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I spent a semester in college in the Czech Republic with international students from all over Europe, all of whom spoke English. All the Americans learned to sp
by mbgerring 5y ago
I spent a semester in college in the Czech Republic with international students from all over Europe, all of whom spoke English. All the Americans learned to speak “European English” — slowed down, more verbose, without slang — because we were frequently told that we could not be understood otherwise. It became pronounced enough that people I would talk to back home would notice it. And for what it’s worth I couldn’t understand the students from the UK when they were speaking to each other either.
- syrrim 5y agoI was on the bus on time, a cute family was ahead of me, speaking some incomprehensible babble. "I wonder what part of scandinavia they're from", thought I. Then the father turns to me and asks some pleasantry with his british accent. I think those types recognize the degree to which they're dialect can't be broadly understood, and tune it appropriately. Perhaps americans are less aware of the need because accents are locally much more homogeneous.