Can you tell the difference between a British and an American by looking at them?

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Moze

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95% of the time i can. It can get a bit tricky sometimes though. Kate Beckinsale looks a bit in-between, but her sister looks British and so did her dad.

When looking at One Direction i can point at Luois and Niall and just say ''Yep, those 2 are British/Irish or whatever'' but when looking at Harry, Liam and Zayn i just can't be sure. 60% of one direction are 5% of the population that i just can't tell. I think this tells a lot about celebrity culture.
 
Moze said:
95% of the time i can.
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1yAF4Bu.gif
 
I only met one British dude and that was in my Computer Science class last semester. Out of the entire class he was the only one sitting up straight and in a "respectful" posture, everyone else was slouching, hunched over, or leaning back in their chairs.
 
I'm English living in the USA going to University here. I can spot an international student in a crowd of Yanks almost every time. Obviously individual countries are hard to pick out, but I can spot someone and say "Western Europe" and be right about 90% of the time. It's not just their appearance, but their actions and body language too. Accents give it away instantly, but I can usually pick them out well before they speak.
 
painey said:
I'm English living in the USA going to University here. I can spot an international student in a crowd of Yanks almost every time. Obviously individual countries are hard to pick out, but I can spot someone and say "Western Europe" and be right about 90% of the time. It's not just their appearance, but their actions and body language too. Accents give it away instantly, but I can usually pick them out well before they speak.
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You can probably detect their lack of freedom.
 
No. I mean unless you are going by the obvious stereotypes like weight or teeth decay. I will say that it's eeire how British actors can so effortless mimic being American in their accent. Like that dude from House? That's not natural man. Whenever you see us try to play British people it's so funny, but like you guys can do it effortlessly. Now, I'd love to see a British person try to play a redneck.

I will say I don't understand how you guys maintained your British and Irish accents and we created these weird fucking dialects in America like the southern accent, the north eastern accent, Midwest accent, etc.

It may just be that I live in the middle of nowhere in redneck country, but I'd seriously consider proposing to a woman if she had a British or Irish accent. It's not fair. Get er done is common lexicon around here, yet even when you guys order lunch it sounds like you are quoting Shakespeare. It's not fair.
 
GillianSeed79 said:
No. I mean unless you are going by the obvious stereotypes like weight or teeth decay. I will say that it's eeire how British actors can so effortless mimic being American in their accent. Like that dude from House? That's not natural man. Whenever you see us try to play British people it's so funny, but like you guys can do it effortlessly. Now, I'd love to see a British person try to play a redneck.

I will say I don't understand how you guys maintained your British and Irish accents and we created these weird fucking dialects in America like the southern accent, the north eastern accent, Midwest accent, etc.

It may just be that I live in the middle of nowhere in redneck country, but I'd seriously consider proposing to a woman if she had a British or Irish accent. It's not fair. Get er done is common lexicon around here, yet even when you guys order lunch it sounds like you are quoting Shakespeare. It's not fair.
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Have you ever heard the scouse accent? Your ears will bleed
 
GillianSeed79 said:
No. I mean unless you are going by the obvious stereotypes like weight or teeth decay. I will say that it's eeire how British actors can so effortless mimic being American in their accent. Like that dude from House? That's not natural man. Whenever you see us try to play British people it's so funny, but like you guys can do it effortlessly. Now, I'd love to see a British person try to play a redneck.

I will say I don't understand how you guys maintained your British and Irish accents and we created these weird fucking dialects in America like the southern accent, the north eastern accent, Midwest accent, etc.

It may just be that I live in the middle of nowhere in redneck country, but I'd seriously consider proposing to a woman if she had a British or Irish accent. It's not fair. Get er done is common lexicon around here, yet even when you guys order lunch it sounds like you are quoting Shakespeare. It's not fair.
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British English is made up of many accents. It's just not as noticeable (maybe) as a Southern accent compared to a North Eastern one.
 
Kuroyume said:
Sometimes no. Just look at the Walking Dead. Aren't both Rick and Maggie brits? Could have fooled me
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To me, Ricks accent is incredibly fake. As is Hugh Laurie as Dr House. I cringe when I listen to them. A bad accent ruins any scene for me..
 
No. How the fuck could anyone tell?
There's some British exchange student in my math class and I always forget she's British until she speaks.
 
British-Teeth.jpg

"Ho, save the choild, 'urry up and scoff quick now, lest the hinfant be drownded in yon pudden. "


Nope, don't have much problem.
 
I'm British and have lived in Canada for 7 years. I used to work with a black-british guy and we were friends, somebody came up to me in the office once and asked "why does that African American guy speak with a British accent?"

So apparently you can only spot Britons abroad if they're pastey-white and have bad hair/teeth.

btw, could have sworn I just read an article in the paper about the UK having one of lowest rates of gum disease in the world - above the US.
 
Moze said:
Show me an American that looks like Wayne Rooney
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Do you not get out much?
I see American guys with that type of bone structure and facial features all the time.
They are probably of British ancestry.


If you meant specifically a celebrity...

Hmm. Kind of looks like Matt Damon.

Damon_cropped.jpg

AXvZfF9.jpg
 
Slightly OT: Living in Finland I sometimes find it very confusing whether I should talk English or Finnish to a person that is clearly of non-Finnish descent. I usually attempt Finnish first to not offend them. Still find it confusing, though.
 
What ethnicity is American? If I see an American of British heritage, I probably won't be able to tell by looking at the body. I might be able to infer from clothing choices, and I would most likely know if I heard their natural speaking voice (so not Hugh Laurie as Gregory House), but by looks it can be pretty much the same.
 
youngwerther said:
Do you not get out much?
I see American guys with that type of bone structure and facial features all the time.
They are probably of British ancestry.


If you meant specifically a celebrity...

Hmm. Kind of looks like Matt Damon.

Damon_cropped.jpg

AXvZfF9.jpg
Click to expand...

lol at this comparison

I can tell the American from a mile away. Rooney is a proper English lad, 95% of Britain look like him.
 
Yes, Wayne Rooney and Prince Charles represent the north and south of England respectively. While Hollywood represents every US citizen.


Is it OK I wonder to start on other stereotypes? Africans vs. African Americans perhaps, how about Jews Vs. Christians? Or is it only OK to discuss the ugliness of British people?
 
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