If someone was born in England but grew up in America?

Question

If someone was born in England but his whole family moved to the US when he was 5 and he grew up in America.

Which accent do you think he would get?
English accent(British) or American accent?

Answer 1

He would most likely get an American accent as long as he was exposed to the general American population.

An excellent example is the late actor, entertainer and comedian Bob Hope who was born in England in 1903 and whose family immigrated to the U.S. when he was four years old. Yet, as an adult , Bob did not have a British accent. He sounded very Hollywoodish American.

However, another famous American, band leader Lawrence Welk, never did lose his German accent even though he was born in South Dakota. He lived isolated there in a German speaking community until he was twenty one and began learning English at that age.

Please see the web link on Bob Hope below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope

Answer 2

I know a girl exactly like that.

She moved from England to California at the age of 6 or 7.

She and her younger brother speak with a 100% Californian accent(valley girls' accent) while her parents still have a strong British accent.

Answer 3

Although the parents would retain their British accents, the child would most likely speak with an American accent as he got older. However, his ear would be much more fine-tuned to the different phonemes of both accents, and could switch between the two as he pleases. The situation is comparable to bilingual parents with English as a second language: while at home the child would learn to speak another way, when at school or watching TV, he'd be immersing himself in American English. And since most of the people around him except his parents speak American English, that would most likely be his primary language.

Answer 4

Probably an American Accent. At 5 he would have been too young to remember the british accent. People tend to pick up other accents if they live in a ecrtain area for a long period of time. Its normal.

Answer 5

Probably British for a while because his parents speak it, but when he grows older, starts hanging out with friends more than parents, and eventually moves out, he will get an American accent or at least a mix of the two.

Answer 6

If I were born in England, and went to Ameerica to live, I would still have a Britich Accent, with some of the words pronounced like the American's do.

Answer 7

It depends. Hearing the way your parents talk really affects your speech. But being in America for a long time and listening to those accents would affect your speech as well.

Answer 8

Depends on if the parents still retained their accent.

If they did then the child would most likely have that accent, if not there would be no accent present.

Answer 9

more than likely British--that age is when people really talk anyways.

Answer 10

ummm...depends on how old he is now