[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Accidentally included some comments there--that was unintended.

[Clemenza]

Not a fan of the southern English accent. The Geordies have a pleasent one, however.

In our own country, I've always thought that folks in much of Kentucky have a pleasent way of speaking, as well as folks from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The standard Mid-Atlantic (Jersey to Baltimore) accent is a little too nasal for my tastes, and has a tendency to corrupt multisyllabic words ("Nork" for Newark, "Bawlmer" for Baltimore, etc.). Seattlites talk like Canadians western Canadians.

I have a slightly nasal downstate New York accent. Not as heavy as Donald Trump, but still noticeable. I say "draw" for drawer and say FAR-est for Forest.

[SpaceBar]

My vote is for British born actress Jane Seymour.

[taxcontrol]

Interesting .... I find that if you travel to England and put on a slight southern drawl and slow down a bit, act like a gentleman and carry an air of male confidence, the British girls are falling all around you feet.

[billorites]

[stinkerpot65]

I'm counting down until that famous Brit-hater "quidnunc" shows up.

[The KG9 Kid]

British crooks make good con men in the US. Americans tend to instantly believe someone speaking in a British accent.

[Barney Gumble]

American girls love posh British accents. Of course, Americans still do well over in Europe.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Living here in accent-less Ohio I have to say I like British accents, Southern accents, and Australian accents, and on women, pretty much any accent.

[Cecily]

Best British accents of all varieties:

Jeremy Irons
John Gielgud
Michael Caine
John Cleese
Joan Plowright
David Frost
Jennifer and Clarissa (Two Fat Ladies)

[rabidralph]

I was stationed with a girl from Manchester and hers was the nicest English accent I ever heard. Although I do enjoy hearing all of them.

[alnitak]

"For most Americans, there's no distinction between British accents. For us, there's just one sort of British accent, and it's better than any American accent - more educated, more genteel," says Rosina Lippi-Green, a US academic and author of English with an Accent: Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the United States.

Rosina has obviously never been to Dudley >>>>shudder<

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

"I shouldn't be saying this, high treason really, but I sometimes wonder if Americans aren't fooled by our accent into detecting a brilliance that may not really be there."

Could very well be.

As further anecdotal evidence, I suggest that the same is not true when most people hear a Cockney accent.
Sort of the perceived difference between a Boston Brahmin accent and a Tennessee accent.

[Billthedrill]

I dunno - it strikes me that there's something about that accent that drives people to do evil - at least in every Hollywood movie I've ever seen. Except for Ghengis Khan when John Wayne played him. "Da wench has a fahry spirit..."

[cloud8]

Thanks for the post. I liked the comments to the article...one thing I've learned is not to ask "Are you Australian?" because some Brits are truly mortified by that. Ask "Where are you from?"
Tally-ho!

[billbears]

About to try their luck are Ant and Dec, who will record the pilot of a new ABC game show

NOOOOOOOOO!!!! Not Ant and Dec. Don't they have a jungle somewhere they're needed? I'm sorry if you like them Jedi, but Jade Goody wears on my nerves less than those two (and I'm no fan of Jade). Bring over HIGNFY instead. Or better yet QI (Alan Davies included).

As for the accents, I can't tell what part of the country where someone is from all the time but the accents are like night and day. It's like a yankee comes down to the South. You immediately know they aren't from 'these parts'.

[PJ-Comix]

For most Americans, there's no distinction between British accents.

Oh yes there is. I can spot a Cockney accent right away and it definitely sounds low class.

[Churchillspirit]

British people cannot talk and smile at the same time like Americans

LOL! I love it!

[OldPossum]

Say all you wish about the perceived high intellect qualities associated with the London (and similar UK) accents, there is nothing more pleasant than listening to an educated woman from the American Southeast talk. I could sit and listen all day to my nieces. They speak with a softness to the ears that cannot be duplicated by any other ethnic group that I know of.

[Trailerpark Badass]

So THAT'S why they always have some Brit pimping the latest wonderproduct in those infomercials! Funny.