I em speaking to you from my own hame
Posted on Wednesday 18th July 2007
Perhaps this is a little extreme, but I am trying to make sure I keep my English accent. In the US there may be an advantage to having a cut-glass English accent, as Americans perceive English people as being more educated and cultured, but here it is not usual so carries no benefit. Rather there is a risk of being considered stuck-up and conceited.
Instead I consider having an English accent as part of my sense of self, and as such it is important to me to keep it. Despite recent deteriorations in the international reputation of the UK, and the general decline in moral values I am still proud to be British. There is also something reassuring about properly spoken English without bastardisation by rappers or the likes of Jade Goody. I’m not intending to be snobby about this, but I think that sloppy English is a symptom of a sloppy person.
We should be grateful to the BBC, who despite criticism, maintain a high standard for spoken English. The corporation has become synonymous with “BBC English” which has changed from the accent parodied by Mr. Cholmondeley-Warner to a more neutral middle-English slant.
Day-to-day I am exposed to Australian accents, so in an effort to keep my English exposure up I have been listening to the Today programme on Radio 4. It is also an opportunity to keep up to date with events in Britain and hear an impartial report of world news. Of course it won’t be the end of the world if I develop an Strine twang, but I would like to keep my neutral English accent as long as possible. When we come back next year you’ll have to tell me if it’s changed.
Hi Ric Its great isnt it when your in another country and out comes the britsh accent.Have to say when iv been in the states in the past people want to hear your accent especially a state were theres not many tourists
Dear Rick
Look at Haggis, he still has his Australian accent and has lived in both Holland and England.
Our American friend Thomas, lived in Australia for four years and has an Aussie/American combo accent.
Regan has an Aussie/English combo accent.
So it really depends on the person.
Vicki
I’m sure you’re right Vicki. Regan told me that women tend to adapt to a local accent more quickly than men, so perhaps I am worrying needlessly. However it seems that strong accents tend to persist, which may explain why Scots tend to keep theirs even after years abroad. Therefore there is a risk that a neutral English accent may wither in the presence of the stronger Aussie accent, though most people in Adelaide seem to have soft accents by comparison to other parts of the country. Having said that, David (from the ABC’s At the Movies) seems to have kept his.