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[Closed] Young people and American accents

 grum
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Has anyone else noticed that significant numbers of young people (have to say its especially girls) talk with a mid-Atlantic accent (and say 'like' a lot in a 90210 style)? It's really bizarre. These aren't people who've ever lived in the US or have American parents. Probably mostly middle-class kids, often emo types. ๐Ÿ™‚

How many generations of American cultural dominance before everyone in the country sounds American?


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:05 am
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Posted : 21/05/2013 11:07 am
 mt
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You ride a mountain bike and are concerned about USA culture. Are a fan of Hollywood fils or do you just like Ealing comedies? ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:09 am
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whats an 'emo type'?


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:09 am
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Sounds like every other conversation on Uni of Nottingham campus, [i]like[/i], [i]literally[/i].


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:09 am
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As a kid I always wanted to talk like Steve Austin !


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:10 am
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I reckon the increase in the use of the rising inflection is mostly from American teen sitcoms, yeah?


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:12 am
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I think that's you officially old now Grum.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:12 am
 grum
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Can't say it's something that especially bothers me, but it is pretty weird. I can understand there being a bit of in influence but some people do really have the accent too.

whats an 'emo type'?


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:14 am
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grumz bare old blud!


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:15 am
 grum
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sweepy - Member
I think that's you officially old now Grum

Yup that's what I suspected. ๐Ÿ™


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:15 am
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My fifteen-year-old son speaks excellent RP with just a slightly sexy accent, thanks to never living in an English-speaking country.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 12:58 pm
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grumz bare old blud!

We had a lad who spoke like that at work. Took a LOT of drugs. Doesn't work for us anymore.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 1:04 pm
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philconsequence - Member
whats an 'emo type'?

Emo used to be goths who were scsred of their mum to get pierced all over the place


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 1:04 pm
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emo?

[img] [/img]

"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me."


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 1:07 pm
 Drac
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My fifteen-year-old son speaks excellent RP with just a [b]slightly sexy accent,[/b]
๐Ÿ˜ฏ


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 1:22 pm
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glad you posted that drac, was afraid i'd suffer the wrath of the mods if i did.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 1:38 pm
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I made my niece listen to this. Did the trick.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 1:38 pm
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"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me."

Quote of the day- love it. Facebook thumbs up like type thing ๐Ÿ˜†


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 1:40 pm
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Kids speaking English in an American accent cultural domination irony.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 4:10 pm
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It's not phoney American accents that annoy me, it's people who pronounce the -er ending as -ah, as in bruvvah, muvvah, farvah, bovvah and so on.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 5:14 pm
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I prefer a slightly mid-Atlantic accent to an affected cod-cock-er-ney gang-banger accent. Innit, blood... ๐Ÿ™„


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 5:24 pm
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*waits for an Atherton vid*

or, Edinburgh.

Seriously though, ken, I literally walked in an' he wiz like, ken wit, nah, dinnae bother, like.

Y'Ken?

Edit: Come 'fam, welcum'ma'ends meeeeh.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 5:26 pm
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Is this 'can I get?' that everyone uses instead of 'can I have' and Americanism (if thats a word?)

I hate it, kids saying at a counter, 'can I get a Coffee?' NO, you can't get a coffee, You can have one!

I want to smash one in the face now!


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 5:30 pm
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Lewis Hamilton makes me laugh. He's from Stevenage!


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 5:33 pm
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A woman at work tries to be all americanised with her language and fair miserably, keeps writing "yah" when she means "yay"

Worst of all, she's in her 30's


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 5:45 pm
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Bring back "Grumpy Old Men".

"YOLO."

YOU WHAT!?

Edit: Thanks for that Quartz. ๐Ÿ˜†


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 6:07 pm
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Does this mean that Jafaican accents are over?


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 6:09 pm
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My wife's American and sounds almost English, and did even before she arrived here. Weird.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 6:10 pm
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cod-cock-er-ney gang-banger accent. Innit, blood...

Don't think it's cockerney, it's more Caribbean patter type thing.

And with the American accent? Comes this intonation? That makes everything sound like a question? So you want to punch someone?


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 6:10 pm
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funniest thing, and saddest too, i've seen/heard was a bunch of local kids with fairly broad cornish accents trying to be all cool with an aliG type accent.

like!


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 6:25 pm
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Young people make the language fresh and ever-changing.

Some old people object.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 9:46 pm
 grum
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Young people make the language fresh and ever-changing.
Some old people object.

