Posted: Nov 14, 2014 11:01 am
Dietmar Hamann also has a bit of a scouse accent. I also enjoyed Sebastian Vettel's Brummie impression on Top Gear.
In Vietnam, I've probably noticed an equal mix of British and American accents, although obviously only a few people are good enough to have either. In Western Europe, there are probably a few factors at play. Firstly, it's extremely unlikely that anyone is being taught by Americans, because it's very hard for them to get a visa when there are so many EU nationals able to do the job. Secondly, anyone doing study abroad programmes or simply working abroad are likely to have done so in the UK, not America, which is when most people get their accents. I know some people who've developed an accent (or at least a twang one way or another) without visiting any English-speaking country, but it's really difficult to do without going there.
But Brits still punch way above their weight in the English teaching world, mainly because most of the big publishers and therefore books are UK-based. They all try to teach international English nowadays, but British spelling, etc, is still the standard. British English is sold as English, whereas American English is still largely sold as the variation. The reality is that most people never get to a level where it matters either way.
In Vietnam, I've probably noticed an equal mix of British and American accents, although obviously only a few people are good enough to have either. In Western Europe, there are probably a few factors at play. Firstly, it's extremely unlikely that anyone is being taught by Americans, because it's very hard for them to get a visa when there are so many EU nationals able to do the job. Secondly, anyone doing study abroad programmes or simply working abroad are likely to have done so in the UK, not America, which is when most people get their accents. I know some people who've developed an accent (or at least a twang one way or another) without visiting any English-speaking country, but it's really difficult to do without going there.
But Brits still punch way above their weight in the English teaching world, mainly because most of the big publishers and therefore books are UK-based. They all try to teach international English nowadays, but British spelling, etc, is still the standard. British English is sold as English, whereas American English is still largely sold as the variation. The reality is that most people never get to a level where it matters either way.