English, both in England and in the colonies,…
What is it called when you have no accent at all?
The standard American accent—what Americans think of as having no accent—is rhotic, meaning that speakers pronounce their “r’s.” Received Pronunciation (aka typical British accents) is non-rhotic, so words like “card” are pronounced like “cahd.”
Are there any exceptions to the rhotic American and British accents?
As mentioned above, there are regional exceptions to both these general American and British sounds. Some of the accents of southeastern England, plus the accents of Scotland and Ireland, are rhotic. Some areas of the American Southeast, plus Boston, are non-rhotic.