How important is the accent for english native speakers?

YanKleber

YanKleber

Retired
I always asked myself about this: how important is the accent for english native speakers when hearing a song?

Being a brazilian I cannot evaluate this question, see: when I hear an english song (no matter if it is canadian, australian, american, british, foreigner or whatever) they all sound OK for me. But I am not a native english speaker and normally I don't understand what they are saying unless I make a huge effort and pay a lot of attention. So basically in a song spoken in a language that is not my native the voice is only one more instrument in the mix.

By the other hand when I listen to a song spoken in portuguese I am very critic with the accent. Being Brasil a continental (huge) country we have different accents here. I am natural from Rio (southeast region) and I am very used to our accent. I don't like, for instances, of the north/northeast accent in a song unless it is a regional/folcloric song. Also I don't like of the accent of portuguese fellows (from Portugal) because it looks formal some funny for me. However there is an explanation (I think) for this. I was a teen in 80s when the brazilian pop and rock music blew and practically all songs that I could hear on the radio had the accent I am used to so it kind of 'teached' my braind that the 'right' accent for the music spoken in portuguese is the one I am used to. Don't know if it make sense for you.

But the thing is completely different about music in english. People are very used to listen to it, including the native speakers. So, are you guy got over this? I mean, there is a chance that when you hear an english spoken music you give a sh*t to how it is being spoken? Or the accent difference annoys you?
 
I've always been fascinated by the accents of ESL (English as a second language) people from all over the world. Personally, I love hearing it. It doesn't really annoy me at all. I work with people that have come from all over the world, and I love hearing the different accents every day. Russia, China, Korea, Phillipines, Mexico, Malaysia...it's like getting a glimpse into those other languages when I hear somebody speak English through the filter of their native language. But that's just me...other may be annoyed by it. Accents tend to be less pronounced while singing, at least from my experience. Unless the singer is trying to emphasize his/her accent...like in American country/western music. Now THAT annoys me.
 
I don't like the way most east indian speak english. It incomprehensible - especially through the telephone from India.
 
I'm a native English speaker, and when I hear a song I really don't care about accents, English or otherwise.

You mentioned that "basically in a song spoken in a language that is not my native the voice is only one more instrument in the mix". A voice with an accent is just like that; an interesting instrument within the mix.
 
To be honest it doesn't even cross my mind - unless it's REALLY obvious, like the fake Country songs where they're trying too hard to sing like that as mentioned above, or that god awfull thing going by the name of Nicki Minaj

I'm a native Englishman "Toodle pip old bean, jolly good show sir" (Definitely NOT Brittish, the Scots and Irish can all do one for all I care), I'm ENGLISH.

I listen to a hughe variety of music and it's vary rare that I even think about an accent. I've been listening to a band recently, really like them, so looked them up on-line, and much to my amasement they were from Canada! I wouldn't have even noticed, but the accent is all part of the song. Knowing that they're Canadian (I've spent some time in Canada - Jasper, Alberta) and listening to them again I can hear a slight twang, but to me, that's just another instrument.
 
One thing that I'll try to elaborate through my limited use of EFL (English as a First Language): There are artists that use different phonetics of English words to enhance the lyric of the song. Just as one specific example, Mac Powell's southern drawl changes the sound of some words and makes the lyric stand out. The way he sings the lyrics is as musical as his voice.
OTOH, if you have a good phonetics coach, you can overcome any accent. When you hear the lyric, write it down as you hear it, phonetically. Then when you read your phonetic translation, it should sound like the original. Specific example, Steelhearts's first album where Miljenko Matijevic had a deep Eastern European accent, but sang phonetically perfect. Was weird watching them live and hearing perfect English in the songs, then barely being able to understand when he interacted with the crowd...
 
It bothers me to hear any language other than english.

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A lot of British singers affect an American accent when they sing. It's kind of the accepted singing accent. Bands like the Proclaimers (Scottish) and the Arctic Monkeys (North of England, Yorkshire) sing in their own accent and dialect and I personally like to hear it. I wouldn't want to hear a song done in a Birmingham (England) accent, though. :D
 
Bubba po said:
A lot of British singers affect an American accent when they sing. It's kind of the accepted singing accent. Bands like the Proclaimers (Scottish) and the Arctic Monkeys (North of England, Yorkshire) sing in their own accent and dialect and I personally like to hear it. I wouldn't want to hear a song done in a Birmingham (England) accent, though. :D
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As a kid I used to think it was odd that I'd hear a song, the singer sounds american, and then I'd hear them speak in real life and they were british. I always wondered how that happened. Why would singing totally change someone's accent? Then I discovered punk from the UK and I was like, "oh, there it is". Those people sounded like I thought they should sound.
 
