Mid-Atlantic English

Mid-Atlantic English describes a version of the English language which is neither predominantly American or British in usage.

"Mid-Atlantic" attempts to use no deliberate Britishisms nor any deliberate Americanisms, so that it can be equally understandable and acceptable on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Canadian English in some ways approaches this ideal; however it is also replete with Canadianisms not readily comprehensible to either Americans or Britons.

Spelling also provides a considerable obstacle given the differences between British and American orthography; Canada, which goes predominantly with the British system, is of little guidance here. An emerging trend seems to be the use of a mixture, such as "colour" and "labor"; this appears to satisfy almost no one.

Along with the written word, there is an attempt to develop a Mid-Atlantic accent, or perhaps rather a non-accent. Here once again Canadian pronunciation, less a few well-known and distinctive Canadianisms, would seem to prove something of a guide. International media are tending to reduce the number of mutually unintelligible versions of English to some extent; this issue, if pressed too hard, will undoubtedly bring up issues of national, regional, and local pride that many feel best left undisturbed.

Mid-Atlantic English is also a name that has been given to a pronunciation of English that was formerly cultivated by actors for use in theatre, and by news announcers. This dialect was formerly used by American actors who adopted some features of British English pronunciation; it was used on stage generally—and especially in productions of Shakespeare and other pieces from the British Isles—and frequently in film until the post-World War II era. This sort of stage-British is now used much less than it formerly was; the recorded speech of Vincent Price in his more formal roles may contain an echo of its sounds, since Price was an American actor trained in England. The British expatriate Cary Grant and the Canadian Christopher Plummer have also exemplified the accent.