> the American accent is actually how English was spoken in England until the 1800's No, it isn't. American English has preserved certain archaic features once

> the American accent is actually how English was spoken in England until the 1800's No, it isn't. American English has preserved certain archaic features once found throughout UK English (rhotacism is one), but it has also innovated heavily in other respects just as UK English has. Even within the United States, accents have evolved drastically since the advent of recording technology over a century ago. The standard introduction to this is the work of Labov et al.