Can you fake accents?

[Anoohilator]

I've now mastered the camp german accent!

[Hil]

I am sort of interested what would be an "American" accent, since there are so many differences between Southern (even the differences between the generic "Southern" accents), Boston, Chicago, Californian, New York(...ian? xD), etc accents, that it seems odd to have one that's called "American". From my experience, I live in Illinois, and there are people with Southern accents, the Chicago accent (obviously), some accents that I can't even really describe, and, well, what I would like to call a "lack of an accent", but obviously that's not true.

Or are all of those, collectively, considered American accent?

I think a generic American accent is like a "national newscaster's accent."

Back to the topic: No, I really can't fake an accent. Scottish and Irish accents are really hard to fake. Irish people do not sound like the lucky charms guy. Also, I don't know why some people think that the English talk like the chimney sweeper from Mary Poppins. I've been there, and nobody talks like that!

[Cassi]

I've now mastered the camp german accent!

Bet you don't sound as good as Stephen Fry does, though...

[Asthaloth]

I am sort of interested what would be an "American" accent, since there are so many differences between Southern (even the differences between the generic "Southern" accents), Boston, Chicago, Californian, New York(...ian? xD), etc accents, that it seems odd to have one that's called "American". From my experience, I live in Illinois, and there are people with Southern accents, the Chicago accent (obviously), some accents that I can't even really describe, and, well, what I would like to call a "lack of an accent", but obviously that's not true.

Or are all of those, collectively, considered American accent?

I think a generic American accent is like a "national newscaster's accent."

Back to the topic: No, I really can't fake an accent. Scottish and Irish accents are really hard to fake. Irish people do not sound like the lucky charms guy. Also, I don't know why some people think that the English talk like the chimney sweeper from Mary Poppins. I've been there, and nobody talks like that!

Someone will somewhere I'm sure.
Accents can change in the space of a few miles around here,

[Anoohilator]

I've now mastered the camp german accent!

Bet you don't sound as good as Stephen Fry does, though...

Well no, but he's perfected it - sounded just like my german partner! Especially the "Stop it" which is exactly how my partner used to say it o.o

[shapu]

I can do a passably rubbish American...

But... Some people say my American is good. And... I reply that they have hearing problems. Also, a lot of imitations of English accents aren't much good. Some people forget we do not say mall = shopping centre or something, (can't even SAY that word ), sidewalk = pavement, yard = garden, oh yeah... we don't have Target, Limeted Too or 7-Eleven or Sevemn-11, whateve it is.

7-eleven is a convenience shop known almost entirely for having the Slurpee, a kind of iced/slush drink which the Squishee from The Simpsons is a parody of. The vast majority 7-11s are open 24 hours a day and are, by and large, attached to gas stations in the southern US and stand-alone convenience shops everywhere else.

I am sort of interested what would be an "American" accent, since there are so many differences between Southern (even the differences between the generic "Southern" accents), Boston, Chicago, Californian, New York(...ian? xD), etc accents, that it seems odd to have one that's called "American". From my experience, I live in Illinois, and there are people with Southern accents, the Chicago accent (obviously), some accents that I can't even really describe, and, well, what I would like to call a "lack of an accent", but obviously that's not true.

Or are all of those, collectively, considered American accent?

When faking an American accent, when I can tell what they're going for (I often can't), it usually seems to be either a generic Southern or a New York. But yea, I often can't tell what the hell they're trying to do...I suppose there's that kinda "generic" American accent which you get on a lot of tv shows, and that's probably what they're trying to imitate if they aren't going for a more specific one.

...I have no idea if any of that made sense.

(Moongewl says it slightly better than me, and also makes a good point with the whole generic "English" accent thing, too.)

