did george washington and the founding fathers have a british accent? when did americans gain their own accent

Answer 1

Scholars of the history of spoken language tell me that the "Scotch-Irish" accents heard to this day in remote areas of the mid-Atlantic seaboard states (such as the foothills of the Smokey Mountains or the non-touristy areas on the coast itself) remain remarkably close to 17th / 18th century English.

Of course, as some prior Answers have suggested, there could well have been a trace of localized twang in the speech of Washington and his colonial contemporaries. But I don't think that it would have been much influenced by any German influx, because Washington (and so many of the other Founding Fathers) was Virginian, and the newer immigrants from middle-Europe were not heading that far south in large numbers.

On the contrary, Washington's English was probably virtually indistinguishable from that of Burgoyne, Cornwallis, etc. That is because the English had not at this time developed any "upper class" accent either: everyone, even the aristocrats, had a regional accent of some sort. And most "British English" accents would have sounded very much like "American English" accents of the era.

It was not until a generation or two later that accents began to change appreciably. And then, it was the British-English accent that changed the most! Yes, with the advent of the "public" (meaning private) school systems in England for the sons of wealthy families, their accents began to be changed to a newly orthodox Southern (or educated-London) English. That process continued and was much amplified in the 20th century by radio and then TV. Today's "British" accent is a concoction of schoolmasters from 100-or-so years ago, and broadcasters since then. Today's "American" accent (at least the Virginia / Carolinas variant) is actually much closer to original British than the British is itself.

Answer 2

There is a school of thought which says that American English sounds very much like Elizabethan English might have sounded like. But, of course, there is no one 'British' accent. It varies greatly across the country. Studies have shown, however, that regional variations have been smoothed out over the past 25 or so years due to the influence of mass culture such as TV. Imagine, therefore, how greatly they would have varied in the 18th century when a distance of 15 miles was probably a day's journey for the average person. Then think how the Australian accent has diverged from British in the 200 odd years since that country was settled. As someone has already said, British had been settling in N America for 200 years before Independence, so imagine how accents could have developed over that time - without TV, movies etc. around to stop divergence. So, the answer to your first question is, no they probably didn't and to the second, from the day settlers first landed.

Answer 3

Monuments and memorials, diverse neighbourhoods, correct regional flavoring it's this that Washington, DC is; a place unlike some other; the same as this page hotelbye . Washington it's your home abroad with free museums and America's top yard. Washington is recognized around the world as a image of the United States. Here, the spot you can't miss could be the Capitol. Capitol could be the seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The big dome, based on the dome of St. Peter's in Rome, stands apart most importantly different Washington buildings. Like Washington it self, the developing has grown over the years since the central section was developed between 1793 and 1812. The last improvement, in 1958-62, enlarged the key façade wherever presidents get the oath. On one other side, a marble terrace offers beautiful views within the mall and the city. The inside is resplendent with frescoes, reliefs, and paintings, especially the rotunda under the good cast-iron dome with a ceiling painting by Constantino Brumidi and big paintings of displays from American history on the walls.

Answer 4

Speak In A British Accent

Answer 5

It is probable that since the colonies and the british isles were seperated by so much sea, that the two began forming different accents. The colonies were already nearing 200 years old at the time, so they had to have, logically thinking here, began to speak English differently from Englishman. This is an interesting linguistical question, especially when you remember that many people think Shakespere's Enlgish sounded like a strongly accented Scotsman.

Answer 6

yes, because there was no 'American accent' yet. Their ties to England were still strong years after the war. That all started to change when the first European immigrants came here; Irish, German, and a few others.

Answer 7

Short answer: what Washington spoke would doubtless have sounded much like accents in particular parts of England in his day, because it had descended from them (in the previous century).


The answer to your question depends on what you have in mind by a "British accent". If you're thinking of something like the 20th century British "Received Pronunciation", the question is, did ANYONE in Washington's day speak that way?!

Start by noting two simple facts:

1) there was NEVER just one variety of English spoken in England. (In fact, England of the 17th century and of today has more dialects, with more variations, than ALL the dialects of ALL its former colonies!)

2) NO ONE --British or American-- speaks the same English as was spoken in the colonial period! Both have changed significantly (including what LATER became the "Received Pronunciation" based on a politically dominant London-area dialect)

So, whatever era you're looking at, comparing "American English" and "British English" is not a simple matter.


Now about the type of English spoken in the American colonies --

During the colonial period (1607-1775) there for FOUR main migrations of English speaking people to America from the British Isles. These resulted in four main dialect areas, each based on the dialect of the area of the British Isles from which most of its early settlers ("founders") came. In fact, many of the distinctive features of English in the different regions of the U.S. today can be traced to these.

Thus the English of the American colonists was based on VARIOUS dialects of 17th century BRITISH English. Of course, since they all spoke a LIVING language, BOTH American dialects and British dialects continued to change. Already by the time of the American Revolution there were significant changes had taken place on BOTH sides of the Atlantic. Note that in some cases some British dialects might preserve older patterns (words, accent, etc) and the colonists might innovate; but in other instances older forms would be preserved in AMERICAN dialects, while the British innovated.

As for Washington --

One of these four migrations was that of the Cavaliers from South England (migrated in 1642-1675). This group eventually dominated the coastal region from Virginia to Florida. Their speech laid the foundation for the development of American Tidewater speech, or Coastal Southern English.

Since George Washington would have been typical of the people who settled his region, he would have shared this Tidewater accent (in its 18th century form). It would have been something like the English dialect (and accent) of the area of Southern England from which his forebears came, but with some changes due to over a century since their separation.

As for the other founding fathers. Since they came from different regions they could be expected to speak with an accent characteristic of the region in which they were raised. Thus Jefferson's accent would be similar to Washington's, John Adams's would not be (though his too would be "British", that is, the descendant of the British accent dominant among the settlers in his region).


summary of the linguistic features of the four regions
http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ling201/test3materials/AmericanDialects.htm

Answer 8

yes... the American accent is a combination of the major immigrants of the time... the Irish, Dutch

Answer 9

no they were here for a long time