What does the American accent sound like to people unaccustomed to it?

Question

I was curious because I've always thought it sounded bland... but maybe that's because I grew up around it. It's just that other accents always seem to have more... personality, more of a lilt to them. Irish accents are melodious & easy on the ear, and British accents seem more light and refined, Australian accents are fun and bold... How does the American accent come off, and which variation of the accent sounds the best (meaning, a southern accent, Bostonian, New Yorker, etc.) to people who aren't used to hearing an American accent all the time? Thanks :o)

Answer 1

Listen to this guy, you can't really understand what he's saying but you know it's english. Kind of the same principle.

http://ebaumsworld.com/2006/07/retro.html

I think that's what english sounds like to people who don't understand it.

Answer 2

Unluckily I'm accusomed to it and I can't answer the question as well as if I wasn't.
As you probably know there are several variations to American English. New Yorker and all the New England accents sound pretty much like an RP speaker but only with more round vowels and, of course, the R-sound. By round vowels I mean that the mouth moves toward a position in which lips make a cicular-ish shape. The Southern American English has a lot of the same characteristics to the Australian English like non-rhoticity and intrusive R, no yod-dropping, no wine-whine merger among others, this generally is the variation of American English that forgeiners find the weirdest.
Anyways, people that aren't accustomed to American English or hear it on TV shows will probably have their ears more used to the Californian English or the General American.

Answer 3

I like all the accents, all the different dialects from the states, they are very colourful, can't stand the high british one, they always seem too stilted to me, whereas the lowly cockney I find funny and easy to listen too. Bostonians sound higher class, then the southern one, though I find them very charming, Georgia and the Carolina's. All languages are great. I find it great to know right away where the people come from as soon as the talk. Great Question by the way.

Answer 4

I don't think people aren't used to American accent cos all good movies are in American language. Lots people learn english from the movies so i think the wierd accent will be irish or english or australian

Answer 5

I'm from Northwest Ohio... and I've always heard growing up that we have the *least* accent of any English speaking area in the world (meaning we pronounce everything as close to the correct way more often)

... so I guess I can't help much... T_T

Answer 6

Most English accents drop Rs, while the standard AmE, i.e., the Midlands accent, does all its Rs.

R-droppers have difficulty imitating this standard AmE accent. Park your car in Harvard Yard.

Answer 7

it sounds okay to me(i live in india) but when ppl have a very stong accent i kind of miss out on some words

Answer 8

i'm american, but i have to say, i like northern accents the best, and southern accents bug me to no end. i think that new england ones are the nicest, in general. does it bug anyone when people pronounce aunt as "ant", or is that just me?

Answer 9

I don't know as what you would classify it; but those women from designing women sounded very nice... southern? In general the American Accent sounds fine; sometimes they just come across as very loud... but I suppose those would just be the "ugly" american (or at least how most of the people I know perceive the average american). No insults intended...

Answer 10

for me the american accent sounds a bit ..like nasel..thru the nose.
the texas one is really funny,and it sounds really nice.
overall..i can say..it has a very nice beet:) i like it.