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Geek Culture / How would one 'spell' the American accent?

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 07:35 Edited at: 3rd Apr 2012 07:37
I grew up here in America and therefore i have the American accent! Of course, when i talk i hear no accent but when other people with say, British or English accents talk, i hear an accent while they dont. I know a lot of people on this forum are British or English and what not, so i am asking this question here! If i were to pronounce the sentence "Go over there and grab that box" i would hear the American accent. However, if i were to pronounce the same sentence the way the spelling suggests but hear the British or English accent (as far as i know they are very similar) it would have to be spelled lie this: "Gou ovah theh aand grob thot box." Any person with an American accent should be able to read that the way the letters arrangement suggests and hear something like the accents i mentioned, just a little exaggerated. After figuring out that random little fact i wondered how someone with the above mentioned accents would spell something so that if they were to read it, it would sound like the American accent. Do any of you people with those European accents know what im saying? If so, show me how you would spell a sentence to sound like one with the American accent.


I dont imagine anyone would think this but just in case anyone is wondering, im not making fun of any accents or anything like that. In fact, i think the European accents are quite cool!

Learn lessons from your own repeated pressing of the Y key.~~DBD79
Dazzag
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 10:57 Edited at: 3rd Apr 2012 11:02
Quote: "British or English accent (as far as i know they are very similar)"
There is no specific thing as a "British" accent. To be honest there isn't really a single accent for "English" either. It's like saying there is a single American accent when obviously there isn't. There are literally dozens (maybe even hundreds) of sufficiently different accents in Britain. Trust me I can understand the "typical" American accent a lot easier than a lot of the British ones (Scotland is an obvious example).

Quote: ""Gou ovah theh aand grob thot box.""
Not sure which accent you are getting at there. But possibly 18th century Scottish for a Chimney sweeper?...

Personally I've always found a lot of American accents to be more like you are singing. A bit like my family who are all south Walean. Hmm. I suppose I would spell it for a typical American accent as "G*O* ove*R* there and gr*A*b th*A*t bohks". Something like that I suppose... Basically things are more exaggerated and words are a bit more drawn out. Not in all cases, but overall.

Interestingly did you know that a while back some bloke decided to change the English language to be more simple. So he made it his life work to convert the whole thing. It's the reason why you spell "Colour" as "Color" and so on. But after a while he got bored (or whatever) with it all and gave up. Which is why there is only a hundred or so words that have been converted (like Colour) and the massive majority were left un-changed.

Cheers

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 12:50 Edited at: 3rd Apr 2012 13:28
'ello chaps! Luv a cappa teee? Lubbly jubbly.

There's lots and lots of accents. I wouldn't know how to do mine though, but apparently I sound posh to Northerners and get called a Southern Fairy by my mates because they're from The Midlands and The North. From studying 3 years in Derby I've picked up a few of their dialect words, like "cob" for "roll" and I greet people by saying "A'yup m'duck". It's poisoned my southerness.

It's the same with America, you've got your New Yorker, then you've got your guy from Tennessee, your guys from Texas and so on.

If I were to try and one it might be a bit like this:

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw ma, I got me wun o'dem sitty boys! Nuh I gon chop 'im up an' make me suhm meeet pie fur t'night!

Of course, I'm just being playful, you don't all sound like Cletus. But if we had a Cletus who was a cannibal, that's what he'd sound like.

For that specific phrase, one might be:

"Go ova theyre an' graab thayat bohx."


Dazzag
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 13:17
Ah yeah that's more like it. Sort of the American version of our stereotypically famous (but amazingly rare in reality) bowler hat accent. Interestingly now it seems thanks to some recent TV shows that perhaps we are swinging more to the country bumkin accent as a more stereotypical accent for the UK. Again, really quite rare overall. So many different factions here that it's impossible to have one overall accent to sum us up. Even though we can 99% of the time identify a British accent a mile away from any other.

Cheers

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ernhad
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 15:40
I also find the British english accent very cool , i am actually trying to learn the accent just recently but then i don't really think there is a way to spell it becasue that spelling would not be properly recognized universally if that will be the case and it could lead to confusion.
Libervurto
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 18:25
I find Americans have trouble pronouncing "oh" as in "hot", they either say "hat" or "hut", for example:

To me this sounds like "Ah saired, pud the bunneh back in the bucks"

It's pretty difficult to untune your brain from their accent and interpret the raw sounds. Kind of like trying to paint the actual shades of objects as they appear instead of what you think the colour is.

WARNING: The above comment may contain sarcasm.
lazerus
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 18:35
Stupid
Joking of course. There's several accents within a hour drive of liverpool so i couldn't say there's a particular one for the whole of England.

