Cultural Curiosities: Life in Other Countries

[outlier]

Hmmmm when I think of types of American accents, I think of a New York, Southern, New Jersey, Midwest, and Texas... idk I don't really go out of state that often

[Shantih]

What is one of the best kind of places to eat in England?

It's a pretty big place so I can't narrow that down I guess I'd recommend going to independent, local restaurants so you can try proper local food rather than something from a chain.

What are the best museums to go to?

I'm originally from the London area so my answer to this question will be London related, also I guess most tourists would be going there anyway.
I'd recommend the Victoria and Albert museum in Kensington, it's got a great variety of art and historical pieces. Just across the road from it is the Natural History Museum, another great place to visit. The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square and the Imperial War Museum on Lambeth Road are also wonderful.

If I where to go to England right now what are the best things to go see as in plays, ballets, any cool buildings anything like that?

I'm not up to date on what's playing now, but there's always great musicals and plays in places like Drury Lane and Shaftesbury Avenue.

Is the subway/tube, walking, and taxi a more common way of transportation (as opposed to driving a car) over there?

Jillhope's right, petrol here is expensive. That being said, it depends on your location. In London the underground is the most popular form of transport, and then buses. Trying to use a car in London is more or less pointless, you might as well walk

Well, then, by that logic there is no such thing as an "American" accent either, since we also technically have regional accents also!

But on the other hand, you could say that a "British accent' encompasses all accents within Great Britain and an "American accent" encompasses all accents within America.

If not, maybe we should all specifically define which accent within America we are talking about.

I, for example, technically have a Chicago accent....but I don't complain if people, even over in England, say I have an "American" accent, even though it isn't standard.

Um. I'm surprised I have to point this out - but the USA is one country, Great Britain is not. This isn't me splitting hairs - Scotland, England and Wales (and if we're talking about the UK, Northern Ireland also) are separate countries with their own accents. It's not the same as referring to all US regional accents as American.
I'm sure there is some sort of accent you could cobble together that sounds like a generic British accent, but really it'd be inaccurate and not actually real, which is why I said that generally I think when Americans say "I can do a British accent" what they're aiming for is an English accent.

[Jillhope]

But we're so spread out that we have tons of accents! you can look up three distinctly ones: Texas, New Jersey, Boston, West coast, Mississippi, I could think of a few more, but we shall start there.
Oh, and the USA takes up more space than the entirety of England, Scotland, Ireland, and whales put together.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Jill, that doesn't mean anything. The USA is still one country, no matter how large it is. Size doesn't enter the equation.

[Jillhope]

It does make a difference, just because it's a country doesn't mean everyone sounds the same! How can people who live so far away from each other have the same accent? It's pretty much the same as Britain in that each of it's little pieces speaks in a different way.

[Lucy of Narnia]

^^ p'raps we are bigger (I don't know, taking your word for it ) but that's besides Shantih's point. I understand about having no one "american accent", however.

For example, imagine Pippin's accent.- Scottish. Which is British.
Now imagine Lucy's accent. English. Which is British.
And if we do UK too, then imagine an Irish man (or a leprechaun !).

These are all so different, yet (at least for the first too) they are British accents. All three are UK accents. Right, Shantih?

Lu

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

No, I realise that but your post made it sound like you were trying to say the US is better because it's larger. It's good to see that's not what you meant.

[Rising_Star]

I don't think that's the point, Jillhope.

If you wanted to accurately compare Britain's accents to any other accents, you'd have to include other countries.

It would be more accurate to compare South American accents to British accents, as both continents are made up of different countries, each with their different accents.

However, you can compare American accents to English accents. As we have differences in our speech, so do the English (Shantih please correct me if I'm wrong!). I'm thinking there are several different dialects within England, much as there are in America.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

[MinotaurforAslan]

I suppose you could lump all American accents together and refer to them as a generic "American" accent, but there really isn't such a thing, just as there is no generic "British" accent.

Demonstrated by this person trying to do an American accent, and instead doing a bunch of very different accents...

[Shantih]

Jillhope -

As Warrior 4 Jesus said, size doesn't matter. England, Scotland and Wales are ancient, seperate countries. I know you don't mean it this way but it's actually a little upsetting to be told they might as well all be the same. For me, less so, as England has more or less always had the upper hand so I haven't grown up in a marginalised country, but for Welsh people, for example, this would be be very grating. Also, along with accents, these countries have their own languages - Welsh is probably the most commonly used but there is also Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic.

I never said that all US people have the same accent, but all US accents are regional. From the same country. The real equivalent of this would be me saying that since people from London and Liverpool sound so different they can't both be English accents (which obviously isn't true).

Edit - I see Rising_Star just made that point

Minotaur - That's not a good representation of real US accents, I agree, but it is beside my point, as I said above.

[Lucy of Narnia]

I can't see the video but this is a great discussion!

As someone brilliantly suggested I am changing the title on this thread so that people can not just ask Brits but people from New Zealand, America, Austrailia, Germany- wherever! about things in their respective countries.

P.S. We felt for you, Shantih, as the only Brit!

Lu

[Shantih]

Thanks for that, Lucy of Narnia !

I had a question for any Canadians - obviously from this discussion we've talked about all the different US and UK accents, but I'm wondering how much variation there is in the Canadian accent? I've heard that often near the US border the difference is accent isn't that noticeable, but are there any stronger regional ones, that sort of thing? I wondered if it was that there actually isn't a lot of variation, or there's just not much knowledge floating around about the differences.

[Jillhope]

Shantith!!! I am so sorry!!! I didn't mean it like that at all! I'm sorry everyone took my posts the wrong way! I guess I'll stop trying to get it to sound right... I don't know how to phrase it differently so that people know what I'm trying to say... So sorry, so very, very, sorry! ... So sorry...



~Lady Fiona

P.S... I think we've been going a bit off topic here

Edit: @Shantith, yes, there is a difference in US and Canadian accents. For instance I say Sorry the Canadian way (Even though I'm not from there) I say it like Soar-E, while people in the US (At least from Oregon and Washington) say Saw-rE. I hope that makes sense, I'm not so good at typing out pronunciation.

[Valiant_Lucy]

As far as I know there isn't a super recoginizeable, pure, Canadian accent that sounds tons different from Americans. I think we say some words slightly differently--I know at the Mod Moot last summer the Americans had fun making fun of Jo and I for how we said things (can't remember what the words were though...). I've been told I have a weird accent, but I think that's just specfic to me, personally, as I tend to drawlllllll out my words a bit more then normal.

[Lucy of Narnia]

^^ heh heh, yeah...So, on topic!

Shantih, I am intrigued by "ice lollies"! What do you call the following:

Coca Cola, soda, etc.?
Bread?
Sandwhiches?
Crackers/biscuits?

Any other fun things that I can do to spice up my language w/ some British words???

Lu

P.S. If it's too much you don't have to keep answering my questions, trust me they are probably endless! I keep thinking up what to ask you to learn more about Brits!

[Shantih]

Jillhope - Don't worry! I'm sorry if I mis-interpreted your post at all, and we're trying to drag the the thread back on topic now

Val - Thanks! I was curious if it really wasn't incredibly distinguishable or if there was some sort of media black out going on

Coca Cola, soda, etc.?
Bread?
Sandwhiches?
Crackers/biscuits?

Bread and sandwiches are the same (I think). Coca Cola is usually just called Coke. We don't say soda, the British alternative is either pop or just 'fizzy drink'.

I think what we call biscuits you call cookies, although there's some cross overs (like the big chocolate chip 'American style' cookies are called cookies... if that makes sense )