Joy Boy
Why did the americans lose their british accent ?

And maybe a more relevant question is when did they lose it ?

Jun 3, 2015 9:19 AM
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It's not quite as simple as that. The English of the 18th century was very different from the English of today in every respect - grammar, vocabulary, and also pronunciation. The English-speakers who first settled in North America were a mixed group who spoke in a variety of accents and dialects from all over the British Isles, including Ireland, Scotland, Wales and many different regions of England. Over the centuries, what we think of as 'American pronunciation' evolved. This came from an amalgam of all these diverse accents, mixed in with influences from other language speakers, such as Dutch and German. Meanwhile, back in Britain, pronunciation also changed. Here's one example: possibly the most noticeable difference between American and standard British pronunciation ( i.e that of southern England) is the post-vocalic 'r'.  In most of England, people pronounce 'far' as if it were written 'fah', whereas in the US, the final 'r' sound is pronounced. So, if the English of England is the original accent, then Americans must have developed the 'r' pronunciation at some later stage, right?

Wrong. The pronunciation of the 'r' at the end of 'far' is actually an older pronunciation than the one without it. In the 18th century, the standard English way to say 'far' was with the 'r' at the end. This is the pronunciation that travelled over the Atlantic, and Americans retained the original pronunciation. In England, however, things changed. At some point, the fashionable new pronunciation 'fah' emerged, and this gradually took over in most of the country, with the 'far' pronunciation remaining in Scotland, and in areas in the west of England.

So, the issue is not about losing or gaining an accent. It's about the phonology of a language developing in different directions. It's not about losing or gaining an accent. It's about the phonology of a language developing in independently in two different parts of the world.

June 3, 2015