Why are real British accents so different from the ones on Hollywood?

Wow, yesterday I saw the British version of 'The Office." I could only understand half the crap they were saying, at most. Eastenders is hard to understand, and so is Cornation Street. It's like you guys speak a whole new language. I'm sure you guys can understand us for the most part, because of our powerful media disseminated globally and all...


Why are your accents so different from the ones on Hollywood?|||It depends where in England you come from, there's so many English accents.|||There are many accents in Britain; not all of them are the same just like here in the USA there are southern accents, mid west accents and Boston accents and CA surfer/valley accents. In Britain you have the more cultured London accents, then you have the lower class Cockney accents and Liverpool etc and sometimes in movies, the actors are not British but putting on an accent and they're just not very good at it.|||Regional accents Baby! You could factor in local dialect too.





Same as in USA and rest of world - except of course on bigger (and better - not) scale with you.





Don't New Yorkers find it hard to identify with someone from Tennessee and generally feel superior to all Southerners, mocking their accents?|||Because we weren't all brought up in the posh end of London speaking the Queen's English. In most films that need somebody English, it's always people like Kate Winslet who get cast for it or they'll get Renee Zellwegger to do her posh royal accent. It's not reality. Nobody sounds like that. I bet you thought we all walked around with canes and wore top hats too didn't you?|||Hollywood paints this picture like every english person is posh they are not theres alot of accents and it depends on where you live in the uk if your up north you sound completley different from people living in london and vice versa and all over really but you have too remember that american learnt how too speak from us|||I have what they call a cockney accent kinda....becuz i was born and bred here my parents r from west africa...but my dad and mum have been here for decadez.





and believe me i see more white ppl on benefits or working class then the posh types....anyone of any colour can be rich and well-off...|||Same reason why all American accents in Hollywood are pretty much the same...it's just the steriotypical accent. There is a variety of accents anywhere you go. Just gotta look around and I'm sure you'll see this|||I did not know whether to laugh or cry at your question. I would say the English speak English and the Hollywood folk speak American English.|||Shud yer mouf yer moufy cah! Wots orl vis then? Cumin rahnd ere wiv yer knickers rahnd yer plates? Oo is vis muppet? Oirl fackin' do the cahnt!


Chin chin old bean.|||there so many accents in britain ''london accents'' suffolk accents'' and many other while in hollywood (some might dissagreee) they have a little slang with laid bck kind of talk|||Because Americans only want to hear what they want to hear.


We wont change our accents to suit your ears.|||Because our accents are real!|||Your question should be the other round; "Why are Hollywood British accents so different from the real thing?"





American actors have always found it difficult to copy British accents, although things have improved since Dick van Dyke in "Mary Poppins" but the fact is that for many years, Hollywood thought that there were only two English accents: "Anyone for tennis" - stupid upper class and "Righty Ho guv" - good working class cockney (Londoner)





For a small island we have a rich diversity of accents. I suspect that there is an element of wind-up in your question but if you expect us all to learn "English according to Hollywood", you are a few cents short of a dollar.





Have a nice day, y'all