Your flavour of the English language

[Torisakia]

Prepare your earplugs.

[Nekoargentina]

Here you go... English spoken with an Argentine accent... curiously enough, we usually learn with a British accent despite being in the Americas, that's because of the huge British influence/immigration here in the early 20th century. Turn up your volume to the max, my microphone sucks.

[Mostrov]

Toff reporting in. Probably in possession of the most RP voice I've heard on the site so far. And alas no means of recording it, although there is the stuff I posted in the what do you sound like thread. In no especial order, some of it with rather explicit examples of pronunciation as well;

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0g6O4htvD3H
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0KhUYKXeeIi
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1gsHuBo8tlj
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1PxfuMLWxHK

[Fionnuala_Saoirse]

Toff reporting in. Probably in possession of the most RP voice I've heard on the site so far. And alas no means of recording it, although there is the stuff I posted in the what do you sound like thread. In no especial order, some of it with rather explicit examples of pronunciation as well;

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0g6O4htvD3H
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0KhUYKXeeIi
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1gsHuBo8tlj
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1PxfuMLWxHK

I have never wanted to punch someone so much in my life. You poor, poor man.

[Mostrov]

I have never wanted to punch someone so much in my life. You poor, poor man.

Why the antipathy, if I may ask?

[Sebtopiaris]

'Strine, mate.

[Fionnuala_Saoirse]

I have never wanted to punch someone so much in my life. You poor, poor man.

Why the antipathy, if I may ask?

A visceral reaction to that accent. I'm still not convinced you're not putting it on.

[Immoren]

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1JB49rIMG3z

[Mostrov]

A visceral reaction to that accent. I'm still not convinced you're not putting it on.

I can understand the doubt, but it does actually sound like that. Of course its usually me reading from something, so there is that. I do actually get odd inflections because of living in Australia, so there can be strange shifts (I grew up with that accent, but there is always the influence of other accents so it can broaden at times).

I have no idea why I would put that accent on, its not 'useful' and as far as I see it an impediment. People don't talk to me because of it.

[Grenartia]

http://vocaroo.com/i/s00myuEm0Tbk

It might be confusing for some of you that I listed both New Orleans and Nashville, but that's because I was raised back and forth between the two (born in Nashville, and currently live there, but New Orleans has my heart), and, other than the neutral Ohioan accent influences I got from my mother and her mother, I feel they've both influenced my style of speech/accent.

Teenage southern accent right here.

Sounds like Matthew McConaughey. Like, I'm surprised you didn't say "Alright, Alright, Alright" at the end.

I could probably do a passable Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine if asked.

There is the right way to say it, then the wrong way a ton of people say

Prescriptivism

They do have a point, with regards to place names. Seriously. As somebody who's lived in/around NOLA most of my life, it absolutely grates my ears to hear somebody pronounce it "New Or-leens" instead of "New Or-lenz" like the locals pronounce it. Its the equivalent of pronouncing "New York" "Now Yerk".

And it also grates me to hear 'pecan' pronounced "peekin" or "pee can" instead of "peh khan". (Yes, as a New Orleanian, I also get grated when ingredients for local delicacies are mispronounced.)

[Angleter]

Toff reporting in. Probably in possession of the most RP voice I've heard on the site so far. And alas no means of recording it, although there is the stuff I posted in the what do you sound like thread. In no especial order, some of it with rather explicit examples of pronunciation as well;

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0g6O4htvD3H
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0KhUYKXeeIi
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1gsHuBo8tlj
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1PxfuMLWxHK

Have you considered a career in narrating Pathé newsreels?

[Gezi Park]

Here's the unique Turkish accent. Sorry if it sucks.

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1UVA6jYtC4w

[Zaldakki]

Prescriptivism

They do have a point, with regards to place names. Seriously. As somebody who's lived in/around NOLA most of my life, it absolutely grates my ears to hear somebody pronounce it "New Or-leens" instead of "New Or-lenz" like the locals pronounce it. Its the equivalent of pronouncing "New York" "Now Yerk".

