Let's Talk About British and American Pronunciation

The reason that Americans and the British pronounced words differently is because we think we need to identify British spies among us. Sooner or later you realize that's a horrible scheme, when you listen to an interview with the cast of your favorite TV show. Behind the scenes, they are all British! However, pulling off such subterfuge takes talent and training. Laurence Brown has lived in the US for 16 yers and is now an American citizen, but if he ever lost his accent or British pronunciations, we would be disappointed. So let's try another explanation. Americans like to pronounce words the way they are spelled, because that makes sense. But some words are spelled differently in British English, so Americans just take out the letters that aren't needed or don't make sense. Still, Brown has had a great time arguing with his wife over why things are pronounced the way they are, because both sides of the pond are pretty casual when it comes to how we pronounce simple vowels. You say cicada, I say cicada. This video has a one-minute skippable ad at 3:13. -via Laughing Squid