(no subject)

[randomness]

From separated by a common language:
Observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK:

The main significant effect found in this study was that people who'd lived at least three months outside the US rated the English accent significantly lower than people who'd only lived in the US. In fact, Americans who had not lived abroad considered the English-accented person to be much more intelligent than themselves, but the people who had lived abroad rated the standard American accent more intelligent than the standard English one. My preferred way of interpreting this (a bit tongue-in-cheek) is that Americans are happy to rate the English as more intelligent than themselves up until they actually start meeting and talking to the English.

Comments

[dianec42.livejournal.com]

I am SO not going to tell my (English) husband what I'm laughing at right now!

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha. Especially if they meet the English on holiday or in any situation relating to soccer or rugby. ;-) (Which makes me wonder how Australians would fare in this study!)

I kid, I kid. Mostly. :)

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

As a matter of fact, one of the studies covered that. :)

link to graph which is difficult to read

You might not be able to read the graph, but that dotted line at the top represents the North American accent, as spoken by a woman. Below that is North American male. Leaving third place to....Australian men!

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, Standard British is a high-status dialect.

They should have included Cockney in the poll!