How did regional accents come about??
445446
Since you are asking about British accents, you might really enjoy the article "Web Project shows developement of British regional accents" at:\nhttp://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2004-02-11-brit-dialect-Web_x.htm\n\n\nFor a more complete treatment of the development of regional accents, Wikipedia has a good entry at:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_accents_of_English_speakers
72426
It all started many, many years ago before America was even a country... The discrepancies can be traced back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when a King or Queen's usage of language was considered to be ideal - and was used as a model. The way words were spoken would constantly change through the years, and eventually we derived our our current speech patterns from these royals (we still change the way words are spoken even today - think about all the different accents around the country, and how words get warped by them). So, techinically - there's not really a good reason why the plural of house is not hice... somebody just decided that was the way they wanted to say it - so that's the way it came out. If it bugs you that much, just start calling them hice... You never know - one day it may stick.
71467
British is good (and there are so many), Irish and French. Pretty much anything exotic, which automatically excludes the accents around you, so being in California, it definitely excludes American (all regions) and Spanish as they are so common.\n\nAlso, I guess German never works, exotic or not.
78038
This site will give you details on where the accent is on letters and why. Lots of info. good luck.
797007
surprisingly, people from nebraska are the only English speakers on the planet who have no accent.  =)\n\nThey seem to pronounce things in a similar way to the Mid-Western US accent.  Can't really write it out though.
252891
The major factor is that in the earlier days of spoken language it was not as easy to travel as it was now.  If you wanted to go somewhere, you walked.  And then much later on we managed to harness horses for travel, and so on.\nBut as language developed, humans couldn't readily travel, and therfore things were very isolated by location and region.  Because of this, the way people spoke became very isolated and regionalized.  There wasn't blending.  In this way, the idiosyncratic aspects of spoken language became more pronounced.  The people in the British Isles spoke one way (and that can even be broken down even further) compared to the people in France.  As those differences developed they became what we now recognize as accents from the region.  Those ways of speaking were so engrained in the regional culture, that they continued to be passed down through the generations, so they were maintained.  However, I would guess that what we know to be a typical regionial accent at this point is much different from the accents of the same region long ago.
508435
Good question. I have on occaision tried to change mine. I find that I can only do it if I am concentrating on it, sort of like an actor does. However, If I were to relocate somewhere, like Georgia US., In time, by being around people who speak with a southern accent, my accent would start to adapt, or change. So it is by either practice like an actor or association with your surroundings.
230982
no you're right, there isn't such diversity in accent, yet there is a variety in slang used in different regions. Maybe it is because it is not such an old country and regional accents haven't had enough time to develop
874597
Personally I think British accents sound intellectual. Maybe because it is so soft and light sounding, whereas something like a Brooklyn accent or Long Island accent, or deep southern accent is so harsh. But accents should not at all affect how you think of a person from Britain or Brooklyn or Long Island or the south and so on and so on.
419563
Yes, i do esp a british accent and italian accent. very sexy. when i was stationed overseas i had italian guys just speaking to me in italian and i couldnt understand them, but i loved the accent.
1159419
Like most people - I think it's quite unattractive. A recent survey showed that accents from the Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester are the accents people find the least trustworthy, where those from Yorkshire, Scotland, and (perhaps surprisingly) London are the most trustworthy. Unfortunately there are regional British accents you can get away with anywhere, and those you can't, and each accent has different connotations. Ever noticed how when they're trying to advertise household products, or appeal to the everyday person, it'll be a Yorkshire accent, or maybe a Scottish one, and when they want to sell you something seen as "sophisticated" or upmarket, they bring out the flat "BBC English" (unnaccented as some would say)? Times change though - 50years ago an Irish accent in Britain would have got you instantly barred from many places, whereas now it's associated with (and used in advertising to denote) someone who's friendly and down-to-earth. Be curious to know what the Brummies think of their own accent, as a lot of people will try to hide an accent if they move elsewhere...
