Learn the Transatlantic Accent | Half British, Half American 100% Wonderful

The Transatlantic or mid-Atlantic accent is half British half American. I was a learned accent that was popular amongst American actors from the 1930. Also taught at some elite American schools. It was an accent of prestige and it was also suppose to maximize the clarity of actors speech. What happened to it and how do you speak it. In this video we look at its history and, with my colleague Jack we look at the phonetics and learn how to speak it.
Love the English language? Get the LetThemTalkTV newsletter here - IT'S FREE!
eepurl.com/izRKww
00:00 What is the Mid-Atlantic accent?
00:55 A look at classic American movies
03:30 History of the Transatlantic accent
08:12 What happened to the Transatlantic accent?
09:21 Did Cary Grant have a Transatlantic accent?
10:38 How to learn it
11:37 How to speak the Transatlantic accent (tutorial)
21:28 Sample dialogue 'A Father's Duty' with Jack
.If you are a grammar lover you might be interested in our new range of grammarian merchandise exclusive to LetThemTalkTV
teespring.com/stores/my-store...
We go deeper
Subscribe here
kzbin.info...
Learn English in Paris or join an online class.
www.letthemtalk.fr
instagram @LetThemTalkParis
CREDITS
FDR By Photograph: Leon A. Perskiedigitization: FDR Presidential Library & Museum - CT 09-109(1), CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Speak with Distinction Edith Skinner (affiliate link)
amzn.to/39WQ4FK
Film clips
His Girl Friday 1941
The Philadelphia Story 1940
The Maltese Falcon 1942
The Third Man 1949
All About Eve 1950
The House on Haunted Hill 1959

[@matttondr9282]

This always baffled me, as I kept wondering wether these old actors and actresses were actually British and trying to sound more American, or Americans trying to sound fancier and more British. 😂 Thanks for clarifying this!

[@mariahmunnis6315]

That would be 'wh-hether' ? 😁

[@vasiliyfutsur2815]

Wezar , zis , saund , klerifaing , mor , olways , mi , kipt , wandering , zet , wud bi , sri , aksheli , senks , skrin , pablik , edress , tradishnl , nortist , Zeris , €s of kors/z , aylend, ekzektli , wozn't, kvaliti , ektors , doneyshn , mani ,get ap , servis , guud , fuud , wuud , mad, bayk , klovz ze door , kakadu , teybl , kar , Pronansieyshn ,

[@DeepFleeceheart]

I've always loved this kind of artificial heightening of speech, especially when in a public performative role such as on stage screen or public address. Like how German really leans into their trilled-r for traditional stage delivery of lines (unfortunately, most notable due to Adolf Hitler, but also heard in the actor who voiced the King of the wood elves in the 70s animated hobbit by rankin and bass)

[@scottcantdance804]

I never knew the name for this accent, in my head I always just thought about it as something along the lines of "exceedingly wealthy northeast socialite accent of yesteryear".

[@DeepFleeceheart]

@@scottcantdance804 there's also the Long Island Lockjaw accent made popular by characters like the millionare from Gilligan's island or Jay Sherman's father in The Critic

[@garybackstrom183]

I grew up outside of Boston in the 1970 s and older people still talked like that. I just thought they were fancy I actually miss it My grandfather spoke that way

[@dawnjohnson3263]

I miss it too

[@patclaus8510]

All our grandparents in New England spoke that way! It certainly wasn’t from a single professor creating that accent. My French Canadian grandmother who was born in 1904 learned English for the first time when she went to school when she was 5. She always said “baathroom laast, paast, faast, etc. For her entire life. Bette Davis, Rudy Valee and Katharine Hepburn were all from New England. That was their native accent!

[@nrgeleven]

exactly, transatlantic accent, is « fancy american » from the east coast

[@patclaus8510]

@@nrgeleven Absolutely! Seems very obvious to us here.

[@AlamoOriginal]

Hey me too, was growing up in the 70s in Philly, its crazy also to think that my grandfather, was about as old as the Victorian era generation or at least the generation in America after Reconstruction, 1880s, and he lives his life until the emergence of disco and those weird Valley accent everyone was adopting on the east coast, compared to them, he sounds so fancy indeed

[@Jason1fromNYC]

It is a real accent, I’ve been speaking it my whole life. People have been asking me if I’m British since I was a child. Shoreline SE Connecticut, where I spent my childhood summers, still speaks this way. Catherine Hepburn was from the same town as my grandmother. Believe me, the New England families that have been living there the last 400 years still speak exactly this way, albeit without the added dramatic flair. Connecticut WASP speech and mannerisms haven’t changed at all.

[@neomancr]

Its strange how unfamiliar people are in the US of WASPs these days. Entire fam from grand parents on both sides, both British of course. It's not an accent acceptable for anyone else. It'd be silly for an Asian to try to pick up the accent and would be a laugh.

[@jdpb63]

My NY grandparents had "Locust Valley Lockjaw," which was very similar. I think any graduate of SPS before 1960 did/does

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

⁠@@neomancrMy Grand Aunt was a Chinese woman from Hong Kong. She spoke with a trans-atlantic accent until her death in 2012. Her family was wealthy and sent her to fancy private Catholic schools with international students in HK. She kept correcting our grammar, and told us how they were taught all these vocal/dictation exercises. If you want to hear an Asian woman with a trans-atlantic accent look up Soong May Ling’s visit and speech to the US Congress during WWII.

[@jaydenpatterson2490]

The accent was used private prep schools by the Northeastern upper class and is similar to the Canadian dainty accent and the use of both declined after World War 2 because they were seen as pretentious.

[@Tara-cv2kz]

wait so you’re saying all I have to do to develop this accent is move to Connecticut?? Im in

[@frustrateduser9933]

Tilly's dream of a common accent for all English speaking countries finally came true with the California Valley Girl vocal fry.

[@reikicowgirl9817]

😂

[@reikicowgirl9817]

Saw an interview with Moon Zappa about the song that started it all…that song was released 40 years ago last year.

[@frustrateduser9933]

@@reikicowgirl9817 she was mocking it and now it has spread across the planet. Everyone sounds like the Kardashians, not Kathrine Hepburn. 😑

[@reikicowgirl9817]

Yes. She also publicly apologized to “Ahn-dray-uh Wolfson” and her English teacher, “Mr. Bu-fu,” aka “Lord God King Bu-fu.”

[@Marcel_Audubon]

@@reikicowgirl9817nonsense - she didn't start anything - that recording reflected a contrived accent that was going long before Moon ever stepped into a recording booth

[@philpots48]

My mother spoke Transatlantic and attended private school as a girl. If someone asked why she spoke that way, she said I speak stage English explaining that her grandfather was a stage actor he wanted his audience to understand every word.

[@dawnjohnson3263]

I like that

[@KnoWareMan03]

Excellent logic!!!!!👊🏿🖤👍🏿

[@dstackradio]

As a former Connecticut private school girl, I can attest that this is a real thing. We were taught to speak this way, as it was seen as a more “educated” form of English. New Englanders have kept a good deal of British lingo, especially where I’m from (Litchfield County). Katherine Hepburn lived in Connecticut, as did many other GoldenAge actors, so I find this incredibly interesting.

[@fsinjin60]

CT People like I did not speak this, but almost all the private schools did since they were coming from all over and needed to fit in. I definitely sounded like a townie.

[@MrBruce5437]

Katharine Hepburn had a very thick Mid Atlantic accent

[@JBMSTRIKER71]

You guys say that but to me being from the midwest I think you guys all sound Italian American or the New York accent.

[@fsinjin60]

@@JBMSTRIKER71 umm, sure. Lol

[@fsinjin60]

@@JBMSTRIKER71 If you heard me talk, you'd think I was from the Midwest. I've lived in Boston, New York, and France but my accent is still CT. Two things give away my accent: pronouncing every syllable in Connecticut and talking about raggies.

[@dex1lsp]

John Lithgow also sounds Transatlantic in many of his roles, which makes sense because his father was a theatre director during the height of the accent's usage. That skill has allowed him to be more comfortable with typical southern British pronunciation, making him one of the very few American actors who could reasonably be cast for a role as Winston Churchill (in The Crown). That's also why he was PERFECT for a lead role in 3rd Rock from the Sun, playing an alien in human form awkwardly trying to blend in on Earth. His character sounds a bit strange and otherworldly because as you pointed out, this accent is not a naturally developed one and it has literally no association at all with any real non-fictional place on this planet. When I was just a youngster watching that show, the ambiguity of the way he talks made me feel subtly uneasy and confused (in a way that also fascinated me and made me want to keep watching). The whole time, my brain was like, "Where the hell is this guy from? Is he really American? I'd say he sounds mostly American, but not fully. It's definitely a little bit off. Why does he sound slightly, vaguely British? Or am I just losing my mind?? WTF" 😵‍💫 That shit used to drive me nuts as a kid! LOL Keep in mind that this was the 1990s and early 2000s, so the Transatlantic accent was otherwise very rare in contemporary media, and I had not yet gotten much exposure to earlier 20th-century stuff at that point in my life. I certainly had no awareness of the Transatlantic accent's existence as a distinct concept, let alone how and why it came to be. I'm sure some of you can relate to that experience with that particular show. It's a brilliant sitcom, by the way, if you haven't watched it. Of course, Kelsey Grammer was the other one that used to drive me nuts in the same way back in the day, so it was no surprise at all to see him included in your examples. Oh, and today I learned that both Lithgow and Grammer were raised in New Jersey, which is hilarious because that is NOT a New Jersey accent! 😂

[@michelleokafor1268]

So true

[@mikepastor.k6233]

..and major Charles Winchester from the TV series M.A.S.H.

