"Teacher Simon - we can't understand that science video! The person is speaking English too fast.."

That person is usually from the USA, speaking English at breakneck speed, even when the intended audience of the video is only 7 years old and perhaps not a native English (sorry - native American) speaker...

Why do they do it? Brits and Ozzies don't speak so fast. Sometimes I find an interesting science video, but reject it for my lessons because the narrator is from the USA, and seems to be trying to win a race in fast-speaking!

So my American friends - why do you speak 'American' so fast? Why don't you have consideration for your audience and SLOW DOWN FF S!!

Try processing it in a video editor and slow it down a bit.

Depends where you're from. Metro area will speak faster, along with NE. We speak fairly fast, apparently in Philadelphia metro area. And apparently, I speak a bit faster than normal for that area, along with softer, or I mumble, as many folks didn't understand me.

I have to concentrate and talk slower with better annunciation, especially when out of the area.

I don't think anyone understood me when I lived in W.V. About the same when living Memphis area, last 5 yrs, before moving to TH.

Learned that when working for airlines, when making gate area announcements, working at W.V and EWR (Newark, NJ). W.V. is understandable, and apparently they speak slower in Denver, as that's where we flew to/from, out of EWR.

Lot of blank stares and "WTF did he say" expressions. Yea, I slowed way down.

It's not fast it's loud

I speak fast, loud and get excited easily. Oh well, better than some of the character flaws exposed daily on this forum.

28 minutes ago, simon43 said:

So my American friends - why do you speak 'American' so fast? Why don't you have consideration for your audience and SLOW DOWN FF S!!

It seems that Americans process information more quickly than Europeans.

Idon'tthinkthatwespeakfast,Icanunderstandeverythingjustfine.

29 minutes ago, novacova said:

Try processing it in a video editor and slow it down a bit.

That doesn't the question 'why?'...

All I can assume is that the narrator has little consideration for the listener. The number of science videos narrated by Americans that I have to reject because my young students can't 'keep up' is huge...... Not so with British or Ozzie/Kiwi narrators who adopt a more suitable pace.

25 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's not fast it's loud

I guess you haven't been in a minivan with 9 Thais, and you can't speak Thai. (most[y women)

And why do many American female newscasters speak with a nasal twang? I find them very difficult to understand.

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

That doesn't the question 'why?'...

All I can assume is that the narrator has little consideration for the listener. The number of science videos narrated by Americans that I have to reject because my young students can't 'keep up' is huge...... Not so with British or Ozzie/Kiwi narrators who adopt a more suitable pace.

It’s more of a perception on your part as British speech can sound slower or drawn out due to vowel length and less aggressive reductions, compared to American reductions and linking of words make it feel quicker or more blended. In any case, actual articulation rates vary more by individual, region, context, and speaker than by broad variety concerning folks in the South East or in the rural hick-ville areas of the US tend to speak slower than those who are in a rush in the cities.

1 hour ago, Fact said:

It seems that Americans process information more quickly than Europeans.

exactly.

All video's on YT , I play at at least 1,5 x speed or more.

They all speak so slow.

It's not just the speed, it's the content. I find that Americans think they have so much to say that people want to hear. They really could not be farther from the truth. They then double down and speak twice the amount of crap in the same amount of time that other nationalities speak a reasonable amount of crap.

I am yet to meet an American who did not think he was the mutt's nuts. If they were a biscuit, they would eat themselves.

Not for me, thank you.

1 minute ago, Keeps said:

It's not just the speed, it's the content. I find that Americans think they have so much to say that people want to hear. They really could not be farther from the truth. They then double down and speak twice the amount of crap in the same amount of time that other nationalities speak a reasonable amount of crap.

I am yet to meet an American who did not think he was the mutt's nuts. If they were a biscuit, they would eat themselves.

Not for me, thank you.

I've never encountered a European who doesn't consider themselves part of the master race.

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

That doesn't the question 'why?'...

Time is money.

3 minutes ago, Keeps said:

It's not just the speed, it's the content. I find that Americans think they have so much to say that people want to hear. They really could not be farther from the truth. They then double down and speak twice the amount of crap in the same amount of time that other nationalities speak a reasonable amount of crap.