Hmmm.... It's not really the language I have an issue with, it's the American accent and the rising intonation yeah?

For some reason the fake cockney gangsta thing bothers me less. ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 10:08 pm
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Tbf, I hear the upward inflection but I've never really heard the American accent that strongly. I also think that kids grow out of the fake cockney gangsta patua type thing after a while too. I find it quite funny listening to my two nephews in London - they couldn't be more middle class but listening to them talking with their mates is hilarious. ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 10:14 pm
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Spending too much time evesdropping on teenage girls. I hope op is a teacher!


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 10:18 pm
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Yes, upward inflection ๐Ÿ™‚
Is that a reflection of wanting to be accepted or trying to say that one is more trendy and up-to-date?


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 10:18 pm
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I think it is a lack of confidence? By making every statement a question? The speaker is looking for agreement/affirmation? From the group? Yeah?


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 10:41 pm
 grum
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Spending too much time evesdropping on teenage girls. I hope op is a teacher!

I'm a 'music leader' for a community music charity which involves running workshops etc with young people (amongst other things) - I've got a clean enhanced CRB check and everything! ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:02 pm
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Is this in the same way as 30somethings all embraced cafe culture a while back when that american show Friends was on the go?


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:06 pm
 hels
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That question mark at the end of every sentence is called a high rising terminal, and it originated in New Zealand, spread to Australia and I imagine got over here via Neighbours and Home & Away. It's quite infectious. Just FYI.


 
Posted : 21/05/2013 11:13 pm
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Back when we had Sky tv my daughters started to pic up an American twang so I blocked the Disney Channel and things got better, now we don't have Sky, and my kids have normal highland accents now, just as it should be,
PJ.


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 12:05 am
 69er
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My son's girlfriend says 'like' in every sentence. Makes me want to punch her in the face. Grumpy old man? Me? ๐Ÿ˜‰


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 9:20 am
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My daughters don't have American accents despite having an American mother. I was slightly surprised by that.


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 10:03 am
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Am I the only one who's noticed a bizarre shift in the way some people pounce their vowels? Instead of saying "oh no," they say "ay nay!" Dr Alice Roberts on the telly does it. She goes on about "Heeman evoleetion".


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 10:18 am
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I get disproportionately annoyed at people using ass instead of arse.


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 10:33 am
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The 'ay nay' thing might be a result of watching South Park


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 10:34 am
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my niece (is 3) and say och no in a thick scottish accent, whilst definitely coming from surrey.

I think it came from the gruffalo. makes me laugh every time.


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 10:41 am
 grum
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Bloody Scottish cultural imperialism. ๐Ÿ‘ฟ


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 11:19 am
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I am brought to thinking of the Editor of Sugar Ape magazine in Nathan Barley, who had a question mark added to his name by deed poll, thus becoming "Jonatton Yeah?".


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 5:07 pm
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Eldest daughter has her American accent when at [her American] school or with American friends. When at home with us she reverts back to her native Northern Irish accent

And to top it off all her friends/teachers etc want her to speak in her own accent as they say it sounds cool

Kids and fitting in??


 
Posted : 22/05/2013 5:28 pm
 grum
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And another grumpy old man thing - why do lots of young lads think it's cool to constantly have their hands down the front of their pants? How did that become fashionable?


 
Posted : 27/05/2013 2:04 pm
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grum - Member

And another grumpy old man thing - why do lots of young lads think it's cool to constantly have their hands down the front of their pants? How did that become fashionable?

I think MJ copied that from some feral "cool" rap culture then mass reproduced it on the stage by inflicting permanent damage on the younger unimaginative generations with crab like walk. ๐Ÿ™„


 
Posted : 27/05/2013 2:12 pm
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Dr Alice Roberts

*has a moment*


 
Posted : 27/05/2013 2:24 pm
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ken, I literally walked in an' he wiz like, ken wit, nah, dinnae bother, like.

I think I saw you dancing the conga on Leith Walk last night.

It's not uncommon for people with autism to adopt an American accent. Not just pick up a bit of influence but to become completely convincing with it despite never had any direct contact with an American. Sometimes it's other accents but predominately American.

Young people make the language fresh and ever-changing.

Some old people object.

Everything [i]will[/i] change.


 
Posted : 27/05/2013 2:31 pm
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My daughter and her cousins always seem to put on an american accent when theire playing, comes from whatching tv


 
Posted : 27/05/2013 2:44 pm