To the few Aussies out there (or others familiar) have you ever noticed how, if you watch old movies.etc (e.g. the F.J. Holden, Barry McKenzie ;)) you notice the Australian accent sounded a lot broader than today? I'm not talking 1920s, but from about the 1960s it got a lot broader. Til about 1960 it sounded more 'British' than today, but then it sounded broader, til about the late 80s, 90s when it became unfashionable (ocker, yobbo connotations) to have a very broad accent.
I'm not talking just Paul Hogan or the 'outback' character, but in General (have u seen the video of Abba's Australian tour?). I was always puzzled by that. My thinking goes, if we are becoming less British, are accent should sound more distinctive...though I spose globalisation plays a part in it. The same doesn't seem to be the case in the US or UK, but the change in Australia seems so noticeable...Just wondering about the socio-cultural factors that affect something like this...

Americans and all who watch the Crocodile Hunter or Kath and Kim think all Aussies speak like that, but in reality it is quite rare among the general population (Kath and Kim's is extreme; few speak with such an accent). But then again, Americans have never been very good at interpreting the Australian accent...

There was actually a study done in the US that regional accents are getting stronger here. However, with myself I think I've noticed that I've become less Jerseyish from spending time away from my parents, though I still talk very Jersey at home. Like I used to say "awl", "mawl", etc., now I say more "aowl", "maowl"...the "w" sound is more subdued, but I still talk the other way alot, mostly around friends and family.

There was actually a study done in the US that regional accents are getting stronger here. However, with myself I think I've noticed that I've become less Jerseyish from spending time away from my parents, though I still talk very Jersey at home. Like I used to say "awl", "mawl", etc., now I say more "aowl", "maowl"...the "w" sound is more subdued, but I still talk the other way alot, mostly around friends and family.


Not sure about other regional accesnts, but here in Pittsburgh ("Picksburg") PA, we have a thriving downtown ("dahntahn") and we cheer for the Steelers ("Stillers") and we like our cherry ("churry") pie.  We wrap up loose papers with rubber bands ("Gum bands") and we wash ("warsh" or "wush") our cars proudly ("prahdly").

;D

Few would agree, but I think native Pacific Northwesterners talk different relative to Californian transplants.  They don't say "Like" a lot and NEVER say "Hella".  Their accent also is a little slower and kind of Canadian, but without the raising they have for "about", if you know what I mean.

Every different part of the NYC area has a different accent. North Jersey/Newark area has a diffeent accent as compared to Hudson County closer to Manhattan. Then, people in Manhattan have a different accent, the remaining original Bronxites in the Bronx and people in Westchester and parts of Bergen and Rockland have Bronxy accents, people in Brooklyn and Staten Island have Brooklynese accents, and then there's the Queens/Long Island accent. The African-American NY/NJ accent varies by location and borough, too, and there's a Puerto Rican and Dominican accent particular to NYC, and a Chinese or Korean accent, that differs based on location within the NYC area. And Italians, German-Irish, and Jews talk differently. Then there's the "lockjaw" type WASP voice present in parts of Long Island, the Upper East Side, and Fairfield County.

Every different part of the NYC area has a different accent. North Jersey/Newark area has a diffeent accent as compared to Hudson County closer to Manhattan. Then, people in Manhattan have a different accent, the remaining original Bronxites in the Bronx and people in Westchester and parts of Bergen and Rockland have Bronxy accents, people in Brooklyn and Staten Island have Brooklynese accents, and then there's the Queens/Long Island accent. The African-American NY/NJ accent varies by location and borough, too, and there's a Puerto Rican and Dominican accent particular to NYC, and a Chinese or Korean accent, that differs based on location within the NYC area. And Italians, German-Irish, and Jews talk differently. Then there's the "lockjaw" type WASP voice present in parts of Long Island, the Upper East Side, and Fairfield County.


Speaking of NYC, I wonder if Howard has a thick NYC accent?  ???

