There are almost 160 different English accents that exist all over the world. We cannot touch on all 160 different accents on this blog, so we will discuss the most common ones. Here are some of the most distinctive accents to listen out for.
There are around 160 recognized dialects of the English language, or regional accents. These terms are often used interchangeably. Even if you're really into accents, it would probably be impossible to learn them all. Even native speakers can't understand them all.
Spoken English shows great variation across regions where it is the predominant language. For example, the United Kingdom has the largest variation of accents of any country in the world, and therefore no single "British accent" exists.
It can be simply said that there are two main accents of English which people know the most. They are American and British. American English is the English which come from America while British English is the English which come from Britain.
Key findings include: British is the most likeable accent globally, with 45% of respondents stating they enjoy hearing their native language spoken with a British accent.
Of foreign accents, the British accent is the #1 most liked, chosen by 69% of respondents. In addition to being the general favorite, it also ranked among the sexiest and most intelligent.
The New Zealand vowel system has undergone what linguists consider a “shift” in pronunciation. This means that a letter, such as “e”, no longer has the same pronunciation that the rest of the English world uses. For example: “Test” in New Zealand is pronounced as “Tist” = /e/ has become /i/.
Today, this means that there are three types of Australian accent. Some people speak with a “general” accent, which is more or less the way it has been for centuries. Other people speak with an accent that is closer to RP English. The third group of people have a “broad” Australian accent.
Early European settlers to Australia — many of whom were convicts — were from all over Great Britain and Ireland, and their speech patterns blended to form the new Australian accent.
A neutral accent is an accent that is not discernable as originating in any specific region. At present, there IS no neutral accent on a global level. That is, English accents are still divided into British, American, Australian, etc.
The year 2020 saw the British accent ranked No. 1 on the list. It was crowned the sexiest accent in the world with 25 percent of the total votes. The accent proved particularly popular in countries like China, Sweden, India and the USA.
Option 1: the American accent
The most popular English accent of them all. Spread around the world by American cinema, music, television and more than 350 million North Americans (including Canadians, eh), this is the easiest accent for most people to understand, whether native speakers or non-native speakers.
The rich variety of dialects in Britain can to a large extent be attributed to the fact that English has been spoken on this island for more than 1500 years. This long time period has allowed for the language to develop into regional varieties of English.
Put simply, accents are born when speakers of the same language become isolated and, through evolution, unwittingly agree on new names or pronunciations for words. Dozens of these small changes result in a local 'code' that's not easily understood by outsiders.
Geographers and Social Scientists estimate there are 7 Main groups of Dialects in the United States: Western American English, North Central American English, Northern American English, Midland American English, Southern American English, New York City American English and Northern New England American English.
Irish. The Voquent community has spoken! And this time around, the Irish accent has come out on top with more than half the votes as the world's sexiest accent.
Australian English can be described as a new dialect that developed as a result of contact between people who spoke different, mutually intelligible, varieties of English. The very early form of Australian English would have been first spoken by the children of the colonists born into the early colony in Sydney.
There are different variations of the Australian accent. Dr Gawne describes one variation as the "broad accent... [which is] your good, Aussie, ocker accents." Another variation is the "general accent, which is actually the majority of Australian English speakers."
Australian English is most similar to British English in spelling and sentence construction, although its accent and vocabulary are very distinct from the UK.
The English accent is the one that is victorious, with the latest survey showing that 17 per cent of people have it at the top of their list. French came in next at 13 per cent, which is unsurprising considering that this is the language spoken in the city of love.
The Australian accent is famous for its vowel sounds, absence of a strong “r” pronunciation and the use of an inflection – or intonation – at the end of sentences, which can make statements sound like questions. According to Felicity, the way vowels are pronounced is the most peculiar feature of Australian English.
Noice, or nice pronounced with an exaggerated Australian accent, is a synonym for awesome.
Accordingly, we asked people what the most and least pleasant accent to listen to is. Overwhelmingly, people like the Southern accent best, followed by British and Australian accents. Southern accents tend to be thought of as friendly and welcoming, while British and Australian accents are more exotic.
The Boston accent ranks among the “smartest sounding” accents in America, according to a new survey. The Boston accent ranks among the “smartest sounding” accents in America, according to a new survey.
According to a Big 7 Travel survey, the accent found among New Jerseyans has the least sex appeal compared to the state accents. "Poor New Jersey dropped down one place from 2019 to end up in the last spot this year, making it the least sexy accent in America.