I don’t know about you, but I have always wondered why in the world actors in films from the 1930’s and 40’s spoke in such a strange, hard to place accent. I always thought it was some weird affectation, and apparently I was right. The video that you are about to watch below gives a great explanation for this manner of speech.
Apparently it actually had a name; known as a Trans Atlantic or Mid-Atlantic accent, it didn’t organically evolve. Rather, people were taught to speak this way in order to sound aristocratic. It has a quasi British sound to it; vowels and R’s are softer and T’s are accentuated.
In actuality, the accent isn’t truly British or American and apparently it wasn’t only taught to actors, but to students in private and boarding schools. This bizarre affectation stopped being taught after World War II, which is why it sounds so foreign and old-fashioned to our ears.
The footage below goes on to explain this phenomenon in more depth. I found it really interesting and funny.
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