[@garybackstrom183]

So Chelsey and the woman from cheers both have the same accent Listen to how they both say the name Sam , in Boston growing up you heard people talk this way all the time when they didn’t want to use the traditional Boston accent , Wich makes a person sound dumb . The trans Atlantic accent was a way to sound cultured and upscale

[@juniorjames7076]

My favorite episode is when he meets John Cleese's character (a substitute teacher?) who is better than him and everyway, and it turns out the John Cleese is an alien too! Damn, the writing was off the hinges on that show! One of the last good shows on mainstream network television.

[@keithrothman7253]

You writing is excellent. What do you do for a living? If you lived on Long Island, I would offer you a job. However, I’m sure you have a better one.

[@ThrashLawPatentsAndTMs]

One of my grandmothers (over 100 years old) speaks with this accent (and always has). She completed "finishing school" in Alabama in the 1930s. She still speaks beautifully. To me, it's more than an "accent" - it includes a pattern of talking, and thinking about what's said before it's spoken. (if only I could do so).

[@Clare.Bear210]

My mother in law is also from Alabama and took lessons to sound more British. Now living in California 60 years later most of the “British” has worn off.

[@mr.scottpowell]

Also if you go far enough back in time, southerners used to drop their r's. At least in the southeast. It was a pleasant accent but you don't hear it as much now. My theory is that over time they got rid of it to 'correct' their speech.

[@ZebraDonkAllo]

They also used to say the hard R

[@robertdoherty2001]

Always assumed old Hollywood actors spoke that way as a result of vocal coaching - from the theatre. Proper, intelligible diction designed for the microphone. Also, in the early sound films many stage actors were recruited because they were trained in diction and vocal projection so they often sounded ‘stagey’. Think Gladys Cooper and Lucille Watson. As for Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, those two in the same scene is like watching two alien life forms.

[@ItsAsparageese]

Coach: "Ahnd I caaahhn't staahnd him." Lina: "An' I cayyyyn't stan'em!"

[@patclaus8510]

@@ItsAsparageese Exactly!!! That’s what I was thinking all the time I listened to this! Vocal coaches were ubiquitous in Hollywood…. They wanted everyone to have the New England, or British, accent so they would sound like Shakespearean actors.

[@ItsAsparageese]

@@patclaus8510 I grew up adoring that movie, know every line, saw it performed live once by a small theater company, and Gene Kelly was probably my first love lol, so I'm getting a great deal of joy from finally encountering people who know the actual movie rather than just vaguely knowing the title song! Every bit of it is iconic!

[@patclaus8510]

@@ItsAsparageese Oh I am a huge TMC fan and watch Singin in the Rain at least once a year. A classic amongst all the Kelly classics!

[@andreaandrea6716]

Two alien life forms?? Not to me!!

[@siiiiiuu7]

Wow, I always thought this accent was just in my head. I could swear that old American actors spoke with a different accent but couldn't put my finger on it. Great to learn.

[@BringingPrettyBack]

Yes!!! Same for me!

[@MAA77723]

Yes! I’ve always just thought it was a sophisticated way of speaking.

[@rexsceleratorum1632]

@@MAA77723 I figure postmodernism killed it. Sophistication was looked down upon, and being "gangsta" became cool instead.

[@chalssilva1319]

Hi! This is not related but you should know it: Jesuschrist will come very soon, this time to judge the world. Take advantage of the fact that there is still time to get prepared: Go to him, and seek for God, receive Jesus as the savior of your life, repent of evil and stop doing it. Jesus will give you eternal life if you believe in him, but you must prove that with good works, actions ad behavior. The reward will be wonderful. Do not waste this opportunity, Jesus himself paid with his life so that we can save ourselves and have eternal life. God loves you very much, the bible says: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son of him, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" Blessings, he will be waiting for you ❤

[@christineperez7562]

It was called acting

[@squaaak]

In my family, this is how we were taught and encouraged to speak, I never realized it was an actual thing… this explains why I’ve never sounded like my peers and yet no one thinks it’s odd. Fascinating. Thank you!

[@brudweger]

Yeah yeah.

[@leofromli8961]

Do you still speak with this accent?

[@Dovelunalove]

That’s interesting,How old are you ?

[@squaaak]

@@leofromli8961 shades of it, though I notice I no longer use a noticeable Hwhat as much, it is there, only more subtly. We lost my grandfather when I was 18 and since he was the driving force many of us let our regional dialects inter-mingle a bit more over the last few decades.

[@adriennesturgeon9550]

80's kid raised to speak the same way

[@sparrowgael]

My mother was born in the 1920s and was a telephone operator in the 1940s. We are from New England. While raising her daughters she thought the 'good' jobs that would be available to us would be secretarial so she taught us to speak properly and professionally which was, to her, the transatlantic accent. Fortunately, by the time we were grown, there was a lot more available to us than office administration but professionally my voice was an asset. At one point in the 1980s my voice was all over the automated telephone system of a large international company. I still lapse into it on business calls. When people ask me where I'm from I reply, "hWhy New England, of cawhs".

[@midnightsnack1306]

I’m Korean and am a fan of old American movies and radio. I have always found this accent most easy to understand and pleasant but always wondered what region from the US this accent came from.

[@rockonyou7179]

This is not necessarily an accent that is found in any native region. This is an accent that was learned and used by Americans in the late 19th-century and early 20th-century. The American Upper Class and entertainment industry blended together features regarded as the most prestigious from both American and British English to form the Transatlantic Accent.

[@InspiringBard]

Briterica.

[@juniorjames7076]

As an American who has learned a few foreign languages (French, Arabic and Turkish) I have found that worldwide, OLD MOVIES from the '40s, '50s and '60s are easier to understand than current ones. French movies, Arabic movies (from Egypt or Lebanon) and Turkish movies from the 1950s for example had clear spoken dialogue. For someone learning French, its easier to understand an film from 1958 than 2008- where people are speaking more rapidly (especially in comedies), slurring speech, using slang, and even North African dialect (I've heard White teenagers in French movies say words like "Kif Kif" which is Moroccan Arabic for "same thing." ) The Arabic spoken in old Egyptian movies from the 1950s is also more clear, deliberate and precise than an Egyptian comedy or action that came out this year (same with Turkish movies.)

[@newfic2290]

Как русский, я тоже люблю этот акцент!

[@didid3ksa]

It’s spoken by old people in New England Boston

[@jnyerere]

I'm noticing it wasn't just the actors that spoke like these. Virtually everyone that was in the limelight from recording artists to politicians to civil rights leaders spoke with some variation of the Mid-Atlantic accent. It truly must have transcended Hollywood.

[@vortex_1336]

They taught this way of speaking in private schools.

[@zeitgeistx5239]

He explained on the video that it wasn’t for theatrical purposes but was proposed as a signal for social class. So people who want to be perceived as upper class spoke this way.

[@TT_09]

Very true, growing up as a kid in NJ in the 80s the NJ Governor Kean spoke with a variant of this accent. Almost like a Kennedy, not like a stereotypical Jersey accent that we know today.

[@daymoncleveland0622]

Both JFK and Jacqueline had this accent. It seemed prevalent in the New England region in the 40’s-60’s

[@robertaswanson5633]

That's true. I remember hearing Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. talking like this.

[@cassandra2968]

My mom was always used to the accent from watching so many old movies. Growing up in the early 2000's I kept asking her "What's with their accent?". She would respond "What accent? I don't hear an accent". It's good to hear I wasn't going crazy or hearing things.

