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English accents. Best and worst


ShadySands

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Best: 

Native speaking English: Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, John Cleese types. Can't help it, I'm a sucker for such ever since I was little. Also certain southern drawls are fun - more the Texas drawl type.

Non-native: Not sure. I like the way a lot of S. Korean actors pronounce/speak English but I doubt that's typical, they're probably well coached on lines and interview answers.

 

Worst:

Well, there's both some native and non-native that can all be "worst" depending on how heavy/prominent the accent is, how rapidly they're speaking, shouting or calm, whether there's other noise (music, traffic, general white noise type stuff), how much time I have to get "used" to it, etc. Trying to understand over the phone can be torturous at times but watching films I'm more flexible.

 

...and I also thought The Guard was hilarious. I love Brendan Gleeson.

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“Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts
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My students are doing country presentations this week, and I was talking to them about presenting with the accent of the country. It was decided that most European accents are safe for anyone, but you can really only get away Indian and Japanese if you are white. Chinese and Mexican sounds pretty offensive unless you are from those cultures. It was a fun conversation. My French accent is pretty solid.

 

....

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My students are doing country presentations this week, and I was talking to them about presenting with the accent of the country. It was decided that most European accents are safe for anyone, but you can really only get away Indian and Japanese if you are white. Chinese and Mexican sounds pretty offensive unless you are from those cultures. It was a fun conversation. My French accent is pretty solid.

....

Ah, the judgemental dot dot dot of Val. So predictable. :)

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My students are doing country presentations this week, and I was talking to them about presenting with the accent of the country. It was decided that most European accents are safe for anyone, but you can really only get away Indian and Japanese if you are white. Chinese and Mexican sounds pretty offensive unless you are from those cultures. It was a fun conversation. My French accent is pretty solid.

....

Ah, the judgemental dot dot dot of Val. So predictable. :)

 

 

Just like the Spanish Inquisition.

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Ah, the judgemental dot dot dot of Val. So predictable. :)

Hey, at least he isn't calling you the worst teacher in America like Sharp_one might. :p

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How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of 'not trying'. I tried with all my heart.

In my dreams, I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance.

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Ah, the judgemental dot dot dot of Val. So predictable. :)

Hey, at least he isn't calling you the worst teacher in America like Sharp_one might. :p

He has already had his go. My confidence was shaken. ;-)

 

 

Nah... if there's one person I've pulled punches with on this forum it's you. and that's no joke. ;)

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I wouldn't say "disappeared", given that his latest post was yesterday.

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How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of 'not trying'. I tried with all my heart.

In my dreams, I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance.

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Being British naturally my accent is downright a ladies' magnet.  And for those embarassed by not understanding certain accents, don't be, we can't understand most of our own accents either.  Native speakers in Britain cannot understand the Liverpudlian accent known as Scouse, we are convinced they aren't actually speaking English at all and its just been some big con.  There was a kids' show called Byker Grove that was infamous for being indecipherable, so if you want to experience it for yourself look for that.

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I'm the enemy, 'cause I like to think, I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech, and freedom of choice. I'm the kinda guy that likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecue ribs with the side-order of gravy fries?" I want high cholesterol! I wanna eat bacon, and butter, and buckets of cheese, okay?! I wanna smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section! I wanna run naked through the street, with green Jell-O all over my body, reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly may feel the need to, okay, pal? I've SEEN the future. Do you know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing "I'm an Oscar Meyer Wiene"

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