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Just curious as to how we sound to others. Accents are cool but I feel like Americans just sound really annoying lol

I love british accents.......well the womens.

Shooo! Leave our women alone! haha

Lol, I can't!, There just too beautiful.

*LOL, I can't!  They're just too beautiful.

^This is what I'm ashamed of -.-

Grammar, on the internet, whatever will you expect next? Haha. 

Whoops, bad grammar, feffwedafcegve2g

Is that all us Brits are good for now, judging accents? Haha. I suppose we should be grateful for even that... 

To be frank, I've never put too much thought into it. Though I will say the pronunciation of certain words by Americans is somewhat annoying, especially when my American friend insists we are saying a particular word "wrong". Just because, 'murica. lol 

When it comes to the accent itself I would simply say that heavy southern, or Yankee for that matter, accents are always piercing and loud... and, well, annoying. But that can be said for the extreme versions of every accent on Earth, including the stereotypical posh English accent. 

It really depends on the area.  Hawaiian residents and those who live in Florida can at least pronounce words correctly (California, as nice as a place it is, is full of illiterate trash) in their own vernacular, compared to...let's say those who live in the Mid-West?

Though, the words aluminum and aluminium do irk my ears when neither can be pronounced correctly. (AU, UK, and US citizens have all screwed up this word in front of me...it's terrible).

Aluminininuminum

*Aluminiuminuminium.

ALUMINIMINUM AND CATSUP

Aluminum and ketchup.

My family have always said that California is the home of lunacy, loons and down right madness... as nice as some of them are, of course. 

How would you pronounce aluminium out of curiosity? It has always been a sticking point in my mind, especially due to how distinctly differently Britain and America do pronounce it. 

Ah-Loom-In-Um

Or on occasion, Ah-Lew-Min-Um (I'm a bit southern)

 

Ah, I stick with- Al-Yoo-Min-Ee-Um. Strange, no? 

EDIT: Nothing to see here. 

That is the oddest pronunciation of aluminum I've ever heard of

Not at all, it is perfectly normal, and how it has been said in Britain for hundreds of years. (I presume) 

It being spelt "Aluminium" in the UK may help you "get" why the pronunciation is so different. Note the extra 'i'. :) 

"Al-Yoo" caught me off guard though haha

Much like how we pronounce our e's and i's by literally saying the letter, so we do in the case of one syllable in this word. 

*shrugs* 

I dunno, personally can't stand most (If not all) British accents. Just sounds annoying at times, though I do enjoy several British tv shows. Just find them in person irritating haha. The absence of some letters (example: Wa-ter turns into: Wah-er).

Oh yeah, and here's an article on a similar matter-

http://www.livescience.com/33652-americans-brits-accents.html

Danke Schön, this was interesting to read.

The example you have given is only relatively to chav speak, I can assure you, not many of us are chavs. Haha. To be fair discounting all British accents is a bit harsh. Considering it consists of-

Cockney, "Regular" Londoner, Brummy, Yorkshire, Mancunian, Geordie, Scouse, Glaswegian, Edinburgh, West Country, Belfast, Welsh.

And no doubt many more. I could very easily find similar examples to your own in the American language sphere, or anywhere else, frankly. 

PS. the article highlighted is incorrect in many of the modern examples given. 

Yep, I'm sure. I do know, however, that my cynical, 35 year old, English computer teacher (who was most definitely not 'chav') pronounced 'water' like that, among other words. I just find it odd/annoying personally, it rings a bit 'off' to my eardrums.

I dunno, don't take it personally haha.

I promise you, most of us don't. Haha. 

I will find this teacher personally for you and take away their tea for a couple of years. 

I've lived in America pretty much my whole life. I learned to talk watching the BBC, though, so I sound *slightly* British. Does that count?

"I learnt to talk watching the BBC"
How does that work?

He watched doctor who a lot I guess?

'Twas pretty much the only channel that was on when I was around. And my parents like documentaries.

It starts subtly. About a dozen hours of combined Doctor Who and Skins, and you start to change the spelling of universal English words to the British standard. Eventually, with continued viewing, you began to incorporate a few British slang words into your regular speech patterns. And finally, if you keep watching, entire sentences can be riddled with Brit slang (twat, twit, wanker, etc.)

English accent is kind of soothing. Scot and Irish ones are amusing yet good to listen to especially when using words like lad.

