Why don't North Americans speak with a British accent?

Question

I've always wondered why this is. Was it the Dutch influence,maybe? Australians & New Zealanders quasi kept their original British accents.

Some are saying it is because we are a "melting pot". If that was true then Aussies & New Zealanders would have lost their accents, too.

TJ, I said "quasi". I realize there are different inflections as I do in everyone's own country. I just think it's odd that we don't. I think it must have been the Dutch and as one of the posters said the Germanic influence. Oh well. Sorry if you don't think I worded my question well. It's late. I'll try to do better next time.

Sorry Dad's found yer scooter: Swedish/German

Thanks to both Brennus & Taivo. I really appreciate your answers. Those are the two best answers I've ever gotten for this particular question. That makes sense. It's one of those questions I like to ask when I'm travelling or conversing with people of different cultures.

Taivo about the Indians, no kidding. I'm 1/2 Cherokee.

Answer 1

Nobody has all the answers to this question. There are some things about the early histories of American and Modern British English that we just don't know about.

However, American English is a colonial variety of English and colonal varieties of any language tend to reflect what the speech of the mother country was like at the time they were colonized.

For example, the Icelandic language is still very close to the Old Norse spoken by the Vikings because Iceland was colonized mostly towards the end of the Viking period and a little bit afterwards (Between 900 and 1150 A.D.)

While Old Norse in Europe went on to become modern Norwegian, Swedish and Danish, it changed very little in Iceland.

On a smaller scale, the same kind of thing happened with English in America. Modern British English had not yet developed in England at the time the first English settlers arrived on the North American continent in Massachussets and Virginia in the early 17th century.

These English settlers spoke an older form of English which some people have variously called "Chaucerian," "Elizabethan" and "Mayflower."

The earliest forms of Modern British English began in the latter part of the 17th century. We can still see a little bit of early British English influence in the accents of Boston and New York where they they drop Rs in words like theater and Alexander (thee - uh - tuh & æ -lex -æn -duh) and add Rs in words like drama and idea (drah - mer & ai - dee - er).

Americans living in the interior of North America like Ohio and West Virginia were isolated from this trend and continued to speak their older forms of English. Modern "General American" or "Newscaster English" is actually based primarily on the older, grittier sounding variety of American English that these pioneers spoke.

The American South had been largely a prison colony. The British shipped a lot of their prisoners there between 1733 and 1775. This shaped the development of American English there. After 1783, when the British no longer had the 13 colonies available, they began shipping their prisoners to Australia instead.

Australia, New Zealand, southern Africa and the Falklands were all settled by the British much later than America (19th & 20th centuries). Therefore, people in these countries speak an English (sometimes called "Southern Hemisphere English") which is much closer to contemporary British English.

Immigrants (including the Dutch) have had some influence on American English too and continue to do so. However, at the present time, immigration doesn't seem to be the major reason why American English sounds different from British English.

Answer 2

In 1607 we all had British accents. But with the passage of time all languages change (it's not because of Native American or German influence, but just a factor of time). Canadians do not speak like the British either. Australia and New Zealand were settled 200 years AFTER America was settled, so the amount of change in their dialects is less because there has been about half the length of time between them and their British roots. It's a simple matter of time. Other than a few borrowed words, Native American languages have had no influence on the sound of English in America. That is because the speakers of English NEVER LEARNED to speak those languages. They treated them as animals of the forest and killed them. And since British, Irish, and Scottish colonists have accounted for the vast majority of immigrants to America during the years of dialect formation, German, etc. have had virtually no impact on the pronunciation of American and Canadian English.

Answer 3

Because... we're not British?

There are so many different accents within each country. Even within England, there's a big difference between Cockney, Estuary, etc... Not to mention Scotland, Wales, etc... are all very different from each other. Aussie accents have more of a *twang* (for lack of a better word) and don't sound particularly English at all.

Likewise, in the States there's a big difference in the accents between someone from Baton Rouge, someone from New York, someone from Chicago, and someone from San Francisco.

So... a few hundred years later, we don't have British accents. Honestly, it would be odd if we did.

EDIT to the OP's edits: It's NOT the Dutch and German influence. As another poster mentioned, the majority of the immigrants to the US in particular were English, Scottish, and Irish (and from various African countries, of course, but that's a different issue). There's no Native American influence because white settlers never learned their languages, and thus could never adapt it into their accent. Likewise, if it was German, Dutch, etc... influence, then Brits would have been influenced, too... As they also have many immigrants, particularly Dutch.

Another thing to point out is that the current "English accent' (though once again, there is no single "English accent" anymore than there is an "American accent") isn't the same as the English accent of 400 years ago. In fact, many words, phrases, speech structure, accents, etc... are very different.

Also, as someone else pointed out, Australia and New Zealand were settled more recently, which is why a they're a *little* closer. However, they're still very distinct. They certainly don't have a British accent, or even a "quasi" British accent. It may seem that way as an American (ie: outside looking in), but I assure you, many Australians don't think they sound like Brits at all.

Language and accents change over time... everywhere. French Canadians have a different accent than people in France. Ukranians have a different accent than Siberians. Etc...

Answer 4

Over time it's filtered away. I like a British accent myself, but just the vestiges of time and the influx of other cultures have made for a more (to us) neutral accent, and that's what we've become.

I'm not totally sure your question is correct - I can't speak for the New Zealanders, but the Australians have a distinctly different (I know that's repetitve) accent from the Brits. They haven't had the level of immigration and cultural intermixing that Americans have had so it's understandable that it's not as homogenized, but it's still obviously Australian and clearly not British.

Answer 5

Even if it sounds to an American as if one is speaking accent free, a Brit would easily pick up on the American accent.

Answer 6

Because we are such a mix. Although we were at one time a British colony, here in Pennsylvania for example we are a mix of mostly German, Polish and Itailian, along with native Americans who were already here.

I think it's a good question. If you just read our history of how we were settled you would assume we are all from the UK originally.

Answer 7

Well, to me it's pretty obvious. North American accents are a combination of numerous cultures including Native American, African, Asian, and European. If there were only Brits here, then maybe we would all have a British accent...but that isn't the case.

Answer 8

It was lost over many generations of mixed cultures and languages

Answer 9

Heard it was the Swedish/German influence.

Answer 10

Because they are not British