what if an american came to england and spoke in a british accent...?

Question

what if an american came to england and spoke in a british accent, would people be annoyed? or would no one care?

Answer 1

I wouldn't like it because most people are not good enough to fake an accent and the majority of people would notice it and (possibly) find it a tad condescending. Just speak regularly. Everyone will know by how you go about saying some things and the slang that you use where you come from.

Answer 2

For a start there is no such thing as a singular British Accent! Every Country and County and even the Major Cities have different ones. There is no way an American could really fool a person born and brought up with a particular accent as they wouldn't know the dialect or the slang of that area. Example I might say "the lil un is gurning" but I could also say "the wean is greetin" or "the baby is crying" they all mean the same thing! An American hearing the first two would wonder what I WAS saying!
Come to think of it so would most UK Southerners. only kidding, joking or pulling your leg!
I'd find it funny and laugh at them for trying to 'fit in' but some people would be annoyed or think they were taking the Micky, trying to be funny or taking the p**s and might decide they were asking for a Thumping, Walloping, or a Seeing To,
I bet we'd get the same treatment if we tried it over in America!

Some people do manage to alter their accents but the locals (which in your scenario is the whole of England) always know. Victoria Wood nearly had me believing she'd been brought up in my home town in her recent film and I think Angelina Jolie sounded believably English in Tomb Raider and American's say Hugh Laurie was believable, but it's never perfect. Most people can't do it, and why would they want to.

Answer 3

What Americans don't seem to realise is that there is no such thing as a standard English (or British) accent, just as there is no standard U.S. accent. In many areas of Britain 25 miles is enough to make a vast difference in accents (eg. Manchester/ Liverpool, Glasgow/ Edinburgh, Newcastle/ Middlesbrough, Exeter/ Bristol etc. etc.) Even with the influence of T.V. and Films 'rounding off' accents I can still hear differences within 5miles North , South , East, and West.
So to answer your question, I would suggest you would have to pick a specific accent, and practice until perfect to go unnoticed in the U.K., but believe me if you ever 'slipped
up',people would think you were taking the p*** and either laugh at you or turn against you.

Answer 4

He would have 2 be very good at picking up the accent otherwise ppl will get 2 know that he's an American. They wouldn't be annoyed since he would try to imitate the proper English accent.

Answer 5

There are so many accents in Britain which are VERY different: Glaswegian Scottish, Edinburgh Scottish, North Walean, South Walean, Geordie, Brummie, Scouse, Cockney...etc,etc,...I doubt any American could duplicate one of these well enough to fool a local but his 'cockney accent' might just fool a 'Geordie' or vice versa.

Answer 6

I doubt if anyone would notice. England is now made up of so many dialects and accents and no matter what your country of birth, your accent does change as you move around.

Answer 7

Works both ways when a Brit fakes an American accent it just doesn't sound right, and the same the other way.

Best I ever heard, really, no jokes, was Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider, she really got it perfect, it was hard to believe she was American, it just did not sound like the exaggerated accent you usually get when Americans try.

Answer 8

What is a British accent when it's at home. I never know if it means English Irish Scottish or Welsh. If they did a good enough one then I don't think people would mind but if it was obvious they were putting it on I would think they were a bit of a dick.

Answer 9

Americans can`t do British accents conviningly so he`d just get either laughed at or beaten for his piss-taking.

Answer 10

Hmmmm, I don't believe that the Americans were annoyed with Sting when he came over from the UK to the USA. After all, he even made a song out of that "Englishman in New York"