What does an American accent sound like?

I'd really like to know what impressions an American accent gives, or what it "feels like" to other nationalities/different native language speakers. To me Chinese sounds sharp and quick, British english sounds old world and slightly over-proper, Irish english is pleasant, "rolling" and soft, Australian english is similar to British except somehow rougher and lazier (not that I don't like it!) and Spanish is also sharp but musical.

If you were brought up with anything other than an American English accent, what does it 'sound' like and what does it 'feel' like? (ie, the pure physical sound may be different from your associations with that sound).

And if you are American, you can give your imput on any other languages/accents you are generally UNfamiliar with but have heard in person from multiple people.

ps. Post where you're FROM! I'm PA suburbs, USA. 

I have never in my life said "doncha know" or "eh?" unless I was making fun of people from Northern Wisconsin.  Man, those people do have weird accents ;)

Hey Now Sammi! LOL

Ok, Ok, I have been asked if I'm from Canada! lol

I live in New Jersey, and even though we don't have New York accents, the way we talk tends to be a bit choppy. For example, I have a close friend who moved here from Maryland in 8th grade. Just teh way she says my name is a total distinction. While I say "loarin" she basically says it properly, "Lauren". It comes out much softer and annunciated. And that's only a 2 state difference.

Lol,
I'm from australia
The accent is being americanised but everyone here speaks differently.
You've seen transformers right? With the blond aussie girl? That's like an exageration of our accent. But some people speak like that.

And there's an easy way of telling aussie from NZ
Where we say "Fish and chips" "six"(prolly soudning more like feesh and cheeps to americans, altho you guys seem to pronounce six like "sex") they say "Fush and chups" and "sux"

Canadians don't sound like people from Wisconsin, I've been there -_- ...at least not any Canadians who live near that part (I know there's accents in the maritimes).

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In movies set in Baltimore, MD, I can always tell if the actors are native or at least take the time to learn our accents. The Wire and Ladder 49 are pretty good. In the commercials for "Step-Up 2," the chick talking pronounced "Baltimore" the way it looks. Haha! That is not how we actually pronounce it. IT is Bawldimooore. We also say Warshingtun D.C. It's hilarious. It's Charm City hun!

I'm from California, and I have the ultra Cali-girl accent. My bf calls me his lil valley girl (I was born and raised in Sacramento, I've earned that title lol).

I say like every other word when I speak out loud, and there are constant pauses in my speech as I talk too fast for my mind to keep up sometimes.

That comes across as more than enough commas in my speech! hehe :)

I like the way New Yorkers say 'saute'

I'm from the midwest, and as far as I can tell from what people tell me, I lack any kind of accent.

I absolutely love Scottish and British accents.

Bah. Some accents I don't mind there.. some don't sound to have much of an accent.. while quite a few... ARG! It's like.. stop talking!
The only accents I can't stand are American and German.  However, I suppose someone'll call me on the generalization...

I adore English/British accents!

"Vaaaaaaadka"

...the first word that came to mind when I saw this thread. And I always feel like I have to say it that way too, because otherwise I'd just be "wierd"

I pronounce it Vadka to be funny.  I don't think there is an "American Accent", it all depends on the region you are from.  I am from Alabama and my parents are yankees (and no I am not talking about a baseball team) from PA and NJ.  So, I consider myself Southern born, Yankee bred.  All my friends here tell me I talk too proper or "yankee" (whatever that means exactly) and all my family up North says I sound like a little Southerner.  You can't win!!  But what annoys me the most about AL is the way people pronounce pen, ten, hen they pronounce it Pien, tien, hien.  I got made fun of in school for pronouncing it correctly.  How ass backwards is that?  Wow, did I just get off on a rant or what?  My bad.  My point in all that rambling is that there really isn't an "American Accent".

Oh a I love how Irish people sound.  I can't understand half of what they say, but I think it is cute!! 

I'm a bit late in my response but here it is anyway. xD

I'm from northern NJ and have been told I don't have an accent when I speak English.  The funny thing is Chinese (Mandarin) is actually my first language.

When I went to China, I was told my Mandarin sounded a little funny.  I think this is mostly because of my speech patterns and not necessarily my pronunciation.  I've also noticed that when my friends ask me to tell them how to teach them something in Chinese, they can't pronounce certain things.  Another thing I find interesting is that I can understand Shanghainese perfectly, yet I can't really speak it well (I sound funny when I try to xD).

