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The Swedes ’ British accent | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6900 days ago 4250 posts - 5711 votes  Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 9 of 26 06 May 2012 at 11:27pm | IP Logged | ||
Surprise - we don't. British English might be the norm (BE textbooks etc.) , but hardly any kid will adopt it since the major part of the popular media is American. As simple as that. Of all my classmates over the years, I think only a handful have spoken non-rhotic English. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Elexi Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5556 days ago 938 posts - 1840 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 10 of 26 06 May 2012 at 11:58pm | IP Logged | ||
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Most French people I meet (and London is, after all, France's 7th biggest city) sound
like they are speaking British English with a French accent and not American English - I would say most French people I meet sound like Arsene Wenger or Antoine de Caunes and Jean Paul Gaultier (all of whom, to my ear, have the pretty much the same accent when speaking French as when speaking English) and not Americans. Maybe this is a generation thing, however. Obligatory YouTube Clips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSWnNRrtfw0&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z49jv7DnEGU 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| COF Senior Member United States Joined 5822 days ago 262 posts - 354 votes Speaks: English* | Message 11 of 26 17 May 2012 at 2:09am | IP Logged | ||
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That's news to me. Most Swedish people I've heard speaking English seem desparate to sound American and often use American slang that British people would be unlikely to use.
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| COF Senior Member United States Joined 5822 days ago 262 posts - 354 votes Speaks: English* | Message 12 of 26 17 May 2012 at 2:22am | IP Logged | ||
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In fact, on the contrary, I get the impression that the Swedish don't particularly like the British and certainly wouldn't make an active effort to speak like them.
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| Elexi Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5556 days ago 938 posts - 1840 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 13 of 26 17 May 2012 at 10:05am | IP Logged | ||
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Are you sure you're not projecting your own, well publicised, prejudices against British
people onto the Swedes? Edited by Elexi on 17 May 2012 at 10:06am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| eilis91 Bilingual Tetraglot Newbie France Joined 4567 days ago 28 posts - 54 votes Speaks: English*, Irish*, French, Italian Studies: German, Yoruba | Message 14 of 26 17 May 2012 at 10:18am | IP Logged | ||
I know only two Swedish people, but both have what sound to me like American accents, and are regularly mistaken for Americans by Americans. They say this is due to watching a lot of American television. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fiolmattias Triglot Groupie Sweden geocities.com/fiolmaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6680 days ago 62 posts - 129 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, Arabic (Written) | Message 15 of 26 17 May 2012 at 11:20am | IP Logged | ||
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I think you're "all" mistaking us Swedes as a homogenous group. We are not :)
One example: I'm in my mid thirties and when I went to school my teachers had traveled to Europe, that's it. On the TV we had british tv-shows like 'allo allo and the likes and a lot of british movies. We only had 2 TV channels. My dielect was markedly british when I grew up. But still with the swedish coming through :) Today the situation is markedly different. Most teachers (and students) have been in the US, and just about all movies and tv-shows (on our 30+ channels) are of american origin. Today most youngsters speak with something resembeling an North American dialect. Perhaps that is one of many reasons? Other may be politics (we are by birth socialists, which country do you think we symphatize more with ;) ), but that is perhaps a different discussion all together. All the best! Edited by fiolmattias on 17 May 2012 at 11:20am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Camundonguinho Triglot Senior Member Brazil Joined 4740 days ago 273 posts - 500 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, English, Spanish Studies: Swedish | Message 16 of 26 17 May 2012 at 12:34pm | IP Logged | ||
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Norwegians sound more American, the Swedes more British.
The Swedes pronounce HUT as [hät] (with a Cockney/Australian a), so it sounds like American/Norwegian pronunciation of HOT. Norwegian ø is close to the American vowel in LOVE, BUT, CURRY... Swedish and Danish singers who sing in English don't bother with the [z] sound at all, so for them LOSE = LOOSE, GRAZE = GRACE, EYES = ICE. Many Norwegian singers adopt the [z] sound, but sometimes they go overboard with voicing (Tone Damli is pronouncing PASSER-BY with a [z] in her song ''Look back'' ...this is called hypercorrection). Edited by Camundonguinho on 17 May 2012 at 12:47pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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