[@rossrreyes]

As a Californian I always assumed Catherine Hepburn, Vincent Price, Orson Wells were British but moved to the U.S. to do movies when they were young enough have their accents modified

[@zaynmyheart]

Some fun facts: In Latin America, movies and series dubbed from English to Spanish are in something called "español neutro" (neutral Spanish). It has practically no slang, and it's not spoken in any Latin American country, but its point is precisely that: not to discriminate against any dialect and to reach as many regions as possible. In fact, and despite being an 'invented accent', it is easier for Latinos to empathize with neutral Spanish than with any other form that can be spoken in Spain. Last but not least, young actress Anya Taylor-Joy (Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit") has a very particular way of speaking because she was raised in the United States, Argentina and Great Britain. So we could say that Anya is bringing the transatlantic accent back ❤

[@juanmccoy3066]

Regarding neutral Spanish i can verify. I had to learn this when I learned Spanish on a formal level (new mexico Spanish, another dialect, was spoken in the home) I had to unlearn a LOT. But the movies and shows in neutral Spanish were very easy and fun to learn with. My favorite is the Simpsons. As a LOT gets lost in translation but somehow still works. Especially those early 90s episodes. Lol I mean if u think about it neutral Spanish is what's taught in schools. In America we learn a more Mexican version while on the east coast of America and Europe they learn a more spaniard version. It's very interesting stuff. But for real saying the wrong thing can get u in trouble in Latin America. I kinda remember one where I made a comment on my straw being too long while at a restuarant in Peru and a girl came up and slapped me. As it turned out the Mexican Spanish word for straw means something like crotch in Peru. In another country it means a Marijuana joint. In yet another its a tobacco cigarette. Kinda like how fag is a slur in American English but means cigarette in England. Or how in America we say apartment and England they say flat.

[@uffa00001]

That happened equally in Italy. The "telefoni bianchi" genre of films, literally "white telephones films", of before the war, were settled in a high-bourgeoisie social echelon and were spoken with a magnificent Italian with no local inflexions whatsoever. I would like they were shown to students, there is so much beauty in those dialogues.

[@edgarrodriguez8973]

I hate that so-called neutral Spanish, it is Mexican accent of the high class in the DF with no regionalisms. For me it's a geopolitical and economic imposition from Mexico to the rest of Latin America. I prefer Costa-Rican, Peruvian limeño or colombian bogotano rather than that stupid pseudo neutral Mexican accent.

[@lilal.3962]

It’s not about not discriminate, but make it understandable for everyone

[@ispeakmucho]

@@juanmccoy3066 definitely, I learned in the DR where picking up a telephone is "coger el teléfono" but moved back to NY where every Mexican would chuckle since Coger, which really means To Grab, is used as "to Shag/to do it"

[@rolandojorif9560]

My sister and I lived to watch classic Hollywood movies. As immigrant Caribbean/ Hispanic children, we learned a Middle Atlantic pronunciation from them. Unfortunately, when my sister moved to Florida in the 1980s, employers were eager to hire her from her voice on the phone, but when she showed up, they did not want her. The agencies took her side though and threatened action, but she didn't want to work at prejudiced work sites. People often asked us where we were from, and we'd answer, Queens.

[@DengueBurger]

That’s messed up

[@livingminimumwage6359]

She should've sued! It's the American way!

[@jayklink851]

Roger Moore, the second James Bond, grew up in a working class (blue collar) neighborhood. Moore, however, had a posh accent. And according to him, when he was drafted for military service, he was made an officer, despite not having any qualifying experience. They assumed, based solely on his voice, he came from high society.

[@ericametzinger4061]

Love it!

[@sbg1911]

❤️ this!!👑

[@screaminmimi330]

I love this speech pattern, accent, and way of talking! It always sounds so refined and classy. Just love it! 🥰

[@wandering4786]

Yes, I wish it was common

[@oldgraybeard3659]

In the 1960s, I was told that this was called the "mid-western standard" accent. It was a cross between Boadway and Hollywood. East coast actors in the 1880s were taught New England elocution (very close to posh English since the sailors regularly traveled to England). As a competitive public speaker born in Hollywood and raised in Los Angeles from the 1960s, I was taught this accent.

[@Dick07040]

This aligns with my grandparents’ experience. College in the 1920s (met at college in Minneapolis, possibly?) Then teaching across North Dakota and Minnesota. Very studiously educated accents. We’d have dinner table debates on how the “a” in apricots was pronounced.

[@Hvitserk67]

The transatlantic accent is probably mostly a phenomenon of interest to native English speakers, but still quite interesting to the rest of us, albeit for completely different reasons. In my own case, I'm from Norway and here you can learn both British and American accents at school, but you have to choose one of the accents and stick to it in order to pass the high school exam. In reality, however, you are so heavily influenced by American culture that your English eventually ends up as a mixture of both accents. Not just the accents, but also the choice of words and phrases. Many do not even notice the difference. I know that this phenomenon also applies to, for example, Danes and Swedes as well. I guess we're pretty much forgiven for this rather inelegant mixed english (accent). After all, English is not our mother tongue and the most important thing is to be able to communicate in fairly comprehensible English :)

[@mariefalmouth9302]

In Britain, we regard the Scandinavian ability to speak such fluent English very highly. In my view, your methodology of learning a second language comprehensively should be studied and emulated. In the UK, it is up to the individual student whether/not they progress a second/third language. Statistically few study languages to advanced level and beyond. It seems more common that Brits attain a functional second language only if they opt to live in a non English speaking country in which life is easier with the second language than without.

[@Hvitserk67]

@@mariefalmouth9302 This is also my impression. On the other hand, English today is practically the Lingua Franca for the vast majority of people, and of course you are privileged if English is your mother tongue. I'm not complaining though. For historical reasons, the Scandinavian languages have so much in common with English that learning the language is fairly easy. We tend to say that until you reach secondary school, false friends in terms of words are what you should be most aware of when it comes to learning English :)

[@anneli1735]

Most interesting as I’m born and raised in Hamburg with strong northern roots. At school they teached Oxford English while later in life practicing English with friends and working at an international big airport obviously my English became influenced very much by American English. Nowadays English people tell me I might be American and Americans think I’m British 😂 I’m not conscious of what I’m doing but assume it’s because some expressions I use derive from those Oxford English years and others from the American influence 😉 I’m just happy that obviously I don’t have any German accent 🥳

[@Hvitserk67]

@@anneli1735 I lived many years ago for a year in England in relation to my education. There were several of us from abroad and with partly different levels of English. I can remember that the British at the time did not emphasize whether you had an accent or not, but rather the vocabulary. One of my friends came from Greece and spoke English with a very strong Greek accent (it's an experience). At first he was a little difficult to understand, but he had an advanced English vocabulary and very good grammatical knowledge. He could use English with a good imagination and creativity and this was greatly appreciated by the British.

[@dawnjohnson3263]

@@Hvitserk67 well, some believe English came form Scandinavia, not the old theory, since the structure is the same

[@caomhan84]

The actor Norman Lloyd, who died last year just shy of age 107, spoke with this accent up until his last interviews. He was probably the last vestige of "old Hollywood" left, having acted onscreen from the 1930s to 2015. I knew a woman in my youth who was born in 1916 who spoke with it, until she died in 2014. I've always loved its distinct sound.

[@chalssilva1319]

Hi! This is not related but you should know it: Jesuschrist will come very soon, this time to judge the world. Take advantage of the fact that there is still time to get prepared: Go to him, and seek for God, receive Jesus as the savior of your life, repent of evil and stop doing it. Jesus will give you eternal life if you believe in him, but you must prove that with good works, actions ad behavior. The reward will be wonderful. Do not waste this opportunity, Jesus himself paid with his life so that we can save ourselves and have eternal life. God loves you very much, the bible says: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son of him, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" Blessings... And he will be waiting for you ❤...

[@davidrenton]

it's amazing i just watch a Hitchcock doc with Norman Lloyd in it from 1999 yesterday, and that was mid Hitchcock, Foreign Correspondent.

[@nunyabisness2459]

Just looked it up from your comment and its true! Awesome to hear it nowadays still! Thanks for sharing!

[@DJ_BROBOT]

This is why Brits love the American TV show Frasier. The show's star Kelsey Grammar speaks this way.

[@moonbeamchaos]

Grammer. Seeing it in writing always makes me cringe!

[@greg7656]

I think the most indelible and recognizable example of transatlantic - one that everyone will know immediately - is Billie Burke's Glinda the Good Witch of The Wizard of Oz

[@tomfields3682]

🎵Toto, toooo!🎵

[@olablc531]

Gideon, we, non-native speakers, already speak with this accent 😅 When you have your English classes in BE and then watch most TV shows and films in AE, what else would you expect? We're confused and mix our accents on the daily basis!

[@mili.fiorentini97]

That's unfortunately absolutely right. And then we also start confusing vocabulary, and finally we also realise that some native speakers kinda confuse them too 😂

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Yes, a lot of people have mentioned this to me but now you have a name for your accent and it's beautiful

[@joshuddin897]

Good one!

[@SassyyjuicyMaria]

High time for a revival, methinks

[@olablc531]

@@grzegorzkobierski It's not about distinguishing the accents, I think most of us can distinguish at least the AE vs BE. When it comes to talking, it's a completely different story though. It's natural that you'd be most comfortable with the version of a given word/expression you've heard first/most. So when you talk, for example at work, where it's more important to convey a thought rather than to say everything with a perfect accent (and which one would it be then, if the audience is international?), you would mix the AE with BE and your own. Personally, I tend to pick up the accents I've recently heard and I kind of change the accents depending on the mood and subject so I can literally say the same word/expression with a different accent within 10 minutes. And of course I meant it as a joke because we don't really follow the Transatlantic accent rules and most of us talk with our native accent too.

