The American Accent?

Question

So, I was watching a few videos on YouTube with non-Americans attempting an the American Accent, and the main thing I noticed was:

They often add words like, LIKE and UM and ANYWAY and AND YEAH.

I never really payed attention to that, but I was wondering from the non-Americans if we do talk like that a lot.

Answer 1

Youtube is ridiculous....

The American accent is a lot more complex than youtube foreigners gives us credit for. Each state has its own distinct accent so you can't generalize.  The slang  depends on where you live. Also, I would argue bigger states like California, Florida, Texas, and New York the accents and slang changes.

Keep in mind the U.S. has a population of  300 million plus. So our jargon is going to vary tremendously.  

Answer 2

I am an American, but I HAVE noticed that we DO talk like that a lot! Those words are "fillers", to "fill in" the empty space where you can't think of what to say next.

Answer 3

Like, um, yeah, dude

Answer 4

UM, You Know, yeah

Answer 5

seems to depend on things i) where you're from in the States, ii) how educated you are, iii) your age, iv) social influences (e.g. do you work somewhere where diction is important?