6063
I've been told by Germans that Americans sound like they've got potatoes in their mouths when they're talking.  You could try that - if your mouth is big enough :).  Otherwise, it's very difficult to acquire an American accent, even if you've lived in the US for several years (although I know of a Lithuanian who has an American accent and he only lived in the US for two years).  I would say just make sure you enunciate well and be happy with your interesting accent.
102372
>>>>>How do British accents vary?\n\nThat’s a hell of a question. How would you answer the question “How do US accents vary?” The answer is pretty much the same. And of course you can’t really describe an accent in print.\n\n>>>>>I've heard that they can reveal your social standing but in what way? \n\nThe same way they can  in the US or almost any other part of the world. Accents are tied to geographic location. Some geographic locations are primarily populated by poor people. Those children form that area that are educated outside will lose their accent so the accent comes to be associated ONLY with poor people. When you hear  that accent  you can pretty much guarantee the person in poor. Conversely some accents are associated with areas populated by rich people, or even with specific private schools. If you hear that accent you can guess  the person has or at least had money.\n\nBut as I say, England is neither better nor worse than the US in this respect these days. \n\nWhat do you think of when you here the classic Robert de Niro Brooklyn accent? Is it the accent of a college professor or a taxi driver?  A stockbroker or a steelworker?\n\nHow about the classic Boston accent of the Kennedies, Mayor Quimby) or Frasier? ? Is it the accent of a college professor or a taxi driver?  A stockbroker or a steelworker?\n\nAnd the list goes on. Appalachian accents are strongly associated with poor rural, Southern accents with strong diction are associated with wealth and refinement whereas southern accents with dropped letters is associated with poverty, the Jersey Accent is associated with the upper working classes etc.\n\nIn England you would say that a West End Cockney accent was the same as a Bronx accent.  An Oxford accent the same as a Classic Boston Accent. A Yorkshire accent the same as an Appalachian accent. A Scouse accent the same as a Jersey accent. Those pairs of accents mean almost exactly the same thing in their respective countries. And they are all reveal the social standing of the speaker.\n\n Of course it isn’t perfect. There are Liverpuddlians who have become multi-billionaires just as numerous people who grew up in Brooklyn have made lots of money. But as a general rule those accents tell you where people are socially even more where they came from. \n\nThese days the utility of accents at defining social position is fading in Britain just as it is fading in the US. Prior to WWII in both the US and England if you moved up the social ladder you made a conscious effort to lose your accent if it wasn’t appropriate. These days people tend to be more proud of the fact that they have moved up and don’t make the attempt to disguise it so much.
1129650
Haha .... don't know really, but our daughter lives in Britain and she uses it very well now with a very "British" accent!!!\n\nThese links at least show that others are looking for its origin too!!   You never know what you'll learn by browsing YA!!!  I hope this helps.
371241
Everyone has an accent.\nYou don't get rid of an accent; you acquire a new one.\nSwitch your focus from what you sound like to what you want to sound like.
1140786
The short answer is that spelling conventions like -our (colour, flavour) and -re (centre, theatre) came from French, which was introduced into England in the Norman Conquest of 1066. After that, French became, in effect, the "official language" of England, and dramatically influenced (and enriched) the English language.\n\nHowever, spelling conventions in Britain and America were not codified until the 18th and 19th centuries. The British chose to keep the French influence, while the Americans, newly independent, chose to drop the "u", as a way of differentiating themselves from the former "mother country." Noah Webster, the dictionary author, had a lot to do with this, though he didn't invent it -- it was already taking place. He just chose to call it "correct."\n\nAs for why non-native English speakers in Europe and elsewhere use British spellings, it's because most countries consider British English the "correct" or "authentic" form of English. In fact, many foreign countries still teach students to speak English with an English accent, which often produces an odd effect.
710990
Not sure...but it seems that Americans like Australian accents....don't think it's a good thing actually :/