What sounds better British or American English?

[noname223]

I hope it is okay not to post this in politics it is rather a question of language.
I think I have the minority position. I prefer American English to British English by a lot. I hope I don't offend anyone but for me British English sounds a little bit pretentious.

Though my reason why I prefer AE is also probably influenced by the fact that I listen more to AE. My favorite author DFW was American. I love his English. My favorite Youtubers also stem from the US. My favorite musicians stem from the US too. Though I really like The Beatles.

Due to the fact that I am more used to AE it is for me easier to understand. I was always only mediocre in Listening comprehension. I am not sure why but I suck at it. I think I even have a little bit a problem with that in my native language. LMAO.

Which English do you prefer?

 

[sserafim]

I hope it is okay not to post this in politics it is rather a question of language.
I think I have the minority position. I prefer American English to British English by a lot. I hope I don't offend anyone but for me British English sounds a little bit pretentious.

Though my reason why I prefer AE is also probably influenced by the fact that I listen more to AE. My favorite author DFW was American. I love his English. My favorite Youtubers also stem from the US. My favorite musicians stem from the US too. Though I really like The Beatles.

Due to the fact that I am more used to AE it is for me easier to understand. I was always only mediocre in Listening comprehension. I am not sure why but I suck at it. I think I even have a little bit a problem with that in my native language. LMAO.

Which English do you prefer?

I prefer British English. It just sounds more official and refined, and it sounds more pleasing to the ear as well. It just overall sounds better than American English imo. I hate how American English sounds, and sadly I'm American. American English honestly sounds kind of tacky and unrefined, and kind of rough around the edges. It doesn't sound sophisticated like British English does. I wish I had a British accent instead of an American one. I feel like people think British people are smarter and more intelligent, and take them more seriously bc of their accent. They just sound more knowledgeable and well-read.

 

[FRUSTRATED MIND]

I prefer British English, their accent is beautiful. I don't like the way Americans pronounce the letter "r" in my words. I love the English spoken in the UK , specially their RP (Received Pronunciation), this is the pattern of the British pronunciation.

 

[vitbar]

There are so many accents in the UK. Not just RP. Plenty could hardly be called pretentious.

Taste is taste though and there is nothing wrong with having preferences.

 

[peace_van]

I feel British accent is more easy to understand. Articulate, like my mother tongue.
But American accent feels more casual.

Despite all this I would try to understand all kinds of accents (Indian, Singaporean, Japanese, Italian... anywhere) and take pride in my own.
It is part of my identity.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Like other people have said, there are loads of different accents in the UK. Maybe it's just what we get used to. I prefer British but that's maybe because I am a Brit. I've quite often had crushes on British actors because of their amazing voices! Lol. I also miss the London accent. I grew up nearer London but don't live there now. Hearing that accent again makes me feel comforted. (Not posh though- that's quite a stereotypical idea. Maybe I move in different circles but I know very few people with a posh accent.) I hate my own voice though.

That's not to criticize our American friends. I think it's just what we get used to. Their spelling makes a whole lot more sense than ours!

 

[Ironweed]

Their spelling makes a whole lot more sense than ours!

It wasn't intended that way. Noah Webster did it deliberately when he created the first American dictionary. He wanted to emphasize the difference between American and British English. He single-handedly and quite deliberately got America to drop the "u" in labor and color, etc.

Some of it is just odd, like "aluminum" vs. "aluminium." Doubly odd, because the scientist who discovered aluminum was British and he called it ... aluminum. Yet somehow Britain ultimately went with an extra "i," go figure.

FWIW, my favorite accent is probably a cultured Southern US accent. Sounds to my ears like they're drinking honey.

My least favorite is, sadly, the one with which I am cursed. I have this hideous lower class Boston accent that pops out whenever I'm stressed, angry or drunk. It has all charm of quarters dropped on linoleum. At my worst I can sound like these knuckleheads, to my eternal shame, though without quite as much cursing:

(Warning: Strong language)


Edit: I suppose to answer the OP question, American English is both my best and least favorite accent.

 

[derpyderpins]

I hope it is okay not to post this in politics it is rather a question of language.
I think I have the minority position. I prefer American English to British English by a lot. I hope I don't offend anyone but for me British English sounds a little bit pretentious.

Though my reason why I prefer AE is also probably influenced by the fact that I listen more to AE. My favorite author DFW was American. I love his English. My favorite Youtubers also stem from the US. My favorite musicians stem from the US too. Though I really like The Beatles.

