Accents outside the US

[hjo3]

How can some countries have many different accents in such a small space? Like, in Japan, ppl from Osaka talk a lot differently than ppl in Tokyo, and they're only like 250 miles apart. Yet here in the northwest (I live in Washington state), everyone has the same "accent" unless they're from a foreign country.

England, frex, is like the size of Idaho, right? But they have cockney, Oxforshire, scouse, brummie, etc. But everyone in Idaho talks pretty much the same way.

Anyway, I dunno, I'm bored.

 

[Heisenberg]

I dunno. That's a good question.

 

[Colt45]

because people moving to the other side of (even small) countries is a relatively new thing.

back in the day people didnt usually stray far from where they were born, so languages became somewhat localized..

 

[Haircut]

In England there was very little migration between towns and villages until recently, so lots of small isolated communities developed their own accents.

Things are becoming more homogenised now as TV, modern travel etc. mean we come into contact with people with lots of different accents. I come from a city called Manchester though and even now I can tell the difference between a south Manchester accent and a north Manchester one, places that are little more than 10 miles apart.

I guess it is different in the US as people came from all over when they were settling there, so I suppose the individual accents became amalgamated together.

 

[Abhi]

In India every hundred kms, there is a new language.... forget the accent !

 

[Snapster]

Not Just England in the UK, Scotland is just as bad. Aberdonian, Dundonian, Glaswegian and don't even mention the Highlands and Islands they speak some sorta unrecognisable language!

 

[IEatChildren]

I love accents, makes the entire language that much more interesting
So many different ways to speak the same words

 

[screw3d]

Oh yes. In Malaysia both the slang and accent are different in different places.

 

[Turkish]

I wish I had a British accent

 

[Turkish]

dp

 

[TheCorm]

Diversity is wonderous.

And yeah here in the UK we have more accents than I can think about now.

We have this odd thing in my home town where most young blokes now have a cockney accent even though we are 50 miles away from London, I think it's linked in with their low intelligence and impression it makes them sound "tougher".

 

[Snapster]

Originally posted by: TheCorm
Diversity is wonderous.

And yeah here in the UK we have more accents than I can think about now.

We have this odd thing in my home town where most young blokes now have a cockney accent even though we are 50 miles away from London, I think it's linked in with their low intelligence and impression it makes them sound "tougher".

Probably true lol

Luckily I'm well spoken then!

 

[The Dancing Peacock]

Originally posted by: TheCorm
Diversity is wonderous.

And yeah here in the UK we have more accents than I can think about now.

We have this odd thing in my home town where most young blokes now have a cockney accent even though we are 50 miles away from London, I think it's linked in with their low intelligence and impression it makes them sound "tougher".

it's like the suburban American kids here speaking all ghetto-style.

 

[Palek]

Hungary is one of the smaller European countries (550 kms east to west, 300 kms north to south), yet we have at least a dozen different subcultures, each with their own distinct dialect and traditions. The fact that our country was established over 11 centuries ago is the main reason for this diversity, along with limited domestic migration in the olden days.

 

[DaWhim]

why don't you learn the history of that country before you post?

 

[cLe0]

Originally posted by: screw3d
Oh yes. In Malaysia both the slang and accent are different in different places.

Yeap, i didn't realize there were different accents for the same dialects until i went over to West M'sia.