Did Americans in 1776 have British accents?
Oct 12th 2010, 11:07 am
#31
Concierge
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Re: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents?
No, there were no Americans at that time and they were immigrants from all countries of the world. There were many German, French, Asia, Spanish, Dutch, etc. accents in the colonies.
Oct 12th 2010, 11:10 am
#32
Just Joined
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Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
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Re: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents?
There is an island near me which has kept more of the original accent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIZgw09CG9E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIZgw09CG9E
Eve
Oct 12th 2010, 11:29 am
#34
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Oct 12th 2010, 2:01 pm
#35
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Re: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents?
Oct 13th 2010, 1:47 am
#37
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Re: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents?
Yes, this is really interesting. I live in a really rural area of New York State, about 350 miles from NYC and close to the Canadian border. My observation is that in quiet country areas throughout the northeast country folk talk rather like those people from Tangier VA. Obviously each region has distinctive accent features, but often locals habitually speak in a way that sounds (to me) closer to English country accents (Devon, for instance) than to Americans from city or suburb.
http://www.americanheritage.com/arti...990_7_59.shtml
Oct 13th 2010, 2:35 am
#38
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Re: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents?
Here are some published examples of the use of the word American before independence (from OED);
1741 G. WHITFIELD Let. 23 Dec. (1772) III. 432, I now have forty-nine children under my care, twenty-three English, ten Scots, four Dutch, five French, seven Americans.
1766 B. GALE in Philos. Trans. 1765 (Royal Soc.) 55 198 Paying quit-rents to monopolizers of large tracts of land, is not well relished by Americans.
1775 JOHNSON Taxation No Tyranny 13 That the Americans are able to bear taxation is indubitable.
Oct 13th 2010, 2:46 am
#39
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Re: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents?
Good article on the subject. David Hackett Fischer's book is well worth reading.
http://www.americanheritage.com/arti...990_7_59.shtml
http://www.americanheritage.com/arti...990_7_59.shtml
Oct 13th 2010, 3:03 am
#40
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Oct 13th 2010, 3:05 am
#41
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Re: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents?
Oct 13th 2010, 3:11 am
#42
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Oct 13th 2010, 3:19 am
#43
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Isn't that how those Kindles etc show books?
Oct 13th 2010, 3:23 am
#44
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