There's a lot of accents/dialects that sound really interesting/nice, but others that are insanely irritating.  The Joizy accent is horrible and I think people from Beijing speak Mandarin really weirdly.  Haha.

Born in France, never lived in France, brought up on all continents,

i have an americanish / canadian accent... apparently...  i love to play this game with tourists, talk to them in english and they ask where i am ffrom in the states eheeh.. nope sorry im french.  and then i get this stupid remark "you speak very good english for a french person" hum talking about generalisation hum... yop ok french people cant speak english, but not all of them... Then to make them laugh i just tell them (french accent) "yes, well i learned french after english and im glad otherwise i would be speaking like this but it hurts my throat" works everytime...

And with french people i have such a laugh, i will talk to them in english until they are stuck, and before i leave the conversation i say good bye or Bon Appetit in french ehheh they just turn to me with huge eyes asking if im french and when i say yes ehehe i just tell them that its good for them to practice their english ehehehe (i know im mean). Personnaly i like american accent there is so much different accents depending where from in america they are..

During the day if i dont have french guests i dont speak french with anyone, french being my mother tongue it was actually the 3rd language i learned... so i get messed up when i have to speak french, i speak more frenglish... sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt ehehe...  My boyfriend is German and he has an british accent so he is always correcting me on my american accent (he doesnt like it he think american english is not proper english...) anyway i think the american accent is quite unique and i love it

This may be controversial but Ive always thought accents of American males sound slightly feminine compared with other nationalities....

And I do love the cliched Irish accent! hahaha! And South African weirdly!

I'm from Central Southern England

Hi, I'm from Scotland and I find my BFs accent really sexy and quite soft to listen to, he's from Washington State, I also know folk from Wyoming & Colorado and I like theirs too. I find the American accent really pleasant to listen to. I have heard some very strong Southern ones not that I disliked it but I did start to strain a little with it after a while, it would be a case of becoming accustom to it.

To turn it around to start with my BF had real trouble with my accent he just kept saying "wow your accent is strong" I in comparison to many other Scottish folk I do not have a strong accent but he struggled with it, said "he hadn't got out much before he met me so hadn't really ever heard any other accents than American" he's getting used to it now.  

That’s funny, because here in the U.S. it’s the other way around a lot of people think that English accents on men sounds rather feminine, you hear it all the time, I’m not saying it’s right, but a lot of Americans think the English accent is kind of gay, no offence, but that’s the impression I usually get around here…we especially make fun of RP accents…you must have been listening to gay guys in the U.S. because I’ve never heard anyone describe an American accent as “feminine” quite the contrary, but I have heard a lot of people call an English accent “gay”…

My husband is Australian, his opinions crack me up. He HATES southern accents and anything sounding Boston, NY, NJ, etc. He thinks my midwestern-Chicago accent is hilarious but he's starting to pick one up "put dat overdare" (put that over there) or whaddaya for what are you, etc

No one has said this yet BUT HEY YOU PEOPLE FROM THE PACIFIC NW YOU HAVE AN ACCENT. Why do people from that region think they are completely devoid of any accent? I can tell a person from that area a mile away because they have a west coast accent which is very different from the south, NE and midwest. Sorry babies. I have had this argument more than once.

Original Post by cassie_bee:

This may be controversial but Ive always thought accents of American males sound slightly feminine compared with other nationalities....

And I do love the cliched Irish accent! hahaha! And South African weirdly!

I'm from Central Southern England

 That’s funny, because here in the U.S. it’s the other way around a lot of people think that English accents on men sounds rather feminine, you hear it all the time, I’m not saying it’s right, but a lot of Americans think the English accent is kind of gay, no offence, but that’s the impression I usually get around here…we especially make fun of RP accents…you must have been listening to gay guys in the U.S. because I’ve never heard anyone describe an American accent as “feminine” quite the contrary, but I have heard a lot of people call an English accent “gay”…

Seconded on the American accents making men sound a little more feminine. I love how the previous poster is all "well loads of people say English men sound gay so there!111". Phew, it must be pretty dark and tight in there with all those coats! ;)

Also the leap from feminine to gay is quite something. Whoa.

And I'm from the East of England.