For Britons only please. Is it difficult for you to understand Americans when they are speaking?

Question

Serious answers only, please. I'm doing a survey.

I know we use a lot of different vocabulary and accent is a big part of it. But, I have a lot of British friends and sometimes I have absoulutely no idea what they are saying. I just wondered if this was a vice versa thing?

Answer 1

no, not really!!

Answer 2

It depends heavily on the specific region they are from, I think. I often find some of the stronger accents such as Texan accents quite hard sometimes. Other lighter accents such as Californian accents are much easier.
Another factor is speed. New Yorkers are very fast speakers to me and watching Law and Order or listening to an interview of the New York procyclist George Hincapie can be difficult.

Answer 3

It depends on the dialect. 'Normal' American speech is completely understandable. I struggle a bit when Americans speak with a slow drawl, and I find it very difficult to understand most people from states like Texas. More often than not, it's the local slang that I don't understand, rather than the accent.

Answer 4

Once caught a bus in Spain with an Amercian. We had both been living in the country for a long time and knew the place well. We got talking about the differences between our respective countries and Spain. Then he made the comment that middle aged women in Spain didn´t wear pants! and that he couldn´t understand it. How the f*** do you know I asked. Because they all wear skirts. And the penny dropped and we had good laugh about this for the rest of the journey.

Answer 5

I so sometimes, but then I am slightly deaf so any accent throws me. Where my friend lives in Texas some of the locals are unintelligable, but then I have the same problem with a friend from Northern Ireland!

I agree with the previous answer about the different words having different meanings, it makes me think twice sometimes.

Pants and fanny always throw me.

Answer 6

not at all. Some of the words are unfamiliar, and some words americans use mean something different in UK english, such as chips in american are called crisps in the UK, and chips in the uk are what americans call fries, but I dont have a problem understanding anyone.

I think we are used to so much from america - films, comedies, adverts, personalities, that I dont think anyone would have a problem understanding them.

In fact, I love the american accent, especially the southern ones. To hear an american man talking in that southern drawl makes me want to do something naughty!!!

Answer 7

I had difficulty at times during a recent holiday in the south west, particularly transport announcements - but this is often the case when going to a different part of England/UK. The other problem was the tendency to rush, also apparent in the speech, making it harder to understand.

Answer 8

Generally speaking, no - & I don't even find the dialects a problem most of the time (infact, I find Scottish people harder to understand, on the whole). But I must say that I've got myself in embarassing situations before now due to the different uses of the same words e.g 'rubber', 'f@g', 'gay' etc.

Answer 9

No I have no difficulty in understanding the American accent as we hear it on a day-to-day basis in the media.

I probably have more trouble understanding some British accents

Answer 10

Not really , we are bombarded with american TV shows so are familiar with the range of accents.

An accent I particularly like is the one captured in the film Fargo. I am not even sure to which area it pertains but it was very unusual, even scandinavian sounding as were most of the surnames.

Answer 11

no - whilst there are different dialects, as with the English language - I do not have any difficulty understanding Americans (if you are referring to their accents) - if you are referring to the manner that they use their vocabulary, sometimes somethings can be taken in different contexts, but usually the general jist of the conversation enables me to understand what is being talked about.