Date: Wed, 4 Sep 1996 10:04:47 -0500

From: Mark Mandel Mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]DRAGONSYS.COM

Subject: American accent (was: Kimmelweck)



Jason Wilke asks:





I just moved back from Europe. Until I went, I never noticed it, but when

I was in Europe, I could distinctly tell an American accent anywhere...



HOW do you describe an Ami accent? The only word I can find that's

close is twangy. We do have regional accents, but there is also a

common accent...





I'd put our retroflexed or humped /r/ at or near the top of the list. In any

European language it stands out like a mule in a ballroom.



Mark A. Mandel : mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]dragonsys.com

Dragon Systems, Inc. : speech recognition : +1 617 965-5200

320 Nevada St., Newton, MA 02160, USA : http://www.dragonsys.com/