Why do AMERICANS have STRANGE ACCENTS?

The American accent has come a long way since the very early British settlers, who all bar a handful had British accents of course. Like all colonial countries though, the accents changed over the years as the melting pot of people from all over, initially, the British Isles and then the rest of the world arrived to carve out a new life. The American accent developed differently to say the Australian accent, as connections to Britain, especially culturally were held onto for a longer period of time. To maintain a British accent, more specifically an English accent was seen in the early days especially as a sign of one being cultured, sophisticated and fashionable. Surprisingly the British accent influenced the American accent for much longer than most people imagine. It was there noticeable right into the 20th century. We even have recordings of Americans in interview with distinct English influenced accents, including a wonderful recorded speech by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912…who definitely had a slight English accent!

This , along with dozens of other stories, unusual facts and unheard tales comes from my history book ‘A Bash With The British Empire’

My other history book is called ‘A Romp With The Georgians’

You’ll find both books online - Thank you

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[three_sisters_travel]

There is still an island off the east coast called Tangier Island it is part of America but they have a British accent still. They sound like the West country there. There's a video on YouTube about it if you want to check it out

[monroemusicnz]

You should hear most of our NZ teenagers, mainly in Auckland. They’re sounding more and more American. Jarring to this British Kiwi’s ear 😉

[AbiNomac]

I was watching an early episode of Bewitched and my ears pricked when Samantha Steve’s said the word “gather” with an English twang. As I had purchased the DVD set of the series, her pronunciation of the same word changed to American accent toward the end of the series.

[OriginalNethead]

Teddy Roosevelt doesn't surprise me. He came from New York City "aristocracy"; there is a photograph of him watching Lincoln's funeral cortege from his grandmother's 5th Avenue window. There were houses/mansions on that street at the time, long gone of course. His ancestry was as much Dutch as anything, they were the original New York settlers, but the fashionable accent was probably kinda-sorta British. His mother was also Southern, so that plays in too. 04:18 The gent sounds like his parents came from Ireland. Probably did. You can still hear traces of a UK accent in some Southern accents to this day. There was a lot of trade between the American south and the UK right up until out Civil War. The influences hung on. The recognized "American" accent David is talking about is most likely midwestern dialect used for broadcast television . It's fairly flat and comprensible to most Americans. News broadcasters often use it, especially older ones.

[stogieguy]

The confederate veteran was speaking in an old Virginia accent. I grew up there in the 1970s and older people all spoke that way. I never thought of it as British; more ‘southern’. But I suppose that the soft ‘r’ and other details harken back to Britain. Many southerners still use the phrase “I reckon” which comes from you guys. Roosevelt was using the trans-Atlantic accent which was taught to dignitaries and actors back then as a way to sound sophisticated. Interesting video!

[PatrickMurphy-zk]

In New England, it's called the old Yankee accent. Within New England. Yankee has a specific ethnic identification meaning a person of English or mostly English ancestry.

[Oceanetide]

Very surprising and very interesting thank you David x

[three_sisters_travel]

Great video I'm actually a descendant of two signers of the Declaration of Independence Dr Benjamin Rush Richard Stockton. The Rush name was carried all the way to my grandmother. I love England very much and we travel there every year. I wish I could call it my home. I was always told growing up by my mother that we were English even though we've been here. The town in Ohio I grew up in was settled by people of English ancestry at Fort Greenville Ohio. I took one of those ancestry DNA tests and I'm still of 98 percent British Isles ancestry. My favorite part of England is the North from the Midlands up I love the Lake District Yorkshire and Northumberland. I've been to Cornwall and Devon also. I still haven't been to London even though I come to England every year.

[tezz__]

did anyone else notice the shadowy figure perfectly framed in the doorway at 1:02

[michaelscott]

everywhere ive travelled in the world the scottish accent is by far the best received and loved

[derekmills]

Interesting, especially the voice of Theodore Roosevelt.
A very good friend of mine married a charming lady from New England. They shared time equally between the UK and the USA. After my friend sadly passed away during their UK sojourn, she moved to an old part of Schenectady in an old clapperboard house not far from the Mohawk River.
She used to come to England and rent a cottage in the Lake District, nomatter the weather.
Her accent was almost completely English with very few indications of her country of origin. We used to meet up for a walk or meal whenever she was in England.
Apart from her memories of her late husband, I was puzzled as to why she loved the Lake District with all its rain, when wonderful sunny weather was to be had in the USA. She just pointed to the lush green fields, valleys and forested areas visible from the cottage and said “that’s why”.

[bdewar]

That was interesting! Sometimes Dutch and Scandinavian people sound American to me. Also I guess some of the recorded famous Americans from yesteryear spent many years at Oxford or Cambridge which may have made them sound British.

[waynewoz]

I'm English and I don't even know what the English accent is because if I drive 20 miles in any direction it changes for such a small country we have loads of accents

[lugo_]

As an irish person, i have often been accused of copying an american accent. But we pre-date their English accent by about 500 years.

[ThatGuyVlogs]

The “British accent” your thinking of is the American accent yall have a new modernized accent

[CJ-xldh]

4:00 But that's not surprising ;some new England states still have a very close UK accent.

[jamesshave]

Absolutely brilliant David thank you . I love learning. Jamie 😊

[PatrickMurphy-zk]

You can find this accent in Northern New England in rural areas. Most of these people are of English ancestry. Although very few people speak this way. I would say northern Vermont and New Hampshire. In isolated towns in the green mountains and white mountains.

[cjanvier]

I would call Theodore's accent as transatlantic. Old American films from the 20's to even up the 50's had a lot of actors speaking like that.

[xxjoeyladxx]

The first accent, the Union soldier from 1927, sounds a little like the kind of accents that could still be heard in the mid-20th century in parts of County Durham and particularly Westmorland in the UK.
It's certainly interesting that George Washington's family had been educated in Appleby, which is also in Westmorland. Maybe coincidental, but nevertheless very fitting.