Due to the fact that I am more used to AE it is for me easier to understand. I was always only mediocre in Listening comprehension. I am not sure why but I suck at it. I think I even have a little bit a problem with that in my native language. LMAO.

Which English do you prefer?

"American English" has such an incredibly wide range I couldn't even tell you what it is. Brooklyn/Jersey stereotype is way different than yinzers in Pittsburgh which isn't really the same as your midwestern people, then there are plenty of places that are such melting pots that they don't have a real accent - I'm thinking a lot of NYC outside the Brooklyn stereotype and California - and even the south has a large range: the deep south is different than your Tenessee/Carolinas and none of them sound quite like Texas.

So I guess it depends on the examples you are hearing, and does the person representing that example orate well. For example, in the south, sure you have trashy rednecky types, but talk to a proper gentleman/woman southerner and you might fall in love with that accent or have some southern black ladies call you sugar and you'll feel your heart melt.

 

[StellaSomnus]

Scottish>Texan>British (the normal one)>American

I love Scottish and Texan accents in general

 

[Dead Horse]

As a non-English speaker myself, I hate British English because I find it way more difficult to understand. I've trained my ears to understand American English almost 100% and yet when I'm listening to someone with a British accent, it becomes much harder. Although it vastly depends on the person, too. Christopher Hitchens is a good example of this. Whenever I'm watching some YouTube video with him, I'm like, what language is this dude talking in? I just can't understand half of what he's saying.

 

[NumbItAll]

I'm American, but British colloquialisms are unstoppable. Can't decide on the accents though.

 

[twatingthroughlife]

I hope it is okay not to post this in politics it is rather a question of language.
I think I have the minority position. I prefer American English to British English by a lot. I hope I don't offend anyone but for me British English sounds a little bit pretentious.

Though my reason why I prefer AE is also probably influenced by the fact that I listen more to AE. My favorite author DFW was American. I love his English. My favorite Youtubers also stem from the US. My favorite musicians stem from the US too. Though I really like The Beatles.

Due to the fact that I am more used to AE it is for me easier to understand. I was always only mediocre in Listening comprehension. I am not sure why but I suck at it. I think I even have a little bit a problem with that in my native language. LMAO.

Which English do you prefer?

Australian! The best one imo lol. But between British and American I'd say American because I've never met a British person irl but I feel like if I were to speak to one, they'd be spitting on my face nonstop lmao. Idk why but that's what I imagine when I hear British accent.

I'm also not a native speaker so American accent is easier to understand.

 

[cosifantutti]

I grew up in the 60s and 70s and although there were plenty of American films I rarely heard the American accent outside of that. This is probably why I like the sound of British English more. I moved to Scotland when I was 21 and that, I think, is the best. But there are some horrible English accents.

 

[Forever Sleep]

It wasn't intended that way. Noah Webster did it deliberately when he created the first American dictionary. He wanted to emphasize the difference between American and British English. He single-handedly and quite deliberately got America to drop the "u" in labor and color, etc.

Some of it is just odd, like "aluminum" vs. "aluminium." Doubly odd, because the scientist who discovered aluminum was British and he called it ... aluminum. Yet somehow Britain ultimately went with an extra "i," go figure.

FWIW, my favorite accent is probably a cultured Southern US accent. Sounds to my ears like they're drinking honey.

My least favorite is, sadly, the one with which I am cursed. I have this hideous lower class Boston accent that pops out whenever I'm stressed, angry or drunk. It has all charm of quarters dropped on linoleum. At my worst I can sound like these knuckleheads, to my eternal shame, though without quite as much cursing:

(Warning: Strong language)


Edit: I suppose to answer the OP question, American English is both my best and least favorite accent.

I love the way Americans say 'aluminum'! I don't know why really- it just makes it sound more magical somehow. Lol. That's interesting though about Noah Webster. I just assumed someone had been sensible and spelt words as they sound. I still get tripped up so much by spelling.

Oh bless you! Trust me- my accent is worse than that. It's kind of nasally and whiny. I guess it suites me though because I'm such a pessimist and I usually am whining about something.

 

[Seered Doom]

I like UK English much more and I saw that as an American

 

[S like suicide]

I love American Accent,especially texan...regarding British,it is definetly more harder to understand for me but it is fascinating.Between the two i prefer American English.

 

[TransilvanianHunger]

I prefer most English accents to American ones, to be honest. I say "English" and not British because, lovely as they are, a lot of Scottish and Irish (Northern Ireland =! Ireland not withstanding) accents can be quite tricky for me to understand. I don't find UK English to be particularly posh-sounding, though that might be because I don't automatically think of RP—what most non-UK people would call the "default" English accent.