Is it true that Northeast Ohioans have the "perfect" pronunciation of the English language?

Question

I've heard that national newscasters are trained to speak in a Northeast Ohio accent because it is the clearest and most correct form of English. Is there any truth to this?

I understand that there is no "perfect" pronunciation--I chose the wrong wording. I've just heard that it is the clearest and most easily understood by Americans, and wanted to know. For example, if you watch CNN, they don't hav e a southern/boston/new york, etc. accent.

Answer 1

No.
If you want to get technical, English as spoken in England (properly) is the "most correct" pronunciation...since that's where the language originated.
The kind of accent they have in Ohio is considered the one in the US that is most understandable by all Americans -- not the most correct. Northerners have a hard time with southern accents, Californians have a hard time with New England accents...pretty much everybody can understand an Ohio accent. That's why they use it as a standard, not because it's the most accurate -- it's just the most understandable among all the American accents (none of which are "correct" English).

Answer 2

People living in the Midwest United States have a neutral or no accent, which is why people want broadcasters to sound like that. It's not necessarily a more correct form of English, but in a way it refers to the whole United States instead of just one region with a specific accent.

Answer 3

Proper English is usually referred to as Standard English. It is the form of the language taught in school and required for the corporate world. Typically it is considered the language of the affluent.

I am from Ohio and was once told that Ohioans have a distinct accent. I can tell you that there are plenty of Buckeyes who butcher the langauge.

Answer 4

I don't know the answer, though it's an interesting question.

I just wanted to mention that here, in England, the TV companies tend to use newscasters with distinctive regional accents rather than looking for a "perfect" sound

Answer 5

Well, there would be people who would argue with you. However it is the non-accent that they're going for. It's non-descript, it's neither northern, southern, eastern or western, therefore it's non-descript, and easier for everyone from around the country to relate to.

If you're a Northerner and you hear a Southern accent, you automatically assume one thing. If you're a Southerner and you hear a Northern accent you automatically think one thing. Therefore the total absence of accent is preferable for newscasters etc....

Answer 6

I think accents are chosen based on marketing and what will be more appealing to a broader audience. In England there are several types of accents, so who's to say which one is the best or correct.

Answer 7

You are pretty close. Rod Parsley, the pastor of World Harvest Church in Columbus, Ohio, has a clear speaking voice with concise pronounciation of the English language.

Answer 8

Ann-Marie, everyone has an accent. It's impossible to be accent-less.

I didn't know it was north-east Ohio that they trained to talk like, but I knew it was some kind of mid-western accent (like the one people from Michigan speak).

Answer 9

People in the midwest basically have the correct form of English speaking wise. They do not have an accent; it is basically the way people on news try to speak, yes.

Answer 10

All this business of perfect pronunciation (better referred to as preferable accent,which I still find bothersome), is based on arbitrariness. However, the Midwest dialect you mention seems to sound the least
"dialectally distinct," and is indeed the most preferable to the TV suits.