Aae, aaee lad guive uss yeh money' Would be the stereo type for here anyway.

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bruce3371
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 19:25
I like to confuse my wife (who's Scottish) and ask her in a Black Country accent if she wants a 'kipper tie'!!

Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 19:49
And er, FYI for non British, the Black Country is not what it sounds like.

A black country dialect:


I can't work it out either.


CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 19:58
Weh, yeez cannae be makin' an accent oh thi hole ay the British Isles, noo!
JLMoondog
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2012 21:40
Heck, the state of Ohio where I'm from has three different accents. Hill-Billy, Central and Canadian...

Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 00:16
OBese87, you answered my question well!

Learn lessons from your own repeated pressing of the Y key.~~DBD79
xamxam
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 01:10
i'm waiting for something to activate at the moment, and i'm kinda bored, so i'll say something too i guess. : p

The american accent... well i live in Canada and it makes me think of Dr.Phil or a texan/alabama accent. When you get closer to the border, it gets pretty hard to tell, but it sounds really noticeable with "a" sounds.
"Like a sentence like this could look like this"
"LIYke AWh sEHn-tAINnce cuhd luhk lIYke daIs"

i'd prolly spell it w/ lots of y's and 'awh', 'aowe', or 'aieh' sounds... and lots of exaggeration on the v-OW-uls. ' -'
Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 01:58
Ah well even Dr.Phil has an accent to me haha! Lots of people make fun of how he talks lol!

Learn lessons from your own repeated pressing of the Y key.~~DBD79
Randomness 128
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 02:06 Edited at: 4th Apr 2012 02:07
Edit: This post should not exist. Firefox did something weird.
Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 02:30
It tried to make you post here so you didnt get points.

Learn lessons from your own repeated pressing of the Y key.~~DBD79
Neuro Fuzzy
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 02:30
What's this thread aboot, eh?

Phaelax
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 02:40
Quote: " pronouncing "oh" as in "hot", they either say "hat" or "hut", for example:"

As for hat/hut, that's probably boston or new york.

"You're not going crazy. You're going sane in a crazy world!" ~Tick
Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 03:25
Quote: "aboot"
That is totally CANADIAN!!!!

@Phaelax Well agreed lol!

Learn lessons from your own repeated pressing of the Y key.~~DBD79
Jeku
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 05:51 Edited at: 4th Apr 2012 05:51
Canadians don't say aboot!

East coasters say something like "aBOAT", not "aBOOT"!

And many Canadians say "soary" instead of "sawry".


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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 06:19 Edited at: 4th Apr 2012 06:19
Lol... I dunno, it always sounds like the canadians are always saying aboot, and hosse instead of house, and ruf like a dog's bark instead of roof! Well i suppose it all depends on who is listening to what accent! Come to think of it, i may be thinking of the Minnesota accent!

Learn lessons from your own repeated pressing of the Y key.~~DBD79
MrValentine
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 08:49
*sigh*

reads all the above posts and thinks to self...

Quote: "How come nobody mentioned Phonetics yet?"




X-SAMPA is interesting too from the outset...

Dazzag
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 10:37 Edited at: 4th Apr 2012 10:38
Quote: "That is totally CANADIAN!!!!"
This goes to show how much TV shows influence/educate us. Basically we can't really tell the difference between a US and a Canadian accent, but I'm sure that gets most of you (stereotypically) reaching for your guns. However I know about the "aboot" thing thanks to "How I met your mother" but only like in the last few years of my life (I'm almost 40).

Quote: "I also find the British english accent very cool , i am actually trying to learn the accent"
Which one? Go for the Liverpool accent. Everyone loves that one and is actually the real accent of the Queen when not in the public eye. You know like Michael Jackson, but more masculine.

Cheers

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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 14:46
How about New Zealand accents?
Libervurto
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 17:14
New Zealand is like a cross between South African and Australian.

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Dazzag
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Posted: 4th Apr 2012 17:53
Again, we can't tell the difference. It's like Americans and Canadians I'm afraid. Still it's better than the Americans who from the look of it can't tell us apart from the Australians/NZs/South Africans.

Cheers

Current fave quote : Cause you like musicians and I like people with boobs.
ShaunRW
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Posted: 5th Apr 2012 11:45 Edited at: 5th Apr 2012 11:46
Quote: "How about New Zealand accents?"

Sixty Six = Seexty seex
Fish and Chips = Fush n Chups

Yeah, that's about it.

Kezzla
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Posted: 5th Apr 2012 13:07 Edited at: 5th Apr 2012 13:58
damn you shaunRW you beat me to it!
nu ziland acsint.
choyce pynaple loomps eah bru?
hew bout them ool blecks?

