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British accent: why's it attractive?

post #1 of 103
5/19/05 at 2:22pm
Thread Starter 
Something Duke, Raol said in the "non A-list actresses you'd die for" thread got me thinking. Can somebody please explain to me why Americans often find a British accent attractive?

I personally suspect it's because people tend to think that all Brits speak as if they were in some period drama, like Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma. Which is like saying that all Irish speak like Warwick Davis in Leprechaun 1-6.

So, what is it about a Brit accent?
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post #2 of 103
5/19/05 at 3:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Volta
Something Duke, Raol said in the "non A-list actresses you'd die for" thread got me thinking. Can somebody please explain to me why Americans often find a British accent attractive?

I personally suspect it's because people tend to think that all Brits speak as if they were in some period drama, like Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma. Which is like saying that all Irish speak like Warwick Davis in Leprechaun 1-6.

So, what is it about a Brit accent?
Which British accent?

There are about six-hundred (Scouse, Glaswegian, Manc <hack ... spit!>, Brummie, Welsh, Geordie, Cockney etc.)
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post #3 of 103
5/19/05 at 3:53pm
People find it attractive because it's different.
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post #4 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:00pm
I think Volta is angling for laydee.

I tried the same trick years ago. It doesn't work my friend.

They're far smarter than us. Men don't stand a chance, really.
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post #5 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:11pm
Every time I've been to America, people have thought I'm Australian. Probably because I don't sound like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins and therefore don't have a "British accent".
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post #6 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Whitehead
Every time I've been to America, people have thought I'm Australian. Probably because I don't sound like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins and therefore don't have a "British accent".
You don't look anything like Paul Hogan.
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post #7 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff Foster
Which British accent?

There are about six-hundred (Scouse, Glaswegian, Manc <hack ... spit!>, Brummie, Welsh, Geordie, Cockney etc.)
God forbid that anyone finds a Scouse or Brummie accent attractive.

I'm not angling for laydee, I'm just curious.

Come on, six replies and two of them from a Brit (albeit one situated on the GCU Congenital Optimist - not bad by the way, although I think I preferred Just Read the Instructions).
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post #8 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff Foster
You don't look anything like Paul Hogan.
Like a leathery testicle in a hat, you mean? I'm working on it.
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post #9 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:22pm
I don't know if it's the same in other countries, but accents just sound more exotic and interesting to our ears. Or to some people's ears. And with decades of pop culture reenforcement of having suave characters with English or French accents, it gets encoded. But mostly, like Helix said, it's just different and they don't carry the baggage that American regional accents do.
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post #10 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:22pm
I got chatted up by a pancake waitress in Dallas because of my accent. At least, that's what she said.
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post #11 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:24pm
I'll jump in with an opinion. I would say it's not the that the accent is English that makes a voice sexy/attractive. More the fact that any accent conjures up an exotic feeling. Something not familiar.

Edited to add: Bayouradio beat me to the punch.
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post #12 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gigolo Joe
I'll jump in with an opinion. I would say it's not the that the accent is English that makes a voice sexy/attractive. More the fact that any accent conjures up an exotic feeling. Something not familiar.
Cinema suggests that, at the very least, Englishmen offer the promise of an interesting first date hi-jacking subway trains or storming skyscrapers.
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post #13 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fett
I got chatted up by a pancake waitress in Dallas because of my accent.
It's not the accent, it's because you say funny things like "chatted up". Did you ask her what she was called?
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post #14 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gigolo Joe
More the fact that any accent conjures up an exotic feeling.
I can't think of anything less exotic than Scouse, but each to his own.
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post #15 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:35pm
English accents are just so quaint.
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post #16 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by otisthecat
It's not the accent, it's because you say funny things like "chatted up". Did you ask her what she was called?
No. I had a girlfriend at the time, so I politely flirted, but never went further.
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post #17 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Volta
I can't think of anything less exotic than Scouse, but each to his own.
I don't think John Lennon had too many problems pulling American women.
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post #18 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fett
No. I had a girlfriend at the time, so I politely flirted, but never went further.
I believe you.
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post #19 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fett
I got chatted up by a pancake waitress in Dallas because of my accent. At least, that's what she said.
And as I recall she was cute. Of course you also had that metal refugee look going on.
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post #20 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:39pm
Any other girlfriend, I probably would have, but her, I loved her more than anything (including SW), hence why it was so heartbreaking when she fucked me over.
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post #21 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fett
No. I had a girlfriend at the time, so I politely flirted, but never went further.
Not very James Bond of you.
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post #22 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff Foster
I don't think John Lennon had too many problems pulling American women.
I think it had more to do with his musicianship. I mean I'm sure Ringo got his share too.
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post #23 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt. Eucalyptus
I think it had more to do with his musicianship. I mean I'm sure Ringo got his share too.
According to legend, Ringo got more than his share.
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post #24 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff Foster
You don't look anything like Paul Hogan.
More like Benny Hill actually.
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post #25 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt. Eucalyptus
I think it had more to do with his musicianship. I mean I'm sure Ringo got his share too.
Being a member of the pop senstation of the 60s can't have been a bad thing, either.
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post #26 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt. Eucalyptus
More like Benny Hill actually.
I can assure everyone that Dan is well above the Macclesfield mean. For a start, he's got two ears.
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post #27 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:47pm
Yeah, but one is on his back.
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post #28 of 103
5/19/05 at 4:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacob Singer
Yeah, but one is on his back.
That's essential for survival in his neck of the woods.
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post #29 of 103
5/19/05 at 5:06pm
Scouse accents can by very lyrical. A lot of regional accents rely on rhythm and cadence for their meaning, which is possibly why the actual words they use are full of shit.

This message brought to you by a Londoner who had his accent given to him personally by the Queen.
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post #30 of 103
5/19/05 at 5:10pm
At this point I should point out I live in Merseyside.
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post #31 of 103
5/19/05 at 5:17pm
I need some new hubcaps. Could you sort me out?
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post #32 of 103
5/19/05 at 5:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Clarke
I need some new hubcaps. Could you sort me out?
Aggro I can take from the greasy, Godless Mancs. I draw the line long before jibes from champagne-swilling southern soft-lads however. <g>
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post #33 of 103
5/19/05 at 5:24pm
Yosser!!!!!!!!!

gizza job!!!!
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post #34 of 103
5/19/05 at 5:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan Parker
Yosser!!!!!!!!!

gizza job!!!!
I'll have you know I live in Haydock, which is as near to the spot bang centre between Manchester and Liverpool as you can get.

I like to think the cream of both cities settles in Haydock.
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post #35 of 103
5/19/05 at 5:34pm
Speak English, you fruity Brits.
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post #36 of 103
5/19/05 at 5:37pm
This is a true story.

I was in Machester, the Rusholme area I think, and I was having a nice cup of tea at this womans house and we heard a car engine gettng really loud and then this almighty crash followed by a bunch of shouting. I'm looking out the window and she tells me to get down and hide as there are some people ram raiding a house.

RAM RAIDING A HOUSE!!!!!.

They left and I went outside to see the arse end of a ford escort sticking out of a bay window. I don't think I traveled west of the Pennines again.
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post #37 of 103
5/19/05 at 5:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan Parker
This is a true story.

I was in Machester, the Rusholme area I think, and I was having a nice cup of tea at this womans house and we heard a car engine gettng really loud and then this almighty crash followed by a bunch of shouting. I'm looking out the window and she tells me to get down and hide as there are some people ram raiding a house.

RAM RAIDING A HOUSE!!!!!.

They left and I went outside to see the arse end of a ford escort sticking out of a bay window. I don't think I traveled west of the Pennines again.
Yeah, there are all sorts of weird and wonderful characters in Rusholme. Although it's nowhere near as exotic as Moss Side, which is a mile or so down the road.

That said, Rusholme is the Curry Capital of Britain. No finer stomach-dissolvers will you ever sample.
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post #38 of 103
5/19/05 at 6:12pm
My roommate and his annoying, fat, cookie-eating girlfriend like to call each other pet names while speaking in a British accent. It's sweet, yet sickening at the same time.
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post #39 of 103
5/19/05 at 6:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diva
... and his annoying, fat, cookie-eating girlfriend ...
Ouch!
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post #40 of 103
5/19/05 at 6:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff Foster
Ouch!
Oh and Happy Birthday by the way, Diva.
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post #41 of 103
5/19/05 at 6:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fett
I got chatted up by a pancake waitress in Dallas because of my accent. At least, that's what she said.
"What you readin' for?"
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post #42 of 103
5/19/05 at 6:58pm
'Gosh darnit, you stumped me!'
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post #43 of 103
5/19/05 at 7:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Whitehead
"What you readin' for?"
So I can argue about Star Wars, apparently.
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post #44 of 103
5/20/05 at 10:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fett
I got chatted up by a pancake waitress in Dallas because of my accent. At least, that's what she said.
But did the waitress have one of our "people immediately assume we are stupid because we have a thick southern drawl" accents?
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post #45 of 103
5/20/05 at 2:38pm
although it's not quite my default accent, sometimes I throw on The Posh Educated Londoner with new people, just because I can. it's fun to get comments about it from bubbly, twangy Californians.

I only mess around with it though, I don't lay it on too thick because it would be cheap to exploit it just to get into someone's pants... but still I reckon a generic "British accent" alone could be enough to get you laid in america, whether you had anything real and substantial to offer or not, whether you looked like Brad Pitt or a 400lb Jack Elam. accents are just so romantic and suggestive.
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post #46 of 103
5/20/05 at 2:43pm

back on topic

Call me crazy, but going back to my high school Bio class, All things are genetic.

I think some accents are particulary attractive to our ears because we are (at least subconciously) looking for a person with a different genetic make-up than ourselves. At the same time, an accent so vastly different than our own, can be off putting because it is too different than our own.
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post #47 of 103
5/20/05 at 3:01pm
Chicks dig bad boys. Everyone who's ever been to the movies knows the villain is always English. Q.E.D.
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post #48 of 103
5/20/05 at 3:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disciple_72
I reckon a generic "British accent" alone could be enough to get you laid in america...
As that great documentary Love Actually conclusively proved.
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post #49 of 103
5/20/05 at 3:07pm
I bet Don Cheadle has to beat the women off with a stick when he switches to "Cockney" mode.
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post #50 of 103
5/20/05 at 3:41pm
I thought there were only two types of British accent: Cockney (...snicker...) and Sheepish.

I prefer the former and quite often use the ole "Allo Guvner" to attract the lasses.
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