Well, apparently before we were industrialised we sounded American and so did William Shakespeare and Lloyd Grossman's from New England and someone else voiced a Gremlin with this same American Accent that I might give to all 17th century English and Colonist people because apparently, before RP, English sounded American. But then it's a very RP accent isn't it, and, Puritans didn't sound RP did they, since they were pre industrial revolution.
So, you say Puritans sounded mid Atlantic; I've got a brother and a sister who came to America from London and are now American and... I'd say they have a mid Atlantic accent.
In Melville's Israel Potter (1854), an American who fights in the Revolutionary War makes his way to England and is not identifiable as a colonist, even by King George III himself. No idea how historically accurate it is, but Melville had experience as a sailor and had met varieties of English from all over the world, so the accent differetiation may have come in the last century and a half or so.
It sticks out to me as not being British, but being posh Bostonian to me. I'd like to think the Gremlin had a thick accent like Lloyd Grossman.
Sweetie, are you okay? At no point did I ever say that. Ever. Not even close. When I entered this conversation it was to point out that both American English and British English have diverged from their common accent ancestor in 17th century. To attempt to use the accents of today - your side or my side - as models for what English sounded like when the first settlers came here, is a faff because both your side and my side have changed greatly. Both sides retain certain features from that point of origin when we branched away from one another, and these facets are different. And since it seems like you're not reading all the words I'm writing in these posts - else you're just choosing to ignore them - this will be my last post in this thread.
Upper Class New England Accent It was a running joke on BMW (Boy Meets World) where this character was accused of sounding British, but the punchline was "I'm from Boston you Boob." I've lucked out finding you this video however as this actor is from Brooklyn and adopted this Upper Class New England accent talks about the origin of his accent.
Fine, Bobby. You win. I accept you telling me what it means to be an American from your vast access to American TV in the UK, which clearly trumps my nearly 50 years of living here within the country.
I'm not, I'm telling you Lloyd Grossman doesn't sound British, sounds like that Gremlin. Trust me, I'm British. It's like just own Lloyd Grossman and recognise his RP accent as American like Niles Crane/David Hyde Pierce from Frasier. Based on my understanding of upper class British be they educated or entitled, Lloyd Grossman sounds Upper Class American, New England, to me, but not blue collar. That said, I'm thinking this posh accent was a couple hundred of years after the Puritans, and English people sounded more like Americans do; according to experts on YouTube.
Wrong on all counts. Again, Frazier and Niles are caricatures, and even they don’t sound remotely like Lloyd, but I’ve got other things to worry about today other then your feverish obsession with the US. @Homer Potvin, thanks for chiming in, bro.
Well, it's still not British; Lloyd could've lived in Australia and still sound like that. Because he's a posh Bostonian. That Gremlin too; Remember, I know British accents and Lloyd Grossman's is posh American.
I'm entitled to be an expert in British accents and Lloyd Grossman is one of yours. He's raised in Boston. Sounds like that Gremlim I'm British (I get final say on what a UK accent is, not you). Not all RP is British.
Bobby, have a care. I'm willing to put up with a certain amount of cheek, but don't push it. You clearly didn't read a single word I wrote. I have a degree in linguistics. I work in the profession. I'm trying to speak to your original question in an educated manner. But if you want to be a bellend about it, I can play that game too.
Well Poppet, far be it from me to disagree with you on purpose, but, calling me Poppet and Love because I'm British makes you come off sounding like Ms. Doubtfire, and ignoring the facts presented to you on Lloyd Grossman's background and even a talking Gremlin; you just dismissed them as being fake or UK influenced because it doesn't fit into your impression of Upper Class New England. The real kicker was telling me how you're American so know Lloyd Grossman sounds British... I think you forget I'm in England when you say things like that, or it hasn't sunk in; but, no way is every RP accent British. Pride might have you disgreeing with YouTube's claims that people in England sounded American, IDK.
Is there really one UK accent? In my experience there are loads of different accents which (I imagine) have many roots and evolutionary paths. Are you on about the 'well spoken' accent of certain middle class southern people? Or the 'plummy' accent typically associated with aristocracy? Or the 'faux-plummy' affected accents of some working/middle class people? Or the stereotypical accent that some non-UKers associate with Englishness? Not to mention that the UK also comprises Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland.
Don't get me wrong, I recognise but; I also see people who 'sound British' claiming to be from Boston too; only, upper class. What of this British sounding well educated accent from the Americas?
The British accent in general is South of England, but, you're right - UK has many accents. This short video explained 'standard and general' accent.
To be fair Lloyd has what could be described as a strange accent - its not American or close to being Boston despite his being from Marblehead originally, but neither is it British RP despite his having gone to Magdalen, Cambridge. - it's a weird hybrid which is a red herring in this discussion - The British RP accent is more public school posh - Hugh Grant for example typifies it pretty well (more so in his film roles than he does in real life) - and it doesn't sound like boston Ignoring all the bolloclks however - British accents from the 17th century would not have sounded as Americans do now because both American and British have evolved since ... also there isn't one British accent since there are many regional variations and somerset and Geordie for example would have been distinct even then. (Geordie being down to the norse influence much earlier whilst west country is down to the Celtic influence) - Standard English was developed in the city of London during the 15th century, however it was associated strongly with royalty (hence it also being known as the kings English) and is not likely therefore to have been favoured by the puritans
That mind blowing fact at the end of that video about English people if it's before the 18th century, should sound American, blew my mind. I assumed it was that Lloyd Grossman accent, but then that's very RP and RP came later. So... How does a Purtian/English person sound? Did Shakespeare sound more American? That's what some experts seems to say.
This is exactly what I've been saying. I certainly don't think his accent is RP. There are a lot of red herrings in this rather manic discussion.
