03 Jun 2004
Interesting reading
My friendâJoe Kissellâhas just re-launched his Interesting Thing of the Day. It's got new content and lots of great new features like an Audio Edition; perfect to put on your iPod for the commute in to work. If you haven't visited before, go and take a look. Joe is smart, funny and writes about an eclectic mix of Interesting Things. What more could you want? If you have been before, go and listen to the new Audio Editionsâthey are brilliantly done, and if it wasn't for the American accent, you'd think he worked for the BBC.
He has a great article up today about the foundations of San Francisco, which taught me a lot I didn't know about the city.
Update (5/6/04): With all the excitement about Joe relaunching, I forgot to mention that I had a very minor input to the site some time ago. After pontificating about conflicts of interests, I felt really guilty when I realised I hadn't mentioned it. I don't have any financial interest in it, thoughâjust interest.
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Laika: It's good isn't it? Do sign up for a free or paid subscription - then you can get the articles by email. I can also usually tell Americans from Canadians (get them to say 'out') and Australians from New Zealanders (get them to say 'six'), but it's by no means infallible. Nathan: The problem is that I wouldn't know what you think of British accentsâthough judging by Hollywood movies, British accent = bad person/possible Nazi.
I can recognise some different accents from the US (north vs. south is easiest), but I can't always place where they come from, and I'm sure I don't get all the subtleties. I don't feel any particular way about American accents. There are just nice voices and unpleasant voices. Joe has a particularly nice, well-modulated voice, which is what prompted the comment about the BBC. Other Americans with voices I like a lot are Laurie Anderson and Garrison Keillor (and many others I can't remember right now).
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I tend to feel the same way about British accents. It's hard to describe how it sounds Americans, but the stereotype associated with the accent is not at all bad. For the most part, the British accent tends to sound more sophisticated to most Americans listeners. Words seem better pronounced, and you really get the feeling that they have a more developed and refined way of speaking. For me, the British accent sounds more musical, more lilting. It's easy and pleasant to listen toâbut at the same time, there are both excellent speakers with incredible voices, and there are speakers that you wish you would never hear again. I've been curious about accents ever since I met my wife. She was born in the American Midwest, and at the time had what I thought of as a strange and different accent. I, being from California, had a strange accent to her. I found the idea fascinating, and have been interested in how accents sound to other people ever since.4
Nathan: I'm fascinated by accents too. I particularly like it when people have a native accent underneath an acquired one when they have lived somewhere for a time. It's intriguing. If you've ever heard Björk speak, you'll know what I mean. She has this lovely Icelandic accent (wonderful in itself), and then occasional flashes of South London. -----
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"...and if it wasnât for the American accent..." I've always wondered what an American accent sounds like to a non-American. Can a non-American notice the different accents from different regions of America? Do British folks think of American accents the way Americans think of the British accents? Or is it more the way American northerners tend to think of a southern accent?----- Wow. Nice site. I've bookmarked it to visit again. As for accents? I'm usually pretty good at guessing where people are from. I haven't visited all the States, so get a few wrong, but at least I know a Canadian from an American and, an Aussie from a Kiwi. A Kiwi's green and furry after all.by Laika @ 03/06/2004 1:06 pm • Permalink