Posted by Tanveer Al Razee on October 29, 1997 at 22:20:35:
In Reply to: Re: Hawkeye's posted by E. Lane on June 14, 1997 at 07:17:01:
: What was an American accent? During the colonial period it was a British accent, though not uniform in sound. The colonists of each particular region had an accent that reflected the region of England from whence they or their families came. It took a very long time for the accents and idioms to evolve into what we recognize as an " American" accent. Even now, there is quite a difference between the accents of a New Englander, a Pennsylvanian, a Carolinian, etc.. Each dialect can be traced back to its English regional origins.
: As for Reverend Eleazar Wheelock; he was a Congregational clergyman and educator who was born in 1711 in Windham, Conn. From 1743 to 1768, he was a tutor to the Indians with governmental approval. However, his efforts were seen as fruitless and support was withdrawn. He then obtained a charter for a college (Dec. 13, 1769), with Lord Dartmouth as his patron. The school was established specifically for the education of American Indians and exists today as Dartmouth University.
: Interestingly, Lord Dartmouth (William Legge) later advocated (from 1776 on) the use of force against the DASTARDLY colonial rebels.
: Sooooo..........the British accent stands!