[@jamesmcinnis208]

I'm a native Transatlantic speaker. My parents were taught it but I acquired it naturally growing up, as did most of my peers.

[@WJC981]

I acquired it at drama school, but I'd say mine is a little more influenced by Eartha Kitt.

[@johnsolodovesky582]

how old are you, if I may ask?

[@jamesmcinnis208]

@@johnsolodovesky582 70. So my parents went to school in New England when the Transatlantic "movement" was possibly at its height (we're from Hartford so my father went to school with Katharine Hepburn's sister), non-rhotic speech patterns were not unnatural in that region, and the strongest speech influences outside of family and school were radio and movies. There was also a mindset during that era to become a more polished and dignified person, which was reflected in the entertainment of the day.

[@WJC981]

@@jamesmcinnis208 I hear that on platforms like TikTok it's making somewhat of a comeback. I think it's the perfect accent for Americans performing Shakespeare or period pieces, or anything that requires a neutral sounding accent. Plus I think it still sounds elegant.

[@jamesmcinnis208]

@@WJC981 Did Elizabeth Taylor use it in her role as Kate in the film version of "Taming of the Shrew"? Christine Baranski comes pretty close. I got a good chuckle out of your Eartha Kitt comment.

[@danbartov867]

My name is Dan Bartov, I'm from Israel and I'm almost 60 years old. I also love these old American movies and until now I never managed to understand why I can watch them without needing to read the subtitles. Thank you so much for this video. As a person who is not a native English speaker I sure think that they had done excellent job in making the English language easier to understand.

[@MrQuackthethird]

do you mean palestine?

[@danbartov867]

@@MrQuackthethird My mother was a Palestinian, she was born in the land of Israel at the time it was under the rule of Britain and thus she had a Palestinian citizenship. Thanks to the Lord all mighty, today, after 2,000 year, we managed to regain our homeland and we can practice our religion freely without being attracted by all kind of antisemitic people like you 🇮🇱💙

[@zztopz7090]

​@@MrQuackthethirdHe means Eastern Europe.

[@MrQuackthethird]

@@zztopz7090 just engagement farming brother

[@JayBigDadyCy]

I find accents fascinating. As an American, the Transatlantic one was always a bit of a mystery whenever I'd watch an old movie. Thanks to this vid and a few comments I now get why it existed. The US has more accents than most people realize. There's some really regional accents like Maine and the Miami area (basically) and then you have the multitude of southern accents. For example, someone from rural Texas sounds different than someone from rural Alabama or rural North Carolina. The Midwest has several accents as well (I'm originally from Michigan). You have the typical "Fargo" accent in the northern Midwest, the Chi-caaa-go accent as I call it lol and then Michigan people are very nasal and in the U.P. they sound very Canadian and tend to speak quickly. Love this stuff. I'm no expert. These are just things I've noticed over the years.

[@lisapalmer2458]

I remember reading that the children in The Sound of Music had a dialect coach and were trained to use the Mid Atlantic accent when delivering their lines. Now I understand what that accent was!

[@joygernautm6641]

I think it’s interesting that whenever they make a movie about anybody east of North America they automatically use a British accent. Historic movie about French royalty? English accent. Historic movie about Russian revolution? English accent. Historic movie about ancient Egypt? English accent😂

[@firstylasty9417]

@@joygernautm6641 I know, I find that bizarre. It surprises me how few people notice that. Also: Movie with anyone upper class? English accent. Movie with any cartoon villain? English accent.

[@ivetterodriguez1994]

@@joygernautm6641 We must really like English accents. Anything historic or ominous gets an English-like accent.

[@Carolinejoyamico]

Bible movies too. Apparently Jesus was a Brit. 😂

[@adrianacantisani]

I love this! It explains sooo much about my 3rd grade teacher in the US🤣 This was early ‘70’s; she must have been around 70 and we always said she spoke like a “black and white movie”🤣. Very clipped, so not Southern California! Thank you for this!

[@sandramariesolander]

Being from California, I always thought it was a Hollywood accent! I love your black and white old movies accent version! 🤣

[@HouseFromSmartCity]

She must’ve been a failed actor and / or watched too many movies. Despite popular belief, people didn’t speak like this in their day to day. Many aspiring actors were pushed to learn it because the idea was to speak to be as universally appealing as possible. As punk rockers would say: “she was a poser” lol

[@mkuti-childress3625]

@@HouseFromSmartCity It was taught in private schools to kids from wealthy families, however, so it’s possible she learned it there.

[@mkuti-childress3625]

My husband pronounces the “h” in words like “where” and “why,” just like Stewie Griffin. He said he didn’t really know why (more like hoo-wye!), but his mom does it, too, so he must have gotten it from her. She’s from Arkansas, however, and has a pretty clear Arkansas/Ozark accent, so I’m sure she copied actors she grew up with. The only thing that stuck was that “h” sound, however. Thank God, because otherwise my husband would be talking exactly like Stewie all the time.

[@k.umquat8604]

@@mkuti-childress3625 Your mother-in-law's pronunciation of "h-why" is commonly found on Arkansas and is a feature of the dialect of the Scotch-Irish spoken there. In fact you can find this pronunciation at many localities in the South.

[@benl8413]

Absolutely love this accent, everything just sounds more profound and thoughtful when spoken with it.

[@alex5308]

I’m surprised you never showed William F Buckley Jr. he was probably most famous for the accent and had the most distinct example of it.

[@duncanbeggs4088]

And he was still doing his television show weekly into the start of the 21st century. My dad would watch him and I always thought the guy was English.

[@wailnshred]

I always wondered if his accent was natural or an affectation.

[@Dick07040]

Could be because Buckley was an insufferable ass

[@jLjtremblay]

In French, we call this the “Mid-Atlantic accent,” which isn’t quite France French and isn’t quite Canadian French. Radio Canada is famous for this contrived accent; however, it seems less and less used. I never knew this existed in English as well. Very interesting. Thanks for this video!

[@redwoods7370]

Fascinating that you have this in French as well!

[@ink1775]

I never knew it existed in French! Fun fact: my accent would be Mid-atlantic english with a touch of French (Franco-American who grew up in France with French French and US English at home, then a mix of US, international and British English at school)

[@El_Ophelia]

Yes! I'm part French, and when I delved into the accent further, we always called it "Mid-Atlantic" and not "Trans-Atlantic." I've never heard it referred to as anything else.

[@garybackstrom183]

Wow , now way I had no idea this existed in French. I wonder if Italians and Spaniards have a version of this too

[@juniorjames7076]

As an American who has learned a few foreign languages (French, Arabic and Turkish) I have found that worldwide, OLD MOVIES from the '40s, '50s and '60s are easier to understand than current ones. French movies, Arabic movies (from Egypt or Lebanon) and Turkish movies from the 1950s for example had clear spoken dialogue. For someone learning French, its easier to understand an film from 1958 than 2008- where people are speaking more rapidly (especially in comedies), slurring speech, using slang, and even North African dialect (I've heard White teenagers in French movies say words like "Kif Kif" which is Moroccan Arabic for "same thing." ) The Arabic spoken in old Egyptian movies from the 1950s is also more clear, deliberate and precise than an Egyptian comedy or action that came out this year (same with Turkish movies.)

[@selkarogers7662]

This transatlantic accent is still heard in Canada specifically in Ontario. I was born in 1990 but I had speech delay when I was little and my parents/grandparents worked hard on correct pronunciation with me and I was definitely taught this. I traveled to LA and ordered a shared Uber where an American noticed it. I was speaking with my friend and the guy we shared an uber with asked where we were from because he could hear an accent. When we said Toronto he was like "ah that's it". He thought we were from South Africa and that was strange to us but he said he could hear the British influence. After watching this video it makes sense to me now. For Ontarians from old British families our parents and grandparents would correct us often if we mispronounced words. It's not as obvious to us but other people pick up on it. Gore Vidal, Fraser Crane and Mr. Burns were perfect examples of how it is still used today.

[@jemts5586]

Whereabouts in Ontario? I have never heard this accent here (I'm in Toronto area/GTA).

[@selkarogers7662]

@@jemts5586 I'm originally from South Western Ontario, Elora area. It's more common than you think in Ontario, it doesn't sound as pronounced as it is in old movies. It's where the term "Clear as a Canadian" comes from. It has an influence on Canadian pronunciation in general like how we say sorry rather than the American "Sahrey". Or zed over zee for letter Z, milk rather than melk, ect.. It's been lost more in the younger generations because they are largely influenced by American tv/media. I did come from a family where we were corrected if we said something incorrectly or if we spelt something the American way. Our teachers were always the same way. My family didn't go to fancy private schools so that's not how they learnt it, this was the standard English taught in all public schools up until the late 60s or mid 70s and the CBC broadcasting was delivered this way. My parents were born in the early 60s and grandparents in the late 1930s so this is a handed down accent. You'll hear some Canadians say "Cal Gary" and others say "Calguree" or "conserva- tory" vs "conserve uh tree". I hardly notice it but I can hear the difference and it gets pointed out to me by others who pronounce things differently.

