Hun, Stick shift, Food to go, Mom...etc etc

Wonky wheels.... I love it.

not to hijack this enlightening thread....  

has anyone ever noticed that the ABC song, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star are the same tune, the rhythms alter slightly, but ultimately it is the same song?

A little bit of trivia for ya on this beautiful Scottish Saturday...

x
Carrie in Scotland

ps - the tune was composed by Mozart....
x

pps - I say sorted, I like wonky, I say fanny for the shock value  ... and w*nker is one of my favorite put downs...  

Can someone please tell me why in the UK someone is "in hospital", rather than "in the hospital"  This drives me crazy every time I hear a newscaster say that.   [smiley=!blank.gif]

Because 'in THE hospital' makes it sound like there is only ONE hospital!

I am still trying to get my American wife to understand why it is that one cannot speak English with an English accent!!  She seems to miss the point entirely that an accent is, literally, a 'leaning away from or to' something.  English is just English; you can have a regional accent within English, but you can't have an English accent - unless, of course you are speaking a language other than English.  Similarly, Germans don't speak German in a German accent - they just speak German.

Therefore...... only foreigners can speak English with an accent.  What the Americans notice in our speech is the LACK of an American accent!

I am still trying to get my American wife to understand why it is that one cannot speak English with an English accent!!  She seems to miss the point entirely that an accent is, literally, a 'leaning away from or to' something.  English is just English; you can have a regional accent within English, but you can't have an English accent - unless, of course you are speaking a language other than English.  Similarly, Germans don't speak German in a German accent - they just speak German.

Therefore...... only foreigners can speak English with an accent.  What the Americans notice in our speech is the LACK of an American accent!

What?  I'm afraid that I don't understand what you're saying either.  Or, I do sort of understand, but I really don't agree.

I am still trying to get my American wife to understand why it is that one cannot speak English with an English accent!!  ......

I think I can see what you are trying to say, but I disagree entirely unless you have a satisfactory word to describe the obvious differences between the vocalizations of people from, say, Wales, Scotland, Newcastle, Liverpool and Birmingham.  

Is there any other way to characterize the difference other than to describe them as a difference in accent?  If you have another word I'd be very interested to hear what it is!

I am still trying to get my American wife to understand why it is that one cannot speak English with an English accent!!..... /clip
... What the Americans notice in our speech is the LACK of an American accent!

I would say the reason Americans say "English accent" is because we refer people from England as "English people", therefore Americans say that an English person speaks with an English accent.
I guess it's just sort of a play on words kind of thing , but i do see your point Gurumaister.
So it would  be safer to say that you speak with a British accent and we speak with an American accent.

Mindy - I hate to say this but it isn't really a matter of agreeing or not - it is purlely a matter of linguistic fact.  The French do not speak French with a French accent - they just speak French.  You or I would speal it with a British or American accent.  The point is that an accent is, by definition, a leaning away from the standard.  Certainly an English voice sounds different - but it is not an accent, it is merely the sound of an English voice.

Mr VaL - Your point is, of course, valid and I dealy with it when I mentioned regional accents as variations within English - or British.

Bob - Your comments are a very reasonable bottom line to what was posted as a tongue-in-cheek attempt to get a reaction.  It worked!!  

Nope, still don't agree.  English is a language spoken around the world for centuries.  It may have originated here, but you don't own it.  There are probably hundreds of different countries who speak English-so they would have English with a Welsh, South African, New Zealand,or English accent.  The same goes for French.  I'm sure someone from Quebec or Belgium or some other French speaking country would recognize the  French accent of someone from France.  The days of the Empire are over I'm afraid.  

Mr. Val?  Are you and I actually agreeing?

Mr. Val?  Are you and I actually agreeing?

[smiley=speechless.gif] [smiley=stunned.gif] [smiley=wreck.gif]!!!!!!

*puts head between legs, gets brown paper bag and breathes slowly into it*

Ok, I need to lie down.....

..... Mr. Val?  Are you and I actually agreeing?

It looks like it!  ..... Maybe I'm slowly turning American in my outlook?  

I have long disagreed with my husband on this, and I have to give three cheers for Mindy's response.  I absolutely agree; the English speaking English doesn't make them the gods of a language that we all bow down and worship.  Their way of speaking isn't correct just because the name of the country matches up, or because they think they developed it, or have spoken it the longest, or because they helped spread it around the world.  Apologies to all the English out there, but I'm not going to trip over my tongue, and search for appropriate words for hours when I try to tell my family I'm slowly picking up on the English accent, just because the English want to have egos bigger than their country and be the masters of a language that, frankly, they speak incorrectly half the time and no one in the UK can agree on.  Linguistics aside, I think making any sort of deal out of saying "English accent" is just a glimpse into how petty the English can be, even though they like to talk about how the Americans always get inappropriately insulted.  I wouldn't have a problem with this if the English spoke English correctly, but they DON'T.  The mere fact that my husband can't stop himself from putting r's at the ends of words where they don't belong is an example (even my name, Juliar, or Lisar, or any number of other words) that they aren't the gurus of the language and certainly can't expect every one else to think so.  

Hmph!
Jewel

I acknowledge all points made as totally valid.  I just knew that starting in on the "accent" issue would raise some reactions   - now I shall continue to enjoy reading the posts.  

..... shouldn't people from England be Engish?  Where did the "L" come from? ......

The Angles invaded Britain from the Saxony area of what is now Germany, making them Anglo-Saxons.  England is condensed from what became known as "Angle Land" - the land of the Angles.  So the current single L in the center of England is sole remainder of what used to be two Ls, and therefore it's quite in order for the natives of England to be English.

Sorry, I'm not an anthropologist but I think that I've got the bulk of that right!  :-/