How did the English settlers that came to the Americas lose their accent?
144550
Interesting question.  As you know, language is a living thing. When people settle in regions, they interact closely, and their language subtly shifts.  (That's why Boston, New York, the South etc. have distinctive accents).  Over time, there is more differentiation-and the original accent is blended into a "new accent".  With English, you can see that happened in Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa (and elsewhere) as well.
40813
By Southern natives, I take it you mean people born and raised in the southern United States?\nMany if not most of the original European settlers in that part of the country were from Scotland, Ireland or Wales.  This mixed with both African influences and a stand-offishness to the more British speakers of the north eventually lead to the Southern American English (SAE) form of speech.\n \nAlthough most African Americans spoke similar to their white counterparts until very recently, an upsurge in differentiation started in the 1950’s and 1960’s which soon separated the speech patterns of many.
308269
English is probably more popular than the other European languages because they were the last dominant civilization after the colonization days.  Spain had its great times for a while before the Armada.  France didn't really do much of anything.  England was the most widespread, and Americans carried over English.  In the 1800s and so on, America grew more and more powerful, so I'm guessing that's one of the reasons it's quite popular.
576617
Because its the same language....English.\nTo hear English as it might have been spoken a couple of hundred years ago you would have to search in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States.\nHear there are secluded pockets of people speaking archaic dialect of English.\n\nThe English spoken in England and the English spoken in America probably has fewer differences  than say...\n\nEnglish as spoken in Boston Massachusetts.\nand\nEnglish as spoken in Mobile Alabama....maybe fifty years ago....before regional accents started going extinct.\n\nand there is not nearly enough difference between the English in England and English in U.S.A to warrant a new name.\nand if American English was called something else.\nwhats the sense?\nits still English\n\nnote: couple of links provided...this link\nhttp://www.evolpub.com/Americandialects/AmDialLnx.html\nhas links to articles concerning the features of regional accents in U.S.\nI.e...New york accent/Boston Accent....\nvermont accent..."ya cahnt get theah from heah"\ntranslation..."you can't get there from here".\nsuch a famous line old guys in Vermont proabably say it to tourists for tips:):)\nsecond link\nhttp://www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh30-2.html\nis about the Appalachian Dialect of English.\nonce considered substandard...now being viewed as archaic and worthy of study
781192
I think Cockney (or at least the 18th century version of it) was the original basis for the Australian accent. It broadened and evolved over time due to the great "melting pot" of regional and class-distinct accents. Constant communication via the ports meant the accent was standardised (unlike, say, England or America where there are many variations in accents). It's also just been subject to natural changes in pronunciation. Listen to Australians speaking naturally on, say, TV footage from 30 years ago and even then it sounds quite different from now.
530669
'There are places where English completely disappears : \nWhy, in America, they haven't spoken it for years !'\n- Prof Henry Higgins, in 'My Fair Lady' [Bernard Shaw and Alan Jay Lerner]
24405
It was the defacto official language in the 19th century when immegrent would say we are Americans now we will speak English.  The problem is Illegal Aliens from around the world that really don't want to be apart of the country\n\nIt should be.  Something has to bind us together as people or we will split apart.
546380
I'm not quite sure what the question is but one develops an accent by having a good ear and listening. Also by changing how you speak, like Americans speak towards the back of their mouth, Australians and Britons speak towards the middle while Irish and Scottish speak at the front.\n\nBut if a foreigner doesn't want to pick up the accent in the country that they are moving to or are visiting then it is possible to maintain their original accent. They just say foreign words in their accent. \n\nOne basically has to have a good ear and is willing to pick up the dialect and accent.
740124
There are not that many here anymore in America, except for in the old Eastern Seaboard, and the South which never really got that much immigration; they consider themselves to be just Americans. At first the majority of Americans came from the British Isle, but then they were overshadowed by all the other groups. In fact, the most common nationality in America is German, followed by Irish and Italians. People have English roots, but they are mixed with other things as well that are more recent with regard to immigration, causing them to celebrate maybe being Italian more than English because grandfather and grandmother so-and-so are from the "Old Country" and they bring the culture more alive.\nI personally don't think the American Revolution is to blame, it's just that the English mixed in with other groups and simply assimilated.
404809
Their is no way I can assure you.  Over their in England, there English is so much better than we hick Americans.  Although in Australia, their were convicts that effected there language, so maybe there messed up, too.  They're are other ways to mess up their, by the way.  Also over their in China, there not speaking English, so most people wouldn't know this question from here or their. (Not to mention telemarketers their in India).  So in conclusion, the best way to know if there incapable of knowing the differences in there language is to take to heart the words of some old English teacher crone patting you on the knee saying, "There, their now sweetie, it will be alright."
954393
all settlers were british, britain claimed the new land, eventually taxes got to high, with inflammation and all, so they started rebeling, britain was not about to let its new colony go, so they sent ships (note britain was most powerful in world at the time ). and they tried to control it, but eventually, somebody shot a british soldier, and they got pissed, and started killing everybody.
292204
If you are talking about the American Revolution, then the answer is:\nWhen the white man finely suceded from the oppresion of the English, they stopped paying taxes (in the forms of tobacco, cotton, other materials).  The increase in product wealth encouraged the expansion to the west.  Whitie took over more and more land from the common Indian hunting grounds, forcing them to move westward.\n\nSonner than later they hit the west coast, and their wasn't anywhere left for the Indians other than the lands the white man didn't want.  It was normally very dry, poor soil, and lacked animals to hunt (since the white man slaughter the buffalos during this expansion).\n\nThe Indians were figuratively and literally raped by the white man.  But this probably would have happened regardless if the Americans lost the revolution too, since whiteman already brought guns to the new lands and had this advantage over the original inhabitants.
815833
I've discovered something about scarcasm. that it is all to do with tone of voice as the face usually does not change if your ear is not used to the persons accent you will not get it. we could probably get an american being scarcastic because we are exposed to so much of their television. but they are not exposed to so much of ours.\n\n\nok americans are dumb
827871
I am british and we hear your accent the same as you do, its just we are not used to it so we know you are from america, its because we are so accustomed to our own accent that when we hear others we find them different and strange.
211272
English...the Bahamas were once a british colony.
772627
Yea that's pretty funny.  When she first came out she had the Bronx accent.  Then when she went through her  " cultured" phase it was like a snooty accent, now she's trying to sound like some snooty/british mix.  What's really funny about that is i know people who move from one country to another, live there for years and NEVER pick up the accent.  She's phony.
951362
You cant learn a british accent - those that try an English accent end up sounding like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins - funny to listen too xx