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Author Archives: Ben
When ‘Price’ and ‘Prize’ Don’t Rhyme
In recent years, I’ve noticed a growing phenomenon among American English speakers. People with otherwise “standard” accents exhibit a “non-standard” pronunciation of words like price, right, and kite. To use right as an example, this results in pronunciations which sound … Continue reading
Just What is General American English?
I’ve spent the last week on vacation with my girlfriend’s extended family. Most of them are from various parts of Pennsylvania, a state noted for its relative diversity of accents. Indeed, this was my experience throughout the week: I heard … Continue reading
Jill Abramson’s Accent
I’m coming home from vacation Saturday and will hopefully have proper post up by Sunday. In the meantime, I’d like to address something that has been swirling around the press: the strange idiolect of new NY Times Executive editor Jill … Continue reading
Why is Fantasy Always in a British Accent?
[Ed. Note: I’m on vacation till Saturday, July 30th, so I’m publishing some old posts I drafted but never published. Some of these might be rough around the edges. Also note that it may be difficult for me to respond … Continue reading
Animal Accents
[Ed. Note: I’m on vacation till Saturday, July 30, so I’m publishing some old posts I drafted but never published. Some of these might be rough around the edges. Also note that it may be difficult for me to respond … Continue reading
Why Vowel Shifts?
[Ed. Note: I’m on vacation till Saturday, July 30th, so I’m publishing some old posts that I drafted but never published for various reasons. Some of these might be a little rough around the edges. Also note that it may … Continue reading
Posts while I’m on Vacation
I am on vacation this next week in an area with little internet access. As I won’t have much opportunity to write, I’m going to publish some old posts that I drafted but didn’t put on the blog for various … Continue reading
Children’s Accents
Children’s accents tell us quite a bit about adult accents. From the speech of children, we can deduce which sounds of English are easily acquired and which less so. And in some situations, we can find explanations for why accents … Continue reading
The Cloth Set
I remember the first time I learned about the cloth set. It was a boiling summer day in an un-air-conditioned New York workplace. Feeling the heat, I exclaimed to a co-worker, “Man, this is a hot office!” At that moment, … Continue reading
The Overlooked Philadelphia Accent
I should really know more about the Philadelphia Accent than I do. I have several friends who live in Philadelphia, my lovely girlfriend was born in the city (and raised nearby), and I’ve lived most of my life in the … Continue reading
Posted in American English Tagged New York Accent, philadelphia accent, Rhotic vs. Non-Rhotic 52 Comments