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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289 |
French speakers of English.
I know what you mean. The French seems to have the strongest accents and they keep them so long. It was said about Maurice Chevalier, that after some years he had to take lessons to keep up his accent. One of the worst offenders is Jacques Pepin, who is a great chef whom I watch on TV whenever possible to learn some of his techniques, of which he is a past master, but it's hard to make out what he's saying a good bit of the time, and he's been in the US at least 30 years. His show with Julia Child is a scream. She knows French very well, being a graduate of the Cordon Bleu, but she has an atrocious accent; she calls him "Jack".
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 116
member
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member
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 116 |
In reply to:
many of whom are from India. I find their spoken English to be some of the most mellifluous tones I've heard from anyone
Fiberbabe - I agree! I have met many Indians here in Israel, and it is always such a pleasure to listen to them speak! It's even relaxing!
Some time ago, I met a man who had been in Israel for quite a few years and spoke Hebrew so well that it was hard to tell that he was not a native-born Israeli, except when I asked where he had lived before immigrating to Israel. He replied, with that wonderful sing-song sound, "Bom-bay"!
Shoshannah
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear Shoshannah: I read somewhere the name for Bombay has been changed, but can't remember the new name.
At least now it won't sound like "bomb-bay".
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 328
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 328 |
the name for Bombay has been changed.
Dear Uncle Bill: The new name for Bombay is Mumbai.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 76
journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 76 |
We've been hearing more southern US accents in the news, even announcers and news readers (including several recent presidents), so maybe they're becoming more popular and accepted. My favorite is the Virginia accent. It's so smooth and soft, slow and easy. I think it takes the best of both yankee and southern accents.
I read somewhere that the southern accents owe a great debt to the speech of African Americans (who also cared for many white children). Maybe that cross-cultural, mmmmm, hybrid vigor, is what I find so attractive.
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6 |
Strange you should notice this as most Australian's I know find the South African accent the most unlikeable together with the New Zealand accent. The two aforementioned, to be the most confused with each other and disliked in my circle. The accents most liked, on the other hand, are Irish, Scottish and some English accents. I don't think that American accents are considered much anymore because of their prevalence on the small screen.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6 |
I'm not a stanger, I just don't say much ... but I've been around forever.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
>I have heard that native German speakers find American accented German attractive
Well, I wouldn't go that far Sparteye. Many Germans find AE easier to understand due to the kultural imperialism ;-)
>...owe a great debt to the speech of African Americans
This is of course true of the majority of popular AE slang too
>most Australian's I know find the South African accent the most unlikeable
I doubt this it's just the Aussies. Don't think I've ever heard ANYONE mention that they really like the Söth Äfrikn eckznt! As for Aussies not liking the Kiwi accent or vice versa; well (at the risk of being brazenly informed I'm wrong again), I think it's a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black. Try Europe, ..where you drive 20 km, and apparently speak the same language, but at the same time can barely understand a word!! ... that gives gives you a different spin on things.
The NZ and Oz accents are rather similar, unless of course one is cooped up in dialectal monotony, a dearth of pronunciational variation ;-)
[holding a flag with no colours]
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 116
member
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member
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 116 |
I don't understand what it is about the Afrikaaner accent that people don't like! I have several friends here who speak with that accent and it's quite lovely and very easy to listen to as well as understand! Much, much easier than a German-accented English or just plain German - ugh! Though years ago, I did learn to sing in German, it's the one language I find basically repulsive to hear.
Here you can hear every language and every accent in the world - it's a treasure trove of sounds and ideas and words... And I still think Hebrew is the most beautiful of them all!
Shoshannah
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409 |
Dear Uncle Bill: The new name for Bombay is Mumbai.Perhaps, just don't tell shanks!  
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