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JRH
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Posted: 5th Apr 2012 14:15
Reading this made me realise I've lost the Scots in my voice

I guess this because I spend so much time talking to people from around the world and need to make myself as clear is possible. (My neighbours (in this order) are an American, Asian, and African. I reckon if I used some of my slang words they would be find me incomprehensible, but I miss the slang.

I still have my accent though, nothing will take that from me! Anyway, huv a guid day.
Bugsy
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Posted: 9th Apr 2012 10:39 Edited at: 9th Apr 2012 10:40
Quote: "How would one 'spell' the American accent?"


F-R-E-E-D-O-M



you're welcome.

Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 9th Apr 2012 10:45
Ah i see!

Fuzz
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Posted: 9th Apr 2012 12:36
Aussie accent all the way!

Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 10th Apr 2012 01:51
I love the 'aussie' accent lol!

MrValentine
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Posted: 10th Apr 2012 05:19
haha too much of that aussie tv show... neighbours?

Kevin Picone
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Posted: 10th Apr 2012 05:28 Edited at: 10th Apr 2012 05:31
Well... that's one of those shows we don't really watch, just export.. and you're most welcome to it ...

MrValentine
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Posted: 10th Apr 2012 05:32
hahahahahaahahah nah I was fed up of it LOOOOONG AGO

Fuzz
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Posted: 10th Apr 2012 11:15
Quote: "haha too much of that aussie tv show... neighbours?"


Admittedly there aren't many good Aussie shows/movies but when I hear an Australian accent in say an American movie, I get all excited haha

Kezzla
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Posted: 10th Apr 2012 11:35
Quote: "Australian accent in say an American movie, I get all excited haha"

halo.
I was like "hell yeah, this game just got awesome!"

Sometimes I like to use words out of contents
Poloflece
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Posted: 11th Apr 2012 14:27
Quote: "Aussie accent all the way! "

The MC with presence never resents the consequences he presents the lyrics with no pretentious accents
No pretentious accents mate!

Quote: "Admittedly there aren't many good Aussie shows/movies "

Unfortunately so, however I find most of the good ones get taken of air due to low ratings (as in shows like Rush, imo)


Poloflece

Ortu
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Posted: 12th Apr 2012 02:27 Edited at: 12th Apr 2012 02:34
Are you American?

Noh mAhmm, eyhm frhum teYk-sahs.

Quote: ""LIYke AWh sEHn-tAINnce cuhd luhk lIYke daIs""

That's totally rural-country, like Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky type areas

Nateholio
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Posted: 4th May 2012 12:27
Haha. I remember watching The New Yankee Workshop and getting irritated when those northeastern Yanks would say things like "draw" instead of "drawer"..."Cahffee" rather than "Coffee".

You can't really pin down an American accent, there's too many.

Where I'm originally from in Florida, the white folk say "awl" and "ranch" instead of "oil" and "wrench". I can't even type what the black folk say...I guess it would be...oh heck, I won't even try.

Where I live now in CA, other than the stereotypical surfer dude and Speedy Gonzales, there doesn't seem to be much of an accent at all. Even after being away from it for a decade.

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mr Handy
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Posted: 4th May 2012 13:19
Quote: "Gou ovah theh aand grob thot box"


Woll Smoth?

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Dazzag
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Posted: 9th May 2012 15:42


Cheers

Current fave quote : Cause you like musicians and I like people with boobs.
mr Handy
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Posted: 9th May 2012 20:51 Edited at: 9th May 2012 21:06
BA'MAN! {knocked out}



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Matty H
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Posted: 9th May 2012 21:29


My favourite film, not sure how accurate the accents are

Nateholio
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Posted: 14th May 2012 12:24 Edited at: 14th May 2012 12:26
This one reminds me of my grandfather, other than the fact that he can cook.

"Nawlins" cajun....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oScmodG_riM

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TheComet
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Posted: 14th May 2012 12:35
@ Seppuku


Quote: "if yowm saft enuff ter cum dahn 'ere agooin wum. yowr tay ull be spile't!!"


If you are daft enough to come down here, your tea will be spoiled!!

Is that about right?

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Posted: 14th May 2012 13:26
I'm gonna guess so, I'm not from the black country, I'm a Southern Fairy, so it looks like gibberish to me. Though I'd say your translation sounds plausible at least.

Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 15th May 2012 00:28
To american? That resembles an extremely strong hill billy accent!
Inspire
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Posted: 20th May 2012 12:22
Did anybody else find themselves talking to themselves as they read through these accents?

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