Do any of you notice the 'Southern accent' and other distinctive accents dying out in the United States, especially among young people? Britney Spears is supposed to be from Louisana and Justin Timberlake (I know bad examples) is from Memphis but both have pretty standard accents. Is it mainly among people in show-biz or among the general population as well?

Bubbele, that's just in show business. A survey showed accents are really getting stronger. They have to get rid of Southern accents to succeed, that's always been the standard. Actors are supposed to talk in a General American voice.

I know this is an old post, but I want to share my thoughts on it...


To the few Aussies out there (or others familiar) have you ever noticed how, if you watch old movies.etc (e.g. the F.J. Holden, Barry McKenzie ;)) you notice the Australian accent sounded a lot broader than today? I'm not talking 1920s, but from about the 1960s it got a lot broader. Til about 1960 it sounded more 'British' than today, but then it sounded broader, til about the late 80s, 90s when it became unfashionable (ocker, yobbo connotations) to have a very broad accent.


The Australian accent has definitely changed over the past few decades. I know that you mentioned that it was more 'British' prior to the 1960s, but I think you could argue that it continued to sound 'British' until the Early 70s. Even if you watch Skippy, the accents of the adults on the show still sound fairly 'British'. The kids have more of a broader Australian accent;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axCP2Xbw03w

By the Late 1970s, it was definitely broader and the British influence had disappeared by that point. Take a listen to this clip from the 1979 movie, Mad Max, which starred Mel Gibson in the lead role.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UbSL3Bri4E

I do agree that the Australian accent definitely isn't as broad anymore and it hasn't been for quite some time. I've always found it strange that Australia doesn't have regional dialects like the US and UK do. For instance, you can notice a different in dialect between someone from New York and someone from the southern states of the US. Why don't we have that same variation in dialect? :P

With the passage of time, the quality of English in my country has gotten worse because people don't wanna sound uppity.

I am not sure if I am the only person who has noticed this, but a lot of Millennials, especially 90s-borns, tend to pronounce words that end in "er" with a hint of "w" in it.  For instance, "number" tends to get pronounced "numb-erw."  Has anybody noticed this?  It's not something just in my area.  I have seen it in Hollywood movies that feature younger actors.

I used to

Pronounce bag like bayg
Pronounce far like something halfway between fair and fur
Pronounce about like aboot

But then I watched a lot of TV and now I speak normal (actually I still say aboot but whatever).

I used to announce 'other' 'udder'. :P

The worst type of accent change is in music. I miss the days when performers would just deliver raw, direct, passionately full-on emotion, without any pretense. Singers like Kenny Loggins rappers like Chuck D. are now long irrelevant, and ever since roughly the 2000s, the tasteful standard has either been clumsy, childish rapper slang or nasal, phony accents largely a product of hipster subculture–think Brett Dennen on one side and Dan Reynolds on the other. In both cases, I feel a strong level of insincerity, like the performers are trying hard to be one thing when really they just come off as amateurish try-hards. People like Richard Marx, Freddie Mercury, Bruce Springsteen, Pat Benatar, and Rakim just sounded more comfortable in their own skin.

There are a few exceptions. I quite like Ellie Goulding's voice, which sounds indie-folksy, but she has a more natural Welsh-border English accent and tenderly conveys her voice to her advantage. Kendrick Lamar is also quite talented, and Drake can also succeed if given the right material. Still, I'm just personally so much more into the singing styles that were common during the last third of the 20th Century, and I think the current means of singing are a primary factor as to why I don't think music is nearly as good anymore as it used to be.

With the passage of time, the quality of English in my country has gotten worse because people don't wanna sound uppity.
http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/3840-beyond-nosebleed

I am not sure if I am the only person who has noticed this, but a lot of Millennials, especially 90s-borns, tend to pronounce words that end in "er" with a hint of "w" in it.  For instance, "number" tends to get pronounced "numb-erw."  Has anybody noticed this?  It's not something just in my area.  I have seen it in Hollywood movies that feature younger actors.


Does the "w" at the end sound kind of like this? If so, it might be due to Japanese influence in the U.S.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggEQwBETbsI