Al M
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I was born and raised in the USA and then moved to Scotland when I was 21. I lived there for 30 years until moving to my current home in Italy.
The way some Americans respond to British accents is, I'm afraid, something of a joke in Britain. Several British friends returning from visits to the States recounted stories of of encountering someone who asked them to "Say something in that British accent of yours." Usually, this anecdote would be told in a really bad impression of an American drawl.
In my experience the appreciation is not, I'm sorry to say, reciprocated. People never started throwing rocks at me when they heard my accent, but nor did they express any appreciation of it. And it's not like I have a really extreme accent: I grew up in Washington state, not Texas or Boston or Maine.
Something you need to bear in mind is that politics colours how you, as an American, will be seen by many Brits. Even if you never voted for Bush and were on the streets protesting about Iraq, you'll be seen by some as being a representative of a global superpower which takes actions that a lot of people consider to be anything from foolishly shortsighted to downright oppressive. For these people - and I have to say they are not exactly a rarity - your accent will be seen as unattractive because it is associated with actions they find unattractive.
It's also the case that American accents are associated in many people's minds with television shows, and American television in general does not have a stellar reputation in Britain. A lot of people watch American imports, but for many they to tend to be a bit of a guilty secret. |
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