I am yet to meet an American who did not think he was the mutt's nuts. If they were a biscuit, they would eat themselves.

Not for me, thank you.

Yet you come with a spiel of fluff crap illustrating your exact position.

8 minutes ago, temuFarang said:

I've never encountered a European who doesn't consider themselves part of the master race.

And why on earth would we not? We are exactly what you have outlined.

most of my friends in LOS were americans, i had no issues understanding them,

however i had the misfortune to get seated next to a scot on a visa run, and i couldnt bloody understand wtf he was talking about,

eventually i pretended sleep

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

"Teacher Simon - we can't understand that science video! The person is speaking English too fast.."

That person is usually from the USA, speaking English at breakneck speed, even when the intended audience of the video is only 7 years old and perhaps not a native English (sorry - native American) speaker...

Why do they do it? Brits and Ozzies don't speak so fast. Sometimes I find an interesting science video, but reject it for my lessons because the narrator is from the USA, and seems to be trying to win a race in fast-speaking!

So my American friends - why do you speak 'American' so fast? Why don't you have consideration for your audience and SLOW DOWN FF S!!

Your thesis is highly suspect, and I do not agree.

Not only I do not agree, but Gemini disagrees:

Gemini Overview

"When comparing native English speech rates across Canada, the UK, and the United States, all three countries fall into the global average of ~ 150 - 190 words per minute (WPM). While general differences are minor, research shows that speaking speed varies more by gender, age, and region than by nationality.

Francis Academic Press +4

United States

• Average Rate: ~ 150 - 170 WPM.

• Regional Variation: There is a well-documented divide. The fastest talkers in the U.S. generally reside in the Northeast and the Midwest (e.g., Massachusetts, Minnesota, Iowa). Conversely, states in the South (e.g., Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina) typically exhibit slower, more deliberate pacing.

  Quora +2

Canada

• Average Rate: ~ 175 WPM.

• Regional Variation: Canadian speech rates are heavily tied to the cost of living and pace of life in specific cities. Edmonton, Alberta holds the record as the fastest-speaking Canadian city at ~ 210 WPM, whereas Toronto is one of the slowest at ~ 149 WPM. Overall, Alberta has the fastest regional speech rate in the country.

  Preply +1

United Kingdom

• Average Rate: ~ 150 - 198 WPM.

• Regional Variation: Similar to the U.S., Northern and rural dialects often feature slower, more measured speech, while bustling metropolitan areas like London feature a faster tempo.

  https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/faviconV2?url=http://www.personal.rdg.ac.uk&client=AIM&size=128&type=FAVICON&fallback_opts=TYPE,SIZE,URLPosta Shqiptare +2

Across all three countries, younger adults speak up to 11% faster than older generations, and men generally speak slightly faster than women in both spontaneous and read speech.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov)"

Speaking with too high a rate of speach is not helpful to anynone.

Those who speak this way require speach therapy.

However, one thing that most people do not understand, which is important, is THIS:

The rate of speach has little to do, and very little correlation with, the amount of information which is transmitted.

Think about this.

Slow rate speakers impart just as much information, per minute, as fast rate speakers.

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

and perhaps not a native English (sorry - native American) speaker...

Do you think GB English is superior? Oh, what a loser you are. Unable to understand things

33 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Those who speak this way require speach therapy.

What's wrong with this sentence?

Never mind Americans. The German youth speaks softly, very fast with a potato in their mouths. Half of a sentence must be guessed, the other half is mnutrnszrjfjjjejnn. Linguistic chaos, not understandable.

This is not a political comment, but during Nazi Times one could understand every single word. The "R" was pronounced as an "R", proper articulation was the rule.

Some will say, that a decreasing "quality of a language" is a sighn of a falling empire. Considering the fact that Europe is being "de-industrialised", this may come as a "harbinger" of things to come.

3 hours ago, simon43 said:

That person is usually from the USA, speaking English at breakneck speed, even when the intended audience of the video is only 7 years old and perhaps not a native English (sorry - native American) speaker...