[@jemts5586]

@@selkarogers7662 Wow, ok! I'll have to look into that more. Maybe watch some older (or regional) Canadian broadcasts and such to hear the difference. I was born tail end of the 80s, so things probably changed quite a bit since then. Also could be where I grew up. I definitely can hear the difference between milk and melk (most people I know say milk). But thanks for the examples as well. :)

[@rw9175]

Canadians have very rounded vowels....I think I can usually tell a Canuck voice....!

[@RustOnWheels]

South African English one can recognize immediately from the pronunciation of the ‘i’. It’s either a ‘uh’ or not pronounced at all. Still is st’ll (with thick L’s), bill is b’ll et cetera.

[@nialeemaria]

I have a parent with a British accent and was homeschooled, so for much of my youth in had an in-between accent. It was pretty close to this, though I said words like “sorry” and “can’t” with open vowels, the British way. I’m in my 30s now and live in rural Idaho, where the accent is Pacific Northwest with a touch of the south. Think “cowboy lite.” I’ve embraced the slight drawl, but I’ll still sometimes fall into the mid-Atlantic thing when I’m tired, stressed, drunk, etc.

[@SmugglerSteel]

This was super fascinating for me in particular. I was born and raised in the mid-west. However, I have been told many times by locals and non-locals they think I have a british-like accent as if I had come here from England and lost a bit. I thought it very strange because while I know my inflections and affects were different from many I didn't feel like I had an accent. This video clicked it all into place. My Mother who was a absolute stickler for manners and pronunciation when I was growing up set most of my langue patterns. She grew up East coast, and attended some very nice private schools. When she was attending is exactly when you mentioned the development of the Transatlantic accent. Her Transatlantic accent is stronger them mine, but I now realize I do have it as well as you went through describing the affectations of it. I dinged yes for most of them, only a few of them weren't natural to me. So very interesting!

[@lesterstone8595]

In my opinion, American actress, Agnes Moorehead from the "Bewitched" TV series had the best Transatlantic accent probably because she was born in the New England area and had theater training from that time period. You can hear the distinction when she speaks to her English TV husband, Maurice.

[@vinemp]

Well done! (O, Endora...)

[@saphirus1able]

In addition, Elizabeth Montgomery did too!

[@lesterstone8595]

@@saphirus1able I can't decide if the actor who played Thurston Howell the 3rd (Jim Backus) and his wife, Lovey had transatlantic accents on Gilligan's Island. Any thoughts?🧐

[@saphirus1able]

@@lesterstone8595 Oh most definitely- especially Lovey - her transatlantic accent was very pronounced!

[@davidwright9166]

Jane Wyatt, Fathers knows best also

[@bibichillieblue]

We have the same thing in French but we call it international french. It is devoid of any possible accents. It’s a very clean french without any sort of regional expressions that would not be included in a dictionary. It’s like a mix between every single francophone region accent ( France, Quebec, Belgium, Switzerland) It’s an invention by the CBC french Canadian division called Radio Canada but it does the same thing as the transatlantic accent

[@gideonroos1188]

It's not devoid of accent, it's just a centralised accent.

[@arslongavitabrevis5136]

Very interesting observation or, I would say, information. BTW, I love your "name" (LOL)

[@lilyann168]

Very interesting thanks

[@bibichillieblue]

@@gideonroos1188 yeah I think you phrased it better

[@bibichillieblue]

@@arslongavitabrevis5136 Hehe thank you :)) gotta thank my dad for making this pun over and over with my name haha

[@ptagle6144]

I always wanted to speak with the Translatlantic accent naturally -- but this is going to take a lot of practice! Thanks for the video.

[@mariezerbe4603]

I have to admit, I literally only watched this video because I am being Dorothy Gale for my company's Halloween party this year and because we are EXTREMELY competitive, I am tasking myself with speaking in a transatlantic accent the entire day of the party. I want to commit to my character, so I thought I should study up! My goodness, I did not expect to enjoy this video this much! Jack is a treasure and Gideon, the information you shared on this was quite fascinating and enlightening. Thank you for putting this content out in the world for me to stumble on!

[@afriendlyfaceinthecrowd]

I am a dual-national (British American) who was born in London, raised in Iowa, and graduated from Bryn Mawr College. I've been told by my friends that I speak with a transatlantic accent, although perhaps they're just being kind. This was a fascinating presentation. Thank you for such a thorough and fun breakdown.

[@johnnessuno6515]

Bryn Myar! DelCo!

[@Oorlich95]

Somebody admitting to being dual national Brit-American is like hearing a unicorn tell people it's own location.

[@TheSameYellowToy]

My best friend’s grandpa is from England but has lived in the USA for many decades, and he sounds transatlantic to me.

[@RayOnRae95]

​@@Oorlich95 is that uncommon? why

[@ladywisewolf3942]

I grew up in Hollywood and am a "Golden Age" of movies" buff/ historian. There was something else going on with the Mid-Atlantic accent in Hollywood that brought it to such prevalence in use among actors, and that was the advent of talking pictures. At that time most actors regardless of where they came from were terrified of losing their job because of a regional or foreign accent or just because their speech didn't "translate well" to film. And indeed many stars careers ended because of this. So the studios brought on speech coaches en mass all of whom learned that the correct way to speak was the Mid-Atlantic way. There is a very funny example of this studio speech coach training in the movie "Singing in the Rain" which is about the talking pictures transition.

[@kelliintexas3575]

This is EXACTLY what they did to Elvis! If you listen to him before the war, to after the war Hollywood Homogenized his relaxed Country drawl, that started each sentence with a stammer. He has a PHENOMENAL voice in his first movies from 1956-1958. They were his BEST TOO. Then they made him feel poor and uneducated 'Trash' so a voice coach spent 3 months on him. When they finished, he lost his pristine Southern gentleness. 😔

[@JackbenImbel2274]

This is so cool that you bring all of this info on accents out @LetThemTalkTV. Also a huge fan of the golden age of hollywood, love all those accents from back then.

[@browe]

Being a fan of the history behind Trans-/Mid-Atlantic pronunciation, this was a brilliant and welcome episode. 😄 I found it delightful how the Scots speaker came pretty close early on and naturally--no surprise there. What was illuminating (and quite funny to this theatre-trained American) was the end dialogue. Nothing came remotely close, yet that distinction highlighted and clarified the weird + lovely nature of Mid-Atlantic. The Lauren Bacall examples were pitch-perfect, and cheers for outlining the difference from speakers like Cary Grant. Loved it!

[@DarksideBallerina]

So as a native New Englander, it sounds like if I just try to be a little more “posh” then I might be able to nail this! 😂 I also think Angela Lansberry in “Murder, She Wrote” is a fine example of a somewhat naturally acquired Trans Atlantic accent. She was a British woman playing a retired school teacher from New England who would have grown up influenced by this accent. So when some of her Britishisms slip in it feels right and not like she dropped her accent.

[@PauloPereira-jj4jv]

Angela LANSBURY... not "Lansberry".

[@jd5588]

MURDER SHE WROTE was set in Maine. And, as a Down East Mainer, the accents tried as "Mainer" were atrocious. Also, the two of the characters were formerly on Carter Country 😳 a very thick southern accent (pres Jimmy Carter) ... and, don't get me started on Tom Bosley 🤣

[@Ashley_e]

I was commenting that many people spoke this. And even seen some from 80s. Reg video or interviews.

[@dawnjohnson3263]

@@PauloPereira-jj4jv 😃 how did I miss that one!

[@catherineshaw4937]

AL was British.

[@threearrows2248]

Kate Mulgrew has this accent in Star Trek. Even my mom, who just turned 60 and grew up in New Hampshire, has a little bit of this accent when she says certain words.

[@reynardthefox]

Lol...I did a play with Kate ,years ago,we have the same accent

[@Dancestar1981]

The interesting fact is whilst she learnt that at drama school her natural accent was a blend of Midwestern and New York American English

[@seththomas9105]

@@Dancestar1981 Growing up in Dubuque she would have learned a combination of the Midwestern, Wisconsin/Minnesota, and Chicago accents in her younger years.

[@chadwhitfield6946]

Kelsey Grammer has used it his whole career.

[@DJW1981]

On the subject of Star Trek, Patrick Stewart apparently used it in "First Contact" in 1996. I'd love to hear his natural Yorkshire accent haha

[@MaiRaven3]

Fascinating! I love the old movies too. This is great. ❤ Mary Astor’s accent.

[@ChristianAnneSmith]

This is so fun. I was just thought of this as an old Timey movie accent. Being from New England, I recognize some of those elements. What a really fun video!

[@TTM9691]

Fantastic video. I'd like to add: the reason you hear so much of this in old movies is because so many silent stars lost their careers because of their voices. Clara Bow, for instance, spoke with a thick Brooklyn accent. If you see the movie "Singin' In The Rain", there is a part where a vocal coach is giving lessons to Jean Hagen and then another one giving a lesson to Gene Kelly....and they're being taught the trans-atlantic accent (I believe!) When you listen to giants of the silent era, such as Mary Pickford or DW Griffith, being interviewed in the 30s or speaking on the radio they are almost ALWAYS speaking in that clipped, trans-Atlantic accent.

