I speak English with no accent(or rather, with US accent), aroused IO's suspicions

[schandrag]

Is there really a standard american accent. Are you referring to newsreaders on TV and commentators etc, much like RP(received pronunciation) on BBC is considered standard British. Isn't the way one speaks in America largely dictated by education, region ( and variation even within states/regions), subculture ( inner city, etc). A good idea would be to read the book "do you speak american" ( available for $5 used on amazon) to appreciate the wide variety of spoken english in the USA ( the book staes canada is more uniform for native speakers, except for the maritimes, esp newfoundland). What the book states is also affirmed by my own experience in interracting with people from different regions and social backgrounds.

 

[TheRealist]

Is there really a standard american accent. Are you referring to newsreaders on TV and commentators etc, much like RP(received pronunciation) on BBC is considered standard British. Isn't the way one speaks in America largely dictated by education, region ( and variation even within states/regions), subculture ( inner city, etc). A good idea would be to read the book "do you speak american" ( available for $5 used on amazon) to appreciate the wide variety of spoken english in the USA ( the book staes canada is more uniform for native speakers, except for the maritimes, esp newfoundland). What the book states is also affirmed by my own experience in interracting with people from different regions and social backgrounds.

Regardless of the limited variations in American accents - NYC/LI, southern, Latino-influenced, African-influenced, there is indeed a standard American accent, and yes it is considered to be the one we hear in mainstream news. More importantly, it's the accent which the majority of Americans speak with.

Hillary Clinton has the same accent as does John McCain, as does Al Gore. As do Bill Gates, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Sharon Stone, Lou Dobbs, Keith Olbermann and Jeb Bush. They all grew up independently of each other and in different regions of the US, but speak with the same accent - the American accent. Inner city accents vary... but only among people of color. Inner city whites speak differently from inner city blacks.

Accent variations by geographic region are not too many in the US. The Indian model (accent changing after traveling a certain distance) does not easily apply here.

I think we should all be comfortable with the way we speak. Leave the American accent for those born and brought up here

 

[Vorpal]

Most native-born TV/radio personalities (actors, commentators, reporters, etc.) take an accent elimination course that teaches them to speak English in a non-colloquial dialect. Next time you watch the news, pay attention to the fact that most reporters don't have an identifiable regional accent (i.e., NY, Southern, etc.). In other words, as was mentioned above, everyone has some sort of an accent, and it's usually dictated by the region a person was raised in.

 

[wantmygcnow]

The OP is hilarious. Every immig person I know who thought his/her accent was "American" usu sounds ridiculous imo and they don't know how awful they actually sound to others.

I bet the IO went back and told his mates "you can't imagine the accent on a jackass I interviewed today". So relax, op and settle down a little bit.

I second that.