I read with surprise how this guy (story here) was surprised when landing in the US that no one spoke with an English accent.
What was that, you say?
The first initial shock upon landing was that no one spoke with an English accent. I had grown so used to trying to decipher the words spoken with an English accent that it was almost a struggle to understand the words with no English accent. I found myself expecting people to talk a certain way and was continually surprised for the first few days when I didn’t hear people say “cheers” instead of “thank-you“ as well as other English lingo which I had grown accustomed to. Another shock was the lack of public transportation.
In other news, the Eskimos don't speak with an English accent either.
There is a huge debate on th internet about whether the received British accent has had its day, and its part of another debate about "soft power", and the cultural influence of London and England on the English and non speaking English world.
More thoughts to follow but in the meantime, let me know what you think
British accent: puissant (softly spoken but influential) or pissant (loudly spoken but uninfluential and of no consequence)?