I tend to think of the generic American accent this way:
-There are no glottal stops like in many English accents, such as is often the parodied Cockney accent (meaning you'd say "Glo'al stop")
-You pronounce every letter that isn't canonically silent (non-accented Americans say, "I parked my car in Harvard Yard," while Bostonians say "I pahked mah cah in Hahvahd Yahd,"which is a comedically pleasing evolution of what I perceive to be the general British hatred of the letter R)
-There's no lyrical quality to the language, like there is in Irish English or in southern american hill dialects that arose from Irish and Scots immigrants (If you've heard the phrase, "Fussin and a-feudin," or "He's gone a-fishin'," that added particle, the "a-" prefix, is there to maintain an iambic quality to the phrases, with up-down-up-down accenting of the syllables, which arose from the primarily Irish immigrants who settled outside of major cities in the southern US).
-There are no added phones to the words. "India" is pronounced, "IN-dee-yah," not "IN-dee-ehr," which happens a lot in British English dialects, for some reason I just don't know.

[guineadan]

I'm English and can do no accent whatsoever (except English, of course xD) Not even Irish, Scottish, Welsh, American, Australian, Polaris World man (lol) etc...
I tried to sound like someone from Home and Away, but mother just stared at me weirdly and said "...No "

... And LOL @ Noo xD

[Twinkle]

No, I'm useless at accents. Every one I attempt always sounds faintly yam-yam so I just give up.

However, let's get a few things straight.

British accent? No such thing.
Those of you from the Mid-West of America? You DO have an accent. That's what most British people mean when they say 'American' accent.
I always wondered why most Americans who try to imitate my accent sound like a Queen's-English newsreader, whereas any other person from any other continent got the yam-yam thing down pretty well.
We have regional accents, especially in England. And I don't mean county to county. To me, I sound completely different to someone who comes from Birmingham, which is around 20 minutes away.

However, I tend to pick up accents very quickly. After spending 3 months working in America with many people from various different cultures, I apparently came back with a 'posh' English accent using the American intonation with a slight South African twang. I've been back at home since August and my old accent is now back. Gutted.

Wow essay.

[3lla]

not so much as an accent per say, but I can actually convincingly sound like a guy. Couple of times my friends betted that I couldnt make someone belive I was acting as guy so I dressed up in mens clothing and went wandering around doing my guy voice. It scared alot of people but it worked and i won a very wonderful $100

I can do an english accent but I am english so that deosnt count. I've only just began to develop an ear for a generic american accent and have yet to really test it out in public, but I should do in a few weeks. If you can make people in the piblic believe you are from so and so because fo the accent then you can definitely do an accent.
Plus I act too much for a normal person so I enjoy performing for the public

[Helena]

I think a generic American accent is like a "national newscaster's accent."

Back to the topic: No, I really can't fake an accent. Scottish and Irish accents are really hard to fake. Irish people do not sound like the lucky charms guy. Also, I don't know why some people think that the English talk like the chimney sweeper from Mary Poppins. I've been there, and nobody talks like that!

Some people here do talk like the chimney sweeper though. Its like..... Shoot, theres this female singer who sings with a cockney accent who's name I can't remember. Anyone know who she is? The name ran away

[Twinkle]

I think a generic American accent is like a "national newscaster's accent."

Back to the topic: No, I really can't fake an accent. Scottish and Irish accents are really hard to fake. Irish people do not sound like the lucky charms guy. Also, I don't know why some people think that the English talk like the chimney sweeper from Mary Poppins. I've been there, and nobody talks like that!

Some people here do talk like the chimney sweeper though. Its like..... Shoot, theres this female singer who sings with a cockney accent who's name I can't remember. Anyone know who she is? The name ran away

Good grief. NOBODY talks like the "chimney sweeper" as smurf Van Dyke does the worst cockney accent in film history. It's terrible!

Do you mean Kate Nash btw?

[Mongrel]

Good grief. NOBODY talks like the "chimney sweeper" as smurf Van Dyke does the worst cockney accent in film history. It's terrible!

Poor Smurf Van Dyke.

[Asthaloth]

Good grief. NOBODY talks like the "chimney sweeper" as smurf Van Dyke does the worst cockney accent in film history. It's terrible!

Poor Smurf Van Dyke.

Which one was he?
I only remember the old guy with the beard

[Twinkle]

It's the same guy, just a good 25 years younger. The chimney sweep in Mary Poppins. Chim-chimerny-chiroo and all that. Worst Mockney EVER.

EVER.

[Asthaloth]

*Woooosh*

I was being a smurf and reffering to the blue fellows