Current Events > How come the US doesn't have as varied or stronger accents than the UK?

(+) Yeah! (+)

In the UK seems like every city or region has a unique accent. London alone multiple accents depending on the area of the city and class
---

GhettoFlip posted...

London alone multiple accents depending on the area of the city and class

my guy

---

GhettoFlip posted...

In the UK seems like every city or region has a unique accent. London alone multiple accents depending on the area of the city and class

Have you heard how the average person from the north east sounds (Massachusetts, New York) compared to what someone from the midwest (Illinois) to what people in the south sound like (Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas)?

Accents are all over the States.
---

If I had to venture a guess, it's a function of having less time to differentiate. The distinctions between Scouse and Cockney English have been shaped over a few more centuries than our oldest cities have existed. This also is why our most distinct accents (New York, Boston, the South) come from the parts of the country that have been inhabited the longest.

But I'm not a linguist and this could be totally wrong
---

There are plenty of accents in the US. The media impression lessens this though and more exaggerates the impression of regional accents in England.
---

There is a very big variation, New York, Boston, Minnesota/Wisconsin, Tennessee/Alabama/Georgia, New Orleans all sound very different from each other.

---

Freeney posted...

GhettoFlip posted...

In the UK seems like every city or region has a unique accent. London alone multiple accents depending on the area of the city and class

Have you heard how the average person from the north east sounds (Massachusetts, New York) compared to what someone from the midwest (Illinois) to what people in the south sound like (Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas)?

Accents are all over the States.

^THIS.
There are tons of accents in the U.S... hell, in New York City alone, there are different accents among the five boroughs (EX: someone from Brooklyn is going to have a different accent from someone in the Bronx). Looking throughout the United States, someone in Mississippi is going to have a very different accent from someone in Minnesota. There are tons of different accents throughout the U.S, A LOT more than in the UK.