Ohhun
English pronunciation

why so different British English, American English and Australia English?

when I heard them it is not same languages. 

 

May 3, 2015 1:05 PM
Comments · 4
1

Haha Dan Smith, you would much more likely hear 'that's pants' or 'that was pants' in the UK. Not 'totally pants' lol. Do you genuinely not know what it means or were you joking? It means something is not very good in case you didn't, the reason why, I don't know.

 

Oh Downton Abbey, such a terrible programme. Its big in the US? Well that will bias further the American perception of what English accents sound like lol. Just to point it out, the accents in shows like that and also of the British actors who tend to make it big in Hollywood are not shared by the majority of the people in this country.

 

 

May 3, 2015
1

It's the same language. Australians, British, and U.S. citizens have no trouble understanding each other when we are speaking straightforward English. If I were to record myself reading these sentences aloud and send it to Peachey, I am sure he would understand it effortlessly and could transcribe every word.

Of course there are differences in slang, colloquial expressions. "That's totally pants" (British idiom... I think...) What? What does that mean? Occasionally I'll have trouble catching a word because of different pronunciation, but that could just as true if I were listening to someone from another part of the U.S.

U.S. native speakers love listening to Downton Abbey (British English and a little old-fashioned) and have no trouble understanding it. I understand "Big Bang Theory" (U.S. English) is very popular in Australia. 

May 3, 2015
1

They're distinct, but definitely not as different as you think. We all use standard grammar and the same words (most of the time) and we understand each other quite well. It's still the same language. :)

May 3, 2015

Within the UK, the speed of speech can be very different. <em>For</em> people in London, Scottish/irish people speak very fast and can be hard to understand

May 10, 2015