How did accents originate?

Question

http://www.neutralaccent.com

Answer 1

I imagine that they were imported by the Colonists who were originally from England,Scotland, Wales, Ireland, etc.  They kept their country accents and gradually they softened up a bit to sound less British/Irish yet dropped their "r" sounds and added some "a" sounds.

"Pahk the cahr near the Toyoter".

Pschlapse - You wicked pissah, you're right about that! :)

Answer 2

I have an accent and it originated when I move to the U.S hehe!

Answer 3

The British have always fancied themselves aristocrats - thus they were constantly changing their sound to make their social status known.  Today, these pronunciations are called "The Queen's English"

You can imagine the queen saying: "Do lets stroll in the pahk"

The Irish picked up the flattened R sound so that they would also sound aristocratic, but when it hit Boston, (and lost its proximity to England) the R sound became even flatter.

Originally, the book we all know as Miriam Webster's Dictionary was originally a "Pronunciation Guide" that wealthy British people could study in order to develop a certain sound that would identify them as Upper Crust society.  In time, the book became best known for its definitions - but the pronunciation guide is still first in each listing.

Regarding the answer from Capricorn:  It would more correctly sound like this "Pahk the Cah ne-uh thuh Toyoter"  "We ate peetzer undah thuh spahklin' stahs"