For me it comes down to native language.
If I hear singing with various American, Canadian, Scottish, Welsh, English, Australian etc accents it doesn't bother me at all,
but If I hear a French lad or a Chinaman giving it a go it just sounds unnatural, the same way that them speaking English usually sounds a little unnatural.

I've no doubt that's racist now-a-days. :facepalm:
 
I'm arguably a native english speaker, and I don't mind hearing a singer with an obvious accent, it usually adds some sort of interest. Can be offputting sometimes, Bjork is one example that springs to mind, but there might be more to that than just the accent... Seems the default is a generic 'american' accent for most rock and pop, a lot of Australian bands sound american, and when I hear an australian accented singer it sticks out like a sore thumb to me. Country music here is a different story, but a lot lay it on too thick to try and sound true blue aussie.
I know when i sing, which is usually a debacle, i tend towards american inflections or a cross between Pete Shelley and Andrew Eldritch after a tracheotomy(english accent), but i grew up listening to punk mostly, so whatever. It really is a struggle to sound natural, i have to actively think about it, which makes it sound unnatural :confused:. Most of the singing i've heard was not sung by Australians, all that reference material is just permanently ingrained.
 
Greg_L said:
As a kid I used to think it was odd that I'd hear a song, the singer sounds american, and then I'd hear them speak in real life and they were british. I always wondered how that happened. Why would singing totally change someone's accent? Then I discovered punk from the UK and I was like, "oh, there it is". Those people sounded like I thought they should sound.
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The reasons are definitely historical, I think. In the fifties and sixties the UK took all its musical cues from the American Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, Country and Soul groups, which we embraced wholeheartedly. I suppose to sing those songs in a British accent wouldn't have worked - the audiences wanted to hear the authentic American sound, the culture that we were in love with at the time. After two decades of this, the American accent and phrasing was just how you sang rock, blues, country and just about every other genre! It took a concerted effort for British groups to step outside that, starting with Lindisfarne (Newcastle area) and the Spinners (Liverpudlian).
 
It isn't the accent, it's pronunciation. You spot the foreigner as soon as they speak - but I've discovered many artistes I've listened to over the years are either foreigners, or even people with very strong accents. Abba - in their singing, they're English. Hear them speak and you know they come from Sveden. Mark Kopfler hid his geordie accent from me, like Chris Rea for years in the songs. I only discovered Europe - as in The Final Coundown - were Swedish a few weeks ago.

American and British accents when singing are very similar, unless they have a very strong accent that jumps out - like (to my ears) the Deep Southern US accent and the silly accent bands like The Wurzells have from the UK West country. Even the Irish accents vanish in some music - like U2, emerging just every now and then.

However, somebody who mispronounces words is a huge giveaway. Many foreigners learn songs (and English) by phonetics, so frequently they make no sense.
 
But how about a song done in Bwaston or Joisey? Imagine Snooki singing nointee noin bawtols of bee eh ... :eek: never mind, bad bad mental image... I don't really want to hear Snooki sing anything.
 
But how about a song done in Bwaston or Joisey? Imagine Snooki singing "nointee noin bawtols of bee-eh" ... :eek: never mind, bad bad mental image... I don't really want to hear Snooki sing anything.
 
I dig the German version of 99 Luftballoons. Love the accent on the singer in German or in English.

That's about the only example that I can think of, of me liking a non-English song.
 
gecko zzed said:
You mentioned that "basically in a song spoken in a language that is not my native the voice is only one more instrument in the mix". A voice with an accent is just like that; an interesting instrument within the mix.
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That's actually a good way to think of it. The accent of the singer is much like the tone of the guitar. If you're not an expert listener (i.e. a native-level speaker of the language), you're not likely to notice the difference. But different tones fit different genres. Singing English with a southern USA accent works pretty well for country; a French Canadian accent might cause some dissonance. Singing with an English accent works really well for punk. Singing with a German accent works well for power metal. Etc.
 
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