anthonybsd
anthonybsd t1_j9yentg wrote
Reply to comment by crystalGwolf in TIL residents of Tangier Island, 12 miles off the coast of Virginia, have remained so isolated they still speak a dialect similar to the original colonists from the 1700s by emily_9511
> I don’t watch those films but in my experience, Americans in real life sound nothing like they do in films/tv.
Do you perchance mean 40+ old movies and TV when the insanely artificial mid Atlantic accent was prevalent? That would be understandable. However, nowadays the main TV accent is some variation of midwestern and this form honestly is very common, so I am not sure which Americans you talk to :)
anthonybsd t1_j9x3mre wrote
Reply to TIL residents of Tangier Island, 12 miles off the coast of Virginia, have remained so isolated they still speak a dialect similar to the original colonists from the 1700s by emily_9511
The whole premise has likely nothing to do with UK and has more to do with island isolation. Read this this
TLDR: what’s currently known as a British accent is really a London accent that spread in the mid to late 19th century and American accent is closer to the original.
anthonybsd t1_j9ywkx6 wrote
Reply to comment by crystalGwolf in TIL residents of Tangier Island, 12 miles off the coast of Virginia, have remained so isolated they still speak a dialect similar to the original colonists from the 1700s by emily_9511
Interesting. Friends has roughly New York accents (especially Joey). Modern Family is typical modern Midwestern. Perhaps it sounds stranger because actors (especially theater actors) tend to annunciate their words more, but that’s all I can think of.