[@2degucitas]

The Brooklyn accent was used by "common" women, lower class and gold diggers in early talkies and the 30's. Betty Boop is an example.

[@firstylasty9417]

@@2degucitas HA. I never realized Betty Boop had a Brooklyn accent. I guess she does. Haven't seen Ms. Boop in a while!

[@electrictroy2010]

Baby Face the movie

[@BritishBeachcomber]

In the nineties I spent a lot of time working in Scotland. In the office, the Scots spoke "standard English", with a mild accent. In the canteen, speaking amongst themselves, they were incomprehensible. Not just the accent, but the words were foreign.

[@da96103]

Maybe they are just from Glasgow.

[@Amy-jb6ml]

Perhaps they were speaking scots?

[@BritishBeachcomber]

I was in Edinburgh. It sounded like a mix of Scots English with some Gaelic.

[@nighttrain1236]

That reminds me of a flight I took a few years ago with a regional carrier in the UK. Over the PA the cabin crew spoke pretty good RP but amongst themselves they used their 'normal' scouse accent. On the topic of Scotland, obviously the accent varies regionally but some Scottish people do indeed speak 'normally' with a regionless English accent, which is close to RP. I couldn't tell you why exactly. Not everyone grows up embedded within very regionalised and fixed communities.

[@redstateforever]

I think this is called code switching, and it’s very common across the board. I lived in Hawaii, where locals speak Pidgin, which is a thickly accented dialect with lots of words mixed in from other Pacific languages. In the office, the locals would speak perfect standard English on the phone, and in the next breath, speak Pidgin with each other. It can be more subtle, like a thick southern twang gets toned down when talking to non-southerners, and is done subconsciously. People aren’t trying to be fake or whatever, we just do it without thinking to adapt to different situations.

[@reptilianbrother5618]

As a non-native speaker, I was always unsure about which accent I want to lean more into; British or American. I think I will just go for the transatlantic. Thank you for making these videos. I really enjoyed your video on the Cockney accent aswell

[@SG0134]

I've always wondered this! I've even commented on different videos asking what kind of accent it is, I love it

[@wwleslie]

My aunt, who was born about 1920, spoke with a transatlantic accent. Not having a name for it, I always viewed it as an upper class New England accent. This accent was mostly affected by her, as she grew up in suburban Chicago. She later went to college in Massachusetts, married a wealthy New Yorker, and lived most of her life in NYC and Connecticut. Her sister and brother (my dad) spoke with standard American accents. I always loved my Aunt’s accent - it seemed a bit exotic and very classy to me.

[@belonginghouse]

I was born in upstate New York and grew up in the 1970's. I was one of the last to learn what was called "Proper Pronunciation." It was the Mid-Atlantic accent. I eventually stopped using it except for reading in public, but bits of it have stayed with me. I now live in the UK, and whenever someone meets me they are surprised I am an American and all say the same thing, my accent is very gentle. This was a great video.

[@cadaverdogblix7448]

This answers many questions, thanks for sharing

[@GTX1123]

This accent had a huge influence on American culture in the golden age of radio. My grandmother was from NE Florida and had what I call an "Old South" accent tinged w a transatlantic accent. Some of the early movies / transatlantic New England accent rubbed off on her a bit because she lived in Connecticut and Boston for a time (my grandfather was in the USCG).

[@Clare.Bear210]

My mother in law is from Alabama and took voice lessons to sound more British. I guess it’s an easy transition. (?) Now she has been in California for over 60 years the “British” has softened and she sounds like a regular Californian (not the SNL/Valley Girl variety) It’s fun to watch but we don’t all talk like that! 😅

[@CodexArgenteus]

This was known as Canadian Dainty in Canada & was the same thing - taught at universities & private schools in the first half of the 20th C & essentially a mix of British & American English.

[@redsorgum]

How dainty of them……😉😘👉🏻🇺🇸✌️🇨🇦👈🏻

[@selkarogers7662]

I was born in 1990 and my family taught me to speak this way. I don't notice it but when I travel others point it out. I always figured I was just speaking "correctly"

[@LS-im6uc]

This is the worst sound in all of the world and i will not be watching!! Just comming to voice my anger 👻

[@robbpowell194]

I call it Upper Canada Laurentian. A la Christopher Plummer.

[@meedwards5]

@@selkarogers7662 growing up in Washington DC (1970-1990), this is how I was taught to speak as well. I have intentionally diminished this style of speaking after leaving the DC area as most people found me pretentious and unrelatable. I can "turn it on" or off as necessary.

[@belisarius2776]

I read an article about this some years ago. Early radios had poor sound quality and lots of static. Radio personalities had to use an accent that made everything sound clear. I still hear this accent in live theater.

[@susanhaynes7984]

This is fascinating! As a native Californian transplanted to Texas at eight years of age, I wanted to lose my acquired southern accent. I like a region-less sound, and this video is a great window into how/why we speak the way we do. After years of work, I sound more transatlantic then I do Southern, much to my surprise and delight. Will use is this channel to continue my accent improvement. Thank you so much.

[@martyh8830]

I grew up in Southern California and was raised with very formal, British parents. Today, I jump between accents 🙂

[@MrFree2nest]

Good evening Sir. I'm from the Philippines, a former U.S. Territory in the far east. I would say that I have heard the Transatlantic accent being spoken of by my paternal uncle who was an ally of the U.S. Army back in WWII in the 1940s. How I wish we could bring the Transatlantic accent back in to use in this century. It is I think more polished and region-friendly and therefore universal.

[@kimberlymcguinness6016]

I had elocution lessons in the mid 1980s because I was hoping to have an international singing career (goal was met) and my deep American Southern accent was considered a hindrance. I have a Mid-Atlantic which floats towards Britain when I need to be VERY professional and back to Georgia when I get a touch tipsy. I have found it is not just pronunciation but vocabulary and word choice. This brought back many memories and a big smile

[@AG_before]

Probably one of the best English accents. Although, I learnt a few things I was teaching incorrectly. Thank you for the wonderful video. I do miss the Golden Age!

[@ZZZ-wo9om]

I've always been interested in the accent of Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) Some said it was British and others said it was 'Formal' American. I guess neither were wrong!

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Yes, he uses a theatrical transatlantic accent. That's not his normal voice.

[@Tmanaz480]

I've also heard it called "prestige American".

[@hijodelaisla275]

Neither was wrong.

[@roverboat2503]

I wonder why they didn't let David Prowse use his own voice as Darth Vader. I'm sure Bristolian will still be around in the future.

[@AaronJediKnight]

Lucas didn't like his voice. There are a couple of records with Prowse delivering the lines in suit, ni disrespect intended but he was no way near to James Earl Jones (although to give him credit I guess had he recorded the lines as the later did, the dialogue would sound better

[@tamick2000]

I love listening to Cary Grant. He does have a unique accent.

[@Jessica-de2gh]

this is so interesting. many of the notes you give in the dialogue portion are still best practice for English Opera singing.

[@brieb402]

One of my biggest questions ever has now been answered. Always thought I was crazy because I've asked tons of older people why people talked this way in old movies and they had never even thought about it, let alone knew the answer. I wish this was a real native accent though, I've always found it so appealing. The way it's spoken emphasizes speech and punctuates english grammar so nicely. Old movies remind me how much people's vocabulary has shrunken nowadays.

[@CAB-yu8uj]

I grew up in an international school in Thailand where I was more exposed to American English despite my dad being from England. When I came to England, I caught the British accent along the way and so my accent has transformed into a transatlantic accent 😅

[@GwaiZai]

I'm from Hong Kong with an American dad. Same here.

[@niellalien]

Cool, haha

[@badkarma1262]

ISB or Patana?

[@rosiefay7283]

Which British accent? There are distinctive accents of many regions of Britain.

[@CAB-yu8uj]

@@rosiefay7283 Very true! To specify, I would say southern accent :)

[@woundedwarrior8916]

I’ve read in a lot of old Hollywood memoirs about how the actors were coached in the 1930’s / 1940’s how to speak in a transatlantic accent. The studio system controlled the actors image completely from who they dated, to how they dressed and spoke. It was completely different from how Hollywood operates today.

[@Prismatic_Truth]

Sounds a lot like the modern "idol" culture in Asia today.

[@holliswilliams8426]

Do you think actors and musicians still aren't controlled? Look up 360 tours.

[@johnc2438]

Now, the "woke" system is exerting control -- not just outward appearance but with the goal of controlling your very thoughts.

[@aoikemono6414]

@@Prismatic_Truth They are 100 years behind, that's why. They also get paid trash, are "indebted" to their handlers, and are crucified for gaining one pound. It's basically indentured servitude.

[@sheilablake7913]

It’s *exactly* how Hollywood operates today!

