Brits: Why do so many of you mock the way Americans speak?

Question

Granted, with ebonics and all that nonsense I can see how you'd be horrified but listen to the way a Cokney speaks, for goodness sake! It makes me want to jam a screwdriver into my ears! Many Americans are ignorant of grammar but a large number of us know how to speak properly. Do all of you guys think we sound ignorant and uneducated? It seems very unjust to me to make such a generalization yet I hear such comments time and time again.

Answer 1

I find it funny too. I've met plenty of Brits, and most speak with more slang and jibberish than the average American does.  

Answer 2

The British mock a lot of things about us Americans.  Not just our accent.

Answer 3

I dislike how American English has changed the spelling of English words, and so they are pronounced differently.

For example, the word paedophile. In AEng, a pedophile actually means a foot lover, ped being foot. We pronounce is as pee-do-phile.

I don't mock Americans when they talk, but I do object to British people using Americanisms, such as saying pryvicy rather than pri-vacy, haRass rather than Harass and conTROversy rather than ConTroversy.

And you go ahead and insult Cockneys... doesn't make you all that tolerant, does it?

Answer 4

Being a Canadian and a British subject, I want to respond.

You are right. Each country, including Canada, has differing dialects. Some good. Some not so good.I remember once in N. Carolina, my son, 12 at the time, commented, "Dad, they have funny accents". He's 40 now and still remembers my response. "No son, this is their home, we have the funny accent".

I have noticed though, that there are many Brits and Aussies appearing on American weather and news casts. Same up here. I shake my head and wonder why.

Answer 5

We dont mock, but it appears some of you have a complex about the way you speak.

Answer 6

well i could say the same to you, really it just goes down to the individual person.

Being British i have friends who have in the passed Mocked american's for there accent, then again, i have heard over the internet and my xbox that during games people argue with me and constently insult my accent claming i should go for a cup of tea.

It is just stereotuping, every country have people who mock ther people for there stereotype, be it if they are british, american, french, black, white, g*y, striahgt people will always insult each other.

I suggest just ignoring it because for every british person you find who mocks american im sure you can find 20 who don't and i am sure it is the same for me when looking for an american who does not mock the way i speak.

Answer 7

The thing is, we sort of mock you in a loving way, it isnt meant to be hurtful. It's sort of an affectionate joke. You do the same to us with the whole "look at me im a homosexual and i drink tea" thing, but we dont care, we have real chips :)