And it also grates me to hear 'pecan' pronounced "peekin" or "pee can" instead of "peh khan". (Yes, as a New Orleanian, I also get grated when ingredients for local delicacies are mispronounced.)

Place names are an exception, and I agree with you about New Orleans. But I still think the pecan thing is prescriptive, even though I pronounce it the same way you do. It's just that particular ingredient is not only used in New Orleans.

[Degenerate Heart of HetRio]

I thought I was the only one. Huzzah, my brother!

AFAIK, quite a lot of people prefer British English to American English. I, on the other hand, prefer American English to British English.

American English sounds nice, but it's incomprehensible.

[Degenerate Heart of HetRio]

I don't actually do English, btw.

When I try to, it's fucking hilarious. Like when I try to sing along to American songs and forget two thirds of the lyrics while I'm attempting to do it.

[Zaldakki]

I thought I was the only one. Huzzah, my brother!

AFAIK, quite a lot of people prefer British English to American English. I, on the other hand, prefer American English to British English.

I prefer the sound of American English. I don't like how people always think British English is more "correct", whatever that's supposed to mean.

[Costa Fierro]

Here's how New Zealanders butcher English.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

I always found accents from all over the world intriguing, fascinating and some plainly amusing *coughindiancough*. When listening to people speaking English, it's amazing how by simply picking up different kind of cues - whether it be pronunciation, grammar or vocabulary - we can figure the heritage of a person.

Differences in dialect and accents can sometimes lead to downright awkward situations. After all, "having a fag" in England has quite the different meaning in the States. Regardless, I think all accents have their own beauty and have a story to tell of their own. So I thought, what's a good place to find a variety of accents? Of course, NationStates!

Anyway, go ahead, record and upload yourself flaunting your own flavour of the English language. State where you're from and just recite the below words.

Code: Select all

The Words:
Aunt, Roof, Route, Wash, Oil, Theatre, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pyjamas, Caught, Naturally, Aluminium, Envelope

You can perhaps place where they're from in the Anglo-speaking sphere, but divine their heritage?

[Den Svenska Riket]

A visceral reaction to that accent. I'm still not convinced you're not putting it on.

I can understand the doubt, but it does actually sound like that. Of course its usually me reading from something, so there is that. I do actually get odd inflections because of living in Australia, so there can be strange shifts (I grew up with that accent, but there is always the influence of other accents so it can broaden at times).

I have no idea why I would put that accent on, its not 'useful' and as far as I see it an impediment. People don't talk to me because of it.

I wouldn't mind you narrating a BBC documentary.

[Nationes Pii Redivivi]

Mostly Mid-Western, we Californian don't have much in the way of an accent.

[Nationes Pii Redivivi]

AFAIK, quite a lot of people prefer British English to American English. I, on the other hand, prefer American English to British English.

American English sounds nice, but it's incomprehensible.

American English is not homogenous, in the same way British English isn't.

Beside which, I would say that the Newscaster Midwestern or New York Accent is much more comprehensible than, say, Yorkshire or Geordie.

[Degenerate Heart of HetRio]

Here's how New Zealanders butcher English.

You sound like a Londoner with a little bit of accent in-between of Brazil and Southern United States (don't ask me how that can be).

American English sounds nice, but it's incomprehensible.

American English is not homogenous, in the same way British English isn't.

Beside which, I would say that the Newscaster Midwestern or New York Accent is much more comprehensible than, say, Yorkshire or Geordie.

Of course I mean Received Pronunciation vs General American.

AFAIK, quite a lot of people prefer British English to American English. I, on the other hand, prefer American English to British English.

I prefer the sound of American English. I don't like how people always think British English is more "correct", whatever that's supposed to mean.

This is the case of about all colonial European languages, in Portuguese and French it's the same rivalry. xD

[Luziyca]

My pronunciation. Aluminum is so hard... >___<

[Soled]

Stupid website says i don't have a microphone enabled, i actually do, and i can't fix it.
Damnit.

[Estado Paulista]

AFAIK, quite a lot of people prefer British English to American English. I, on the other hand, prefer American English to British English.

American English sounds nice, but it's incomprehensible.

For you.