[@BloodSweatandFears]

I have been speaking this way since I was young! My mom and I used to watch all of the old movies together and I’ve always loved the way they spoke! (I’m American) this was such a cool video I had no idea it was a named accent 😂❤

[@mrssilencedogood4825]

Mr and Mrs Howell from “Gilligan’s Island” are my favorite examples of this accent as a kid growing up in the 70s (watched it in reruns after school and to this day). Natalie Schafer had this accent in her I Love Lucy episode as well and seemed more her natural/learned accent but Jim Backus didn’t have it as fully in the movies and TV shows I have seen him in. I absolutely adore this accent from the classical Golden Hollywood era. I have two friends who do a 1940s weekly radio show and they make their own ads where they adopt this accent for their ads. It’s classic and hilarious at the same time!

[@jameshitselberger5845]

That's great. How can I listen to that show?

[@michelemandrioli4720]

Unfortunately, the use of "like" as an interjection was introduced by the character Maynard G. Krebs in this series. Many American young people use the "L" word in almost every sentence, sometimes more than once.

[@pbworld7858]

I'm glad you included Vincent Price. As a kid growing up in the UK, I loved watching horror movies and was a big fan of Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, and I always assumed Price was British since he acted in a lot of British movies in the 70s. I knew he appeared in black and white movies during the golden years of Hollywood but I just assumed he emigrated to the States. I was shocked when, just after his death, I found out he was actually born and raised in America. I've also noticed that some Americans (North-west?) also pronounce "aunt" in the same way as standard British English.

[@yankeegonesouth4973]

The ”Ahnt” pronunciation is not as common, but still found among some Northeastern and Southern dialects, as well as being typical of African American speech (which is in many respects similar to Southern dialects).

[@pbworld7858]

@@yankeegonesouth4973 I very rarely hear it on American TV, so I thought it was never used. A specific example I remember (I was a bit surprised because it was the first time I heard an American say it) was the actress Marcia Cross when she played Bree Van de Kamp in Desperate Housewives. Whether she really spoke like that in real life, I don't know, but the actress comes from Massachusetts which might explain it.

[@yankeegonesouth4973]

@@pbworld7858 Right. Per my father, the old ahnt pronunciation was still prestigious at his preppy Northeastern college ~45 years ago. He said ant, which might be a more Midwestern thing. Meanwhile, my wife with parents from the South always says ahnt. The ahnt pronunciation is still alive and well in many dialects across the US.

[@Bertrumes_Shiney_Factory]

I'm from scranton, pa (northeast) I say aunt like (aunt) we have a very tomato tomoto way for words

[@cjryan88]

didnt vincent study in britain in the 1930s or early 50s

[@WaywardPondering]

The story I heard was the trans atlantic accent was used because of radios and the technology, at the time, made certain sounds difficult to hear. When recording and audio equipment improved the trans Atlantic accent went away.

[@melissasaint3283]

Thanks so much for doing this! Many do not know anything about this...I once heard a critic complaining about Orson Welles having "a horrible fake British accent that he affected" and just shook my head sadly.

[@judithcoloma613]

This was very enlightening. I grew up in Central Pennsylvania. I took elocution and acting lessons during the 1960s. The accent is "pitcher" for "picture" and "tin' for "ten", used to drive our teacher crazy. Miss M. did indeed speak like Katharine Hepburn. Her main goal in life was to erase our regional accents. From PA. Dutch, South Philly, Coal Cracker, and Pittsburgh (which one almost needs an interpreter) and that was just from Pennsylvania alone. This was interesting and clarified why I went into nursing rather than acting.

[@catherineshaw4937]

Raised on the Main Line and the 'pitcher' is so true, and 'fer' for for

[@spiritsuit7846]

Don't forget Wuter not water

[@kelliintexas3575]

This is EXACTLY what they did to Elvis! If you listen to him before the war, to after the war Hollywood Homogenized his relaxed Country drawl, that started each sentence with a stammer. He has a PHENOMENAL voice in his first movies from 1956-1958. They were his BEST TOO. Then they made him feel poor and uneducated 'Trash' so a voice coach spent 3 months on him. When they finished, he lost his pristine Southern gentleness. 😔

[@VanityDivined]

It isn’t rly pleasing to the ear. Compared to, say, a Texan accent

[@SilentX_17]

What’s wrong with others having different accents? I like it more when different areas have theirs own accents.

[@andyjohnson4907]

John Lithgow (Dick Solomon from Third Rock From the Sun) has the most incredible Transatlantic accent.

[@jennywren1420]

@Kevin Geaslin I don't agree. I think his (albeit lovely) accent is a modified version of one from another part of the US.

[@LauraBCReyna]

I've heard Lithgow use this accent but I think he puts it on. He went to Harvard & LAMDA.

[@sheilabryans8177]

Excellent video. As an enthusiastic fan of golden age Hollywood this accent has always fascinated me, many thanks for the background history. As well as Gore Vidal William F. Buckley - American public intellectual who frequently debated with Vidal had a very strong accent, their encounters have been preserved and can be found on KZbin. An actress form the Hollywood golden age called Gail Patrick had a very pronounced Transatlantic Accent, I recommend ‘My Man Godfrey’ 1936 first: its one of the best films from the 30’s Patrick plays a supporting role of the extremely haughty older sister to the lead Carole Lombard who also has this accent but not so pronounced.

[@robinbrown124]

This was informative and interesting to find out the reason and origin of this "made-up pronunciation/dialect" of American English. The dialogue in their acting script at the end is HILARIOUS!

[@douglaso6428]

Cary Grant‘s accent in his films is something he created because he actually came from a very poor family and had more of a cockney accent. He consciously created a more “upper class“ persona for himself and his speech was a part of the creation. But I think this makes him an even more interesting case for the transatlantic accent. I was very influenced by 1930s and 40s films when I was growing up. People will often ask me if I am from England which I think is very funny! But it does make sense. I was absorbing all of that dialogue and those wonderful voices from age 7 onward…

[@deezyhope675]

Cary Grant was from Bristol so not Cockney at all - which is a London accent.

[@qzrnuiqntp]

@@deezyhope675 That's not that simple.

[@mary-janereallynotsarah684]

@@deezyhope675 Bristolians actually sound more American or Irish than most Brits.

[@douglaso6428]

Thanks for the correction! I meant lower class…

[@codent]

Charlie Chaplin was also from a very non posh background...

[@Belenus3080]

The old upper class New England accent is essentially the same. You hear it in the character Frazier Crane (Frazier, Cheers) and Charles Emerson Winchester (MASH). It also was slightly heard from various presidents, in my opinion, FDR and JFK.

[@BostonBobby1961]

Mayor Quimby on the Simpsons which is a parody of Ted Kennedy

[@southpond]

I recall a program on PBS years ago where they interviewed some elderly Bostonians who spoke with a distinct very British sounding accent. These speakers were considered to be the last remnant of an almost forgotten dialect. It must have been a from of this Transatlantic speech.

[@BostonBobby1961]

@@southpond the Kennedys had it. Especially Rose and Joe. Earlier mayors of Boston including James Michael Curly.

[@thunderbird1921]

I'd say FDR had it much more. JFK has elements of the more raspy common NE accent when he speaks in many recordings. Franklin Roosevelt though? He ALMOST sounds British at times when he talks (unless the audio is poor quality).

[@lauriejones4507]

JFK came to my mind almost immediately.

[@ChrisCanary]

I knew a lot of much older people in the Boston MA area during the 1960s and 70s who spoke like that. There are some words we still do. That accent was popular in movies to appeal to people in both countries.

[@anabarbulescu4043]

Interesting! I was taught British english in school but of course heavily influenced by the American media I consumed I ended up with a mix of both. But the kicker is, my earliest exposure to English was via the Golden Age movies I saw when Cartoon Network switched to Turner Classic Movies in the evening. My Brit friends say I sound American. And nobody has ever been able to guess my real country of origin based on how I accent my English.

[@mrspock2al]

Two people immediately came to mind upon watching & listening to this... FDR and Hepburn. I never knew where these accents came from and why they disappeared. Thanks for the excellent explanation. When Tracy & Hepburn got together in a movie, their accents were fascinating.

[@gloamishvonsatyrburg4635]

I was raised to speak this way and I'm only 42, the pronunciation of words is an indicator of your position in society, as well as, your level of education. You will be easily understood by a greater spectrum of people because they're not having to weed their way through an accent. Many people think you're trying to sound as if you're better than they; I've had people tell me I sound gay, for no other reason than I can put a simple sentence together. However, a society without consistent standards of behavior is no society at all. Just as an individual without discipline or personal behavioral expectations, is hardly top drawer.

[@aisforapple2494]

I was just thinking about this accent a few days ago and wondered if there was anyone who taught it. Thank you.

[@Max-my6rk]

U answered my all time question. Thanks!

[@kernowforester811]

Cary Grant was unusual, in that he was from Bristol, and may have originally spoken with a Bristolian accent when young. His mother was a cockney, so he may have also been affected by that. In his films, he has no vestige at all of a Bristolian accent, but his accent, does seem a bit cockney-ish, with a slight 'middle American accent' giving that so called 'mid Atlantic' accent. Very odd.

