Accent is a combination of three main components: intonation (speech music), liaisons (word
connections), and pronunciation (the spoken sounds of vowels, consonants, and combinations).
Accents are influenced by a people’s geographical region of origin, their age, social background and education, and whether they have moved away from their home area. Nowadays it may also be influenced by external factors such radio or television. Amongst speakers of English as an additional language accent is often influenced by the pronunciation and intonation patterns of the first language.
Contrary to popular belief, grammar and accent are completely different, unrelated terms. Part of the difference is that grammar and vocabulary are systematic and structured— the letter of the language. Accent, on the other hand, is free form, intuitive, and creative— more the spirit of the language.
connections), and pronunciation (the spoken sounds of vowels, consonants, and combinations).
Accents are influenced by a people’s geographical region of origin, their age, social background and education, and whether they have moved away from their home area. Nowadays it may also be influenced by external factors such radio or television. Amongst speakers of English as an additional language accent is often influenced by the pronunciation and intonation patterns of the first language.
Contrary to popular belief, grammar and accent are completely different, unrelated terms. Part of the difference is that grammar and vocabulary are systematic and structured— the letter of the language. Accent, on the other hand, is free form, intuitive, and creative— more the spirit of the language.
My accent, being from south-west, has to be different from someone far off, say north-east. Here's a story:
An Outsider in a small Texas town around Christmas time, saw a "Nativity Scene" that showed great skill and talent had gone into creating it. But one small feature was all wrong: the three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets.
Totally unable to come up with a reason or explanation, he left. At a "Quik Stop" on the edge of town, he asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets.
She exploded into a rage, yelling, "You darn Yankees never read your Bibles!"
The Outsider assured her that he did, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Bible.
She jerked her Bible from behind the counter and riffled through some pages, and finally jabbed her finger at a passage. Sticking it in the guys face she said, "See, it says right here, 'The three wise men came from afar.'"
An Outsider in a small Texas town around Christmas time, saw a "Nativity Scene" that showed great skill and talent had gone into creating it. But one small feature was all wrong: the three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets.
Totally unable to come up with a reason or explanation, he left. At a "Quik Stop" on the edge of town, he asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets.
She exploded into a rage, yelling, "You darn Yankees never read your Bibles!"
The Outsider assured her that he did, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Bible.
She jerked her Bible from behind the counter and riffled through some pages, and finally jabbed her finger at a passage. Sticking it in the guys face she said, "See, it says right here, 'The three wise men came from afar.'"
by Ben69 September 6, 2006
Guy from California: Accent? What accent? I have no accent.
Guy from South Carolina: Shit, you got a cold? Cus you sound like your nose is all stuffed up.
Guy from South Carolina: Shit, you got a cold? Cus you sound like your nose is all stuffed up.
by Gumbo man April 11, 2009
Similar to racism or sexism, it is discriminating based on someone having an accent, usually a particular accent.
I realized I had a problem with accentism when I immediately assumed the person was unintelligent upon hearing their southern drawl.
by Mushu19 November 6, 2011
I got accented by a 12 year old grill the other day. I couldn't understand their cries for help so it wasn't pleasurable.
by THE GRILL WHO NEEDS A FILL April 25, 2018
by zanipa October 7, 2008
When you pronounce words funny because you've never actually heard them out loud before, you just read a lot of books
Person 1: That was a great "seg-you" in the conversation
Person 2: You mean segue?
Person 1: Yeah, please excuse my reader's accent.
Person 2: You mean segue?
Person 1: Yeah, please excuse my reader's accent.
by seveneightn9ne October 29, 2012
An airport accent is best defined as an accent that is hard to place. A person with an airport accent may pronounce some words with a British accent, while other words may be spoken with an American, Australian or any other accent you care to think of.
The reasons behind this may be as a result of having parents from different countries from the one the person was brought up in. Or it could be as a result of having lived in a variety of different places as a child, or a combination of the two. Either way the person may well have spent much of his life in airports, flying between the different countries.
The reasons behind this may be as a result of having parents from different countries from the one the person was brought up in. Or it could be as a result of having lived in a variety of different places as a child, or a combination of the two. Either way the person may well have spent much of his life in airports, flying between the different countries.
"You have a very strong airport accent"
"Well I was born in Lebanon, but moved to England when I was 7, and then when we were 15 my family moved to America, but now I live in Paris"
"Oh wow"
"Yeah - and my parents are Russian and Brazilian - so we used to spent our summers in Moscow and our winters in Rio"
"That must have involved a lot of travelling"
"Yeah - I spent a lot of my youth in airports - my handwriting now resembles Frutiger."
"Shit a fucking brick"
"Yeah"
"Well I was born in Lebanon, but moved to England when I was 7, and then when we were 15 my family moved to America, but now I live in Paris"
"Oh wow"
"Yeah - and my parents are Russian and Brazilian - so we used to spent our summers in Moscow and our winters in Rio"
"That must have involved a lot of travelling"
"Yeah - I spent a lot of my youth in airports - my handwriting now resembles Frutiger."
"Shit a fucking brick"
"Yeah"
by Muthecow February 2, 2007