Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Geckoman]

How difficult is it to understand an American accent?

[Underwaterbob]

What's an American accent? Someone from a bog in Louisiana and someone from Boston likely have completely different accents.

[littlelisa]

What underwater bob said, plus it also depends on what accent a person is used to hearing.

[Joe666]

Not difficult at all, I am an American from Beantown and I have heard just about every American accent there is. It's obvious the original poster is not from the U.S., thus having difficulty with the various accents.

Understandable, when I listen to some Limey accents, it can be a chore!

[Axl Rose]

It depends on the social class and upbringing of the speaker.

It's exactly the same in the UK and the US (and probably anywhere).

I've met people from all seven E2 visa countries who were either (a) very easy to understand, or (b) almost impossible to understand, but their nationality had nothing to do with it. It was their social class that was responsible.

I speak Korean reasonably well, and men who drive trucks, women who clean toilets, are always far more difficult to understand than doctors, dentists and financial advisors.

This is socio-linguistics 101, surely?

[Underwaterbob]

While we're at it: South Africans seem to have the most diverse accents. I've heard all the way from near indecipherable to incredibly legible from the same country.

[Draz]

[loggerhead007]

Oh Oh. I find myself agreeing with the Bobber. I need help.

[samcheokguy]

Dumbest thread ever...seriously...

[shifter2009]

[earthbound14]

kinda depends on the region and the person.

Most Yanks sound the same as Canadians.

Then others sound like they stepped out of the woods or the bayou with balls of coton in their mouths.

Of course Canadians have the same back woods people....usually they don't end up in office unless they are French and have had a stroke...but they are hardly from the back woods.

My biggest issue is whether or not I can stand the American accent. There are those I like and those I hate.

King of the Hill - cool
W - hate
Gambit - love/hate
50 Cent - hate
X-ibit - love
the red necks from Deliverance - hate
So-cal valley girls - hate
So-cal slackers - love/hate
Carrot Top - freaks me out
People from the movie Fargo - they are from another planet...a long lost planet lost in the nether regions of time and frighteningly close to the border of Canada....scary
NY - Goodfellas - cool - Jigsaw from the latest Punisher film - punishing...I get sick of this accent sometimes

[chris_J2]

http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have

I tried this quiz a couple of times, & ended up around 90% of the time, with either a Mid land, &/or, a North-east accent. Occasionally, a 'South' accent. Here are the 7 groupings:

The Northeast
The Inland North (midland)
The South
Philadelphia
The West
Boston
North Central

"You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio."

"Your Result: The Northeast

Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak."

Not even close! I'm from Australia.

[PigeonFart]

When it comes to accents, the simple advice is to change the way you speak when you're speaking to people from "elsewhere" (other country/province/city)...just speak clearly and enunciate properly. Leave your natural accent and dialect for your old school friends and people you grew up with.

I get annoyed when some people claim that they don't have an accent....everyone does. Statements like "i dont think i have an accent" tend to be said by people from a particular region of the English speaking world....which shall remain nameless. [An understandable phenomenon though, given its insular focus and low level of passport possession]

These are the very people who i can geograpically place the SECOND they open their mouth (because to my ears they have such a profound accent). It's all relative. What arrogance to claim that your accent is neutral and accentless.

[Sleepy in Seoul]

[harlowethrombey]

hell, I can barely understand it when you Yankees even type, much less speak.