Well, they're is yore problem.

I wooden expect many thighs to understand Sioux or Blackfoot or even Mohawk.

I have an Amurcan buddy from Florida, he speaks with such a slow drawl that I can feel my hair growing in between each word. It's not just the pace of his speech, every single word is dragged on for an eternity, and he seems able to pronounce most two-syllable words using three or four syllables.

Calls himself a redneck, but it's pronounced ray-id-nay-ak.

1 hour ago, Keeps said:

And why on earth would we not? We are exactly what you have outlined.

Right on. Every major invention had it's origins in Europe, looking back 200 years. Without it, Africans would still be dancing around a fire around midnight. praying for rain or increased fertility. In south america they would still offer "human sacrifice" to the Gods, boosting agricultural production. The Chinese economy would still be based on exporting "silk" to Europe.

All global economic/industrial/scientific advancement had it's roots in Europe and nowhere else.

The "apperntices" of the world were fast learners. Leaving Europe as a fast declining Empire. Amen.

KhunLA has it right, it depends which part of the country you are from.

Here in So. Cal, people speak at a moderate pace, cross the country to New York and yes, they speak at a quicker clip. Southerners, slow drawl.

Get yourself a real Cajun from deep Louisiana, it won't be quick but you'll have a hard time understanding what they are saying to the point of, "is that English"? Sort of the American version of Cockney.

4 hours ago, simon43 said:

That doesn't the question 'why?'...

All I can assume is that the narrator has little consideration for the listener. The number of science videos narrated by Americans that I have to reject because my young students can't 'keep up' is huge...... Not so with British or Ozzie/Kiwi narrators who adopt a more suitable pace.

Perhaps it is due to the US produced products providing full information and a quality of information more reflective of the subject matter. In effect, a better value proposition. Also the subject matter may be targeting a different market. Not all US students are inner city ghetto. The schools with a budget to purchase the products are most likely in higher income school districts which have a higher quality of students who both want a fast presentation and who can comprehend the material.

In respect to speech rates, my observation is that people who have lower cognitive ability and a limited knowledge of the subject matter, have a greater likelihood of slower rate of speaking.

9 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Perhaps it is due to the US produced products providing full information and a quality of information more reflective of the subject matter. In effect, a better value proposition. Also the subject matter may be targeting a different market. Not all US students are inner city ghetto. The schools with a budget to purchase the products are most likely in higher income school districts which have a higher quality of students who both want a fast presentation and who can comprehend the material.

In respect to speech rates, my observation is that people who have lower cognitive ability and a limited knowledge of the subject matter, have a greater likelihood of slower rate of speaking.

It's the reverse sugar babe. Listen to the fast speaking "rappers", making millions. While other students spend years to achieve a doctors degree.

I remain, the less "education" (slum verbal education), the less a language can be maintained. Hard to uphold any sort of "civilisation" under such circumstances.

43 minutes ago, swissie said:

Right on. Every major invention had it's origins in Europe, looking back 200 years. Without it, Africans would still be dancing around a fire around midnight. praying for rain or increased fertility. In south america they would still offer "human sacrifice" to the Gods, boosting agricultural production. The Chinese economy would still be based on exporting "silk" to Europe.

All global economic/industrial/scientific advancement had it's roots in Europe and nowhere else.

The "apperntices" of the world were fast learners. Leaving Europe as a fast declining Empire. Amen.

Your ignorance and bigotry has no limits. Every age has its inventions and advances in technology that lay the foundation for future generations. The European contributions while valuable, form only a small layer of society's advancement. The reality is that just as the Egyptians (Africans) were once the pioneers in advanced engineering and who have now become a backward basket case, so too will Europe. Europe has not been alone in scientific and technological advancement for 150 years. It was passed long ago by the USA. And soon the USA will fall behind. That is reality.

One should not make derisive comments about Africans dancing around a fire at midnight, because it wasn't too long ago that Europeans were dancing about industrial ovens where they inciderated people. China was far more advanced than you acknowledge. It's wealth was looted and its people exploited by successive European colonial occupiers. Now, it is China that it outpacing Europe.