General American

American  

noun

1. any form of American English speech considered to show few regional peculiarities, usually including all dialects except for eastern New England, New York City, Southern, and South Midland (no longer in technical use). GA

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Etymology

Origin of General American

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Example Sentences

The stereotypical broadcast voice — also sometimes known as the General American accent — with its crystal-clear enunciation, lowered pitch and steady pacing, is the antithesis of the Valley accent.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2023

For example, in AAVE, the word been is often placed before a verb in order to convey a past event: for example, “He been married” rather than the General American English “He was married.”

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

This differs from the way these words are pronounced in a so-called General American accent, in which a speaker glides through two different vowel sounds, resulting in something like "aight" in "right."

From Salon • Sep. 6, 2021

His General American accent is clear and colorless, much like the containers in which the numbered balls tumble, transparency being the point of the production.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 23, 2018

Harold F. Linder, Vice Chairman of the General American Investors Company, is a member of the Executive Committee of FPA-WAC, and also a member of the CFR.

From The Invisible Government by Smoot, Dan