American one is ok I guess (it doesn't sound like an accent to me since I'm used to it). South American one is tolerable but I can't stand it when old Americans speak. They are so sloooow they sound like tracters

Yeah, I'd say it depends what part of America. Personally I find gruff, Texan accents quite cool. Bronx accents are hilarious! The only American accent I'd say I found annoying was Southern, Californian types. It can sound really cool and chilled out sometimes, but that thing the girls do where they raise their voice higher at the end of every sentence can make them sound really dumb.

I never understood why people find English accents sexy. Especially the over the top posh accents like Americans seem to think we all sound like. People like Hugh Grant and Keira Knightly I just think sound kind of snobby and annoying.

Personally I like Scottish, Irish and Spanish accents the best ^_^

Keira Knightley sounds unbelievably attractive! Hugh Laury sounds amazing! But I think many British accents are attractive, personally. There's some dialects that I'm not a huge fan of, I think I remember not finding Cockney attractive at all but I could be totally wrong. I'm Canadian, but I spent several summers in a couple of small cities in Surrey or in Bristol.

I love the Cockney accent! I don't think it sounds attractive, it's just fun to listen to 

Ho yeah! Scots are great, far beyond the crappy stereotypical cartoonish ones they spurt out on TV.

I recommend tp all Americans that they go there someday, and try some haggis too. It's true what they say, y'know, it really does taste like English black pudding!

 

Irish ones... Not so much in my opinion.

On the other hand, I've fallen in love with French accents.

Well, it is the Romance Language.

You do know that French is a Romance Language because it's roots are from Latin (main language of Rome) and has nothing to do with romance/love right?

Hence why all Romance Languages are so sexy~!

I do admit that I love the sound of an Italian voice.

Why did you think I considered it to be related to love/romance? It is commonly called the 'Romance Language' and I referred to it as such.

I'm an American, and I think as long as the person is literate, and they speak a common language to me - I don't mind accents.

Weeellll, I always had a mix of a soft English and Irish accent due to living in Northern Ireland which works well in most countries ;)  (Not an Ulster Scots accent) Also as many people have said there are LOADS of accents in England, not just the famous ones, there are a dozen in London itself, most English people can place exactly what city or even city district you are from after just a few words.

As for the American accent it seems to be the same. I've heard loads of different accents from America, the ones I would call the 'TV' American accents even vary wildly from the New York, Texan, Alabama, Bronx and California. So really it depends which accent you have. The Southern Drawl isn't too bad but other Southern accents become very nazaly which irritates me no end. I tend to like the Californian unless it gets too thick and they start to sound like stoned surfers.

So really I'd just say it depends where your from :)

I heard the weirdest accent in my life the other day. A friend came to visit me with her boyfriend, and he comes from Ascension, which is a little island near St Helena, half way between South America and South Africa. The accent sounded like a really strange cross between Australian and Irish. It sounded so weird, but in a really awesome way 

Ironically, I read up somewhere that British English has changed much more than American English since the days of the Revolution.

Personally though, I don't like valley accents which I believe come from somewhere in California. Something about them make me upset.

It sounds offensive even to non-Central Valley residents when you hear it, doesn't it?

Yes it does, and I don't know why. Every time I hear the accent I feel as though there is some sort of inside joke being made at my expense, or my preference for something is being mocked.

To be honest, when you're getting American television and American movies and American news and American computer games and American tourists, not very nice.

Imagine very stereotypical hillbillies, New Yorkers, and a few other strong stereotypical accents. All Americans sound like that to us.

Well excuse me >.>

Better to watch Survivorman and not deal with all those forced voices in TV then.

Don't put all Brits in that box, please haha. I have little issue with the majority of American accents, only the gruff and extreme versions. 

Well my grandmother is from England and she never had any problem with American accents though she's always getting compliments on hers despite the fact that various people have mistaken her accent for Australian, Scottish, Irish, an American southerner and in one baffling instance Yugoslavian.

Is she a Northener by any chance?

She's originally from a town called Woolaston. More towards the south.

What does being northern have to do with her like or dislike of particular accents? As a Londoner, even I can see how off such a suggestion is. lol  

One thing I've noticed about Americans. When you meet an American and they realize you're English, the first thing they ask is "Do you know the Queen?"

... Yes. Yes, we all know the Queen. England has a population of 100 people and the Queen invites us all over for tea and crumpets every Tuesday.

Only every Tuesday? You must have done something to upset her. I stay round every weekend. Haha

My grandmother said she used to get asked that a lot when she first came to the US, she used to reply by asking them if they knew the president. She never liked the royalty anyway. Lol.

Lol! I do the same thing! If anyone asks me "Do you know the Queen?" I'll ask "Do you know Obama?" ... Then they look at me like I'm an idiot for asking such a dumb question