[@passionatesingle]

I loved the way Cary Grant sounded lol!!

[@daviddewitt9365]

I saw some clips of Carrie Grant when he was young and I couldn’t understand most of what he said. I always thought he was coming to America was why he had what I thought of as a faint English accent.

[@kernowforester811]

@@daviddewitt9365 I suspect he had a Cockney accent, due to his mother's influence. I hear Garth immitating Cary Grant from the film Wayne's World 2 in my head when I hear Cary Grant!

[@daviddewitt9365]

@@kernowforester811 In the movie some like it hot with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon Tony does a well remembered imitation of Cary Grant. Tony’s daughter Allegra Curtis happens to be a good friend of mine.

[@kernowforester811]

@@daviddewitt9365 I remember the film and the imitation, and the err, cross dressing!

[@michaelrhys1913]

I'm a Brit voiceover, but I llive in Japan and work a lot with US writers and voiceovers and so I also now have something of a mid-atlantic accent. It's actually very useful to have in my position as it's an accent that is easily accepted and understood almost anywhere.

[@OmarAbdulMalikDHEdMPASPACPAPro]

I used to watch these movies as a kid. I always thought the actors sounded so classy. I would try to mimic it, much to the angst of my classmates! 😅 This was very interesting! I just subscribed.🙂👋🏽👨🏽‍⚕️

[@gospelaccordingtojohn8959]

I’m an American from Utah. I attended drama school in the U.K., and learned the mid-Atlantic accent back in the late 80s. I use it in Shakespeare and other classic plays. It feels more comfortable than a British accent when working in the States.

[@Hondalover3000]

Interestingly, I've read some articles about this accent and you are right when you say it's not regional and can be used anywhere. I am from Jamaica, and there are quite a few people who speak with a variant of this accent, especially among the older well-educated folks, and some of those in theatre, law, and journalism. Intriguing video.

[@miyike]

There are lots of videos about this accent that falsely say that this accent was taught to the children of elite families at private schools (this comment is made as an underhanded attempt at delegitimizing the accent and mocking elite classes). Children of elite families in New England spoke with a similar accent naturally from childhood. Regional accents from New England that are similar are not fake concoctions or taught. They are naturally developed accents. The only people to actively learn this accent were actors.

[@connormorton6480]

I was born in America and moved to England after I turned one. Five years ago I realised aside from noticeably strong accents like the us southern or British northern one, I could not distinguish between American and British accents. I also noticed whilst I apparently spoke with an British accent I did pronounce some things differently with a somewhat American dialect. I always assumed this was because of being between America and the uk growing up but this answers so many questions I never realised I had.

[@fsinjin60]

‘Whilst’ is already mid-Atlantic

[@glicmathan1771]

Most informative after years of wondering about this. I have to add, however, that some of the accents you attributed to British English are also found in the US. I just learned that I say All and Awful like a Brit. I know some mid Atlantic and Southern accents (quite diverse regionally) can have lots of similarities to their old world roots. My parents and grandparents have their own generational idiosyncrasies leading me to suspect that there must have been a lot more old world accents before the age of audio recordings. When I travel to different areas around the US, people will hear peculiarities in my accent, even though mine isn’t really pronounced. Baltimore, for instance, has an interesting blend of northern and southern. My east coast “O” has some people occasionally asking if I’m English! I found your channel recently and really enjoy it! Many thanks!

[@alexisdemoulin5514]

I'm a native French speaker from Belgium and I've been teaching French and English to Turkish kids (I live in Istanbul). My students are taught the American accent at school, so they might have a bad surprise the day they visit the UK, and don't understand a word. That is why I try to speak with the British accent in my classes. The transatlantic accent actually seems to be what I use, maybe mixed with a slight French accent. I didn't know about the transatlantic "é" though, and I'm definitely going to adopt it. Thènks è lAt feu the less'n, reelé.

[@spellbindingcrashed]

@Alexis Demoulin The kids you teach will sound just as messed up as you.

[@MRAPEXPREDATOR1]

I don’t understand this, I am English and have never in my life not been able to understand an American speak or Canadian or Australian. They speak English but with a different accent. Thats all. If you’re a native speaker you can understand anybody who is also a native speaker.

[@carmaela2689]

I loved how these old actors and actresses spoke. Really always enjoyed these old films.

[@bigscarysteve]

Can you explain why younger people these days try to flee rather than watch a black & white movie? They act as if they were being subjected to some cruel and unusual torture. I just don't get that attitude.

[@BriLamberson]

I’m dying laughing. I need more episodes from “A Father’s Duty“. So good. My grandma has a transatlantic accent still. She’s from upstate New York and almost 90. I inadvertently speak in some of these ways. Plus my stepdad is English so I’ve picked up a few of his ways of speaking.

[@beaweathersbee9916]

My mother was a Southern American actress from Florida, born in 1931, who definitely had a Transatlantic accent. My father was British with a mother from a wealthy West Virginian family. They raised me in Costa Rica and my first language was Spanish, then we lived in Florida and Texas (and in Maine for 30+ years now). Watching your video made me realize that so many of my speech patterns are basically Transatlantic (plus a lot of Central American Spanish and "y'alls" thrown in for good measure).

[@chandlercosey5692]

Where about in upstate New York? That’s where I’m from too!

[@lauraleeogan7523]

Your mention of " Father's Duty" reminded of the American TV series "Father Knows Best" from the late 50s (possibly) into the early 60s. The role of the mother was played by Jane Wyatt, and the teenage daughter by Eleanor Donahue. As I think about it both were using the Mid-Atlantic accent, but that of Eleanor Donahue was more pronounced. I always thought that it was an affectation that she was portraying as an arrogant teenage girl in an upper middle class family.

[@jennywren1420]

@@lauraleeogan7523 No, I think that is the way she grew up speaking. Some of the generalizations about American speech really can't be made, because there are too many variations in the way we speak.Even my Manhattan accent varies from person to person. In addition, because I have the kind of ear that picks up elements of certain accents, and because I've spent quite a lot of time in the UK (mostly, in London) - most of the time with my American family, who live and work there - my speech get somewhat influenced by what I'm hearing, and some of it lingers or has become embedded permanently in how I speak. But that is not so different from most of what I learned as a child among educated people in Manhattan, New York City; it's just more distinctly what I tend to think of as being Mid-Atlantic speech (which is nothing at all like the way Katharine Hepburn or Bette Davis or someone from New England or Roosevelt's elite clan or any of the other examples we were given in such an engaging way).

[@theloniousMac]

Dahling I'm so thrilled to have this cleared up! It has always baffled me also. Did they practice this accent?

[@teddyjones3055]

You guys are hilarious. I'd pay to watch a series with you two guys as leads. XDDD

[@arantxatzeitel]

As mexican who had many teachers from different parts of the US, Canada and the UK, my accent is completely jumbled up. Nevertheless, my upbringing was quite privileged in many aspects thus many of my now coworkers speak with a Mexican Spanish accent while speaking English. Teachers do influence how we speak and which accents we acquire.I do believe there is no good or bad accents. They are part of our identity and our personal history.

[@paulafigueroa1573]

I’m glad you put it like that. In fact our accent has to do very much with people around us. I’m Mexican too, from Mexico City, at the begging of my stay in the US my accent was all over the place. Then I had a German roommate that explained to me how was the right way to pronounce my words (that, he told me). After this, I think I learned an accent so nobody would guess from where I was. That was really funny, particularly because people from India or the Middle East, use to stop me in the street and address themselves to me in their native languages, and I just smiled like a fool, since I didn’t understand a bit of what they said. Then I speak to them and after they heard me, they didn’t still wanted to believe I didn’t really speak their native language! That happened to me many times and it was really funny. Americans by the way, they just complimented my accent but never realize where I was from. I do not think I speak the Transatlantic accent but certainly my accent must be confusing hahaha, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@rogerdale5451]

My friends dad and grandfather were studio musicians in Hollywood from the 30s through the 60s for Warner and Disney. Her mom was a classic film enthusiast. They called it the Hollywood accent, and said it was a holdover from the theater. The last movies with it, as far as I know, were 1960s Hitchcock, dahling. You can hear Sinatra doing this as well. It's among the reasons we think actors are boobs. I didn't know it was taught seriously. It's Stewie on Family Guy.

[@bookwrm4evr]

Ahh, the oh so famous C-hoool hwhip

[@caiusmadison2996]

What? No, it's still alive and well. Patrick Warburton uses it. He'll quite a few stars still do. Bryan Cramston for one.

[@JamesCurtisOKC]

@@caiusmadison2996 no, those actors are just enunciating their words clearly. not the same.

[@caiusmadison2996]

@@JamesCurtisOKC Larry King used it as well.

[@caiusmadison2996]

@JamesCurtisOKC no its more than that, Shakespearean Actors as the two I described before, are trained to use this speaking style precisely because it IS a precise amd clear manner of speaking.