Do British People Get Mad When Americans Try to Imitate Their Accents?

Why ever would we get mad when Americans try to imitate our accents? Our accents are not patented, so imitation is free. If you are American, we can usually tell they're faking it by how they pronounce certain words—it's often amusing rather than offensive.

The only time it can really annoy me, yet never offend me, is when Americans apparently seriously and without irony or mockery imitate what they believe to be English English by using that kind of PG Wodehouse 1920s upper class accent that probably died out before WW2. Phrases like, "Pip-pip, old chap! I say! Jolly nice to meet you, don’t you know!" While I don’t mind this when Americans are joking around, many Americans genuinely believe we speak like that. In truth, only a tiny fraction of us ever did, and they were all dead by the 1960s.

Impressive Imitations

Some Americans can imitate real 21st-century UK accents really well. It’s impressive, especially those who are obsessive fans of British TV series or movies and binge-watch them over and over, such as Skins, or those who had a British partner. When I worked in America for a year, I had a co-worker and friend who did the "Jolly good old chap!" stuff. I used to do it back, too: "Gee-willikers! You’re darn tootin’! Pass the sarsaparilla, Bobby-Joe! Dang, I lost ma mule!"

Not Offended, Just Amused

No, it doesn’t offend me, but it does take some self-control not to laugh out loud, which would be offensive. It's cute but cringeworthy, please don’t do it. Most of the time, we just laugh or find it pathetic.

Also, bear in mind that in our own country, there are dozens of British accents. Some of the best examples include Estuary English, Cockney, and Received Pronunciation (RP). With so many accents, we can tell a failed attempt a mile off. Just don’t be yourself, and let’s enjoy the variety of voices together.

The Worst Attempts at a British Accent

One of the all-time worst attempts at a British accent features Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins . He was apparently meant to be Cockney, but no. Just no. It’s funny to watch, but it’s not a good representation of British accents.

On the other hand, some Americans have truly nailed the British accent, such as Renée Zellweger in her role as Judy Garland in River Road. She managed to do Modified RP (Received Pronunciation) incredibly well, making her one of the few American actors who have come close to mastering the British accent.

Whether it's amusing or annoying, the imitation of British accents remains a popular phenomenon. So, the next time an American friend tries to imitate a British accent, simply smile and enjoy the fun or politely suggest they stick to the ones they can genuinely nail.