![]() ![]() For example, have you ever seen a period piece set in the ancient world? Note how they usually speak with British accents, even if they are in a land where English is not spoken. Ubiquitous in film, the distinction is so well known that you may not even give it a second thought anymore. The most prominent of differences is the split between British and American accents. The Cajun people of Louisiana also hold customs and a rich history that is unique from the rest of the United States. Any visitor to New Orleans will quickly see the mixture between Caribbean, French, and American English blended together like their beloved gumbo. In New Orleans, the local dialect is known as a creole, which is a form of pidgin that has become the primary language for those in the area. Even today, slang words exist that aren’t found in the rest of the world. In Hawaii, the pidgin mixture comes from European, American, and Asian influences. What formed in both places is called a pidgin language, a new way of speaking that takes bits and pieces from each of the cultures to form a practical communications means for trade and interaction. Two good examples of this can be seen in Hawaii and New Orleans, where races from around the world came to settle on these historically strategic ports. A sub-variety of English actually exists in the island country known as “Philippine English” with some differences like, “I will be the one who will go”, rather than simply, “I will go”.Īccents result in the mixing of various cultures in particular regions. Tagalog speakers in the Philippines emphasize “p”s over “ph”s, so that the “Philippines” sounds more like “Pilipines” when spoken there. For example, “McDonald’s” would be a hard word to say for Japanese speakers, sounding more like “Ma-ku-do-na-ru-do”. Additionally, Japanese characters are made up of two-letter sounds that end with vowels, making it difficult for Japanese speakers to pronounce words that end with consonants without adding a faint extra sound. Japanese speakers do not have the “l” sound, common in English, and must replace it with “r”. The German language also features long words that are difficult to pronounce for English speakers new to the language, as amusing as it is when they try. Sure, we can find ways to describe it, to help others in pronunciation (perhaps, “shyoon”?), but it would be more of an approximation than exact. ![]() In German, for example, schön (“beautiful”) is not a common sound for English speakers. It’s nurture and not nature that determines the particular strengths we develop in speaking over the weaknesses we “inherit”. Each language around the world focuses on differing sounds. Unfortunately, the decision to pick up an accent really isn’t up to us, rather it’s on our parents to guide us. When we’re born, we’re blessed with the ability to create whatever sounds we choose. Today we’ll take a look at some of the reasons why people have different accents. ![]() Those who speak English as a second language have what many regard as “foreign” accents, but even native speakers have some sort of accent, however subtle. ![]() Everyone has one, whether you think you do or you don’t. What is an accent? It’s how you sound when you speak. January 2015 Why do people have different accents when they speak English? ![]()
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