Are Americans just naturally loud?

[Bloominglovely]

I’m sitting in a crowded and very large coffee shop and there are two Americans sitting nearby. Theirs is the ONLY conversation where every word they are saying is clearly audible to everyone else. Here and there, a few words float from other tables but generally there is a ‘hum’ from other tables. Their table is practically shouting in comparison.

But the thing is they are NOT shouting, they are speaking in what seems their normal voices, whether they are talking about their aspirations for their futures or the nanny they had as kids. Their entire story is being shouted out in quite an incredible way. People are looking over, they seem oblivious.

I always think English people have very penetrating voices. I don't find Americans to be much louder than English people, tbh.

Maybe it's just the ear is less attuned to unfamiliar accents and they float to the top. Accents you have yourself become background noise.

Yes possibly the accent adds to it, theirs seem to go up and down in time rather than a steady stream but they are definitely louder in volume. Much louder.

I know loud americans and I live with a quiet one and know several more quiet and loud ones. Like with anyone else it depends entirely on the person. In our house me and two guys and another girl are the loudest people and we're british. I think some people regardless of where they're from are naturally loud or a different type of loud than what we're used to.

Whenever I’ve been anywhere on holiday it’s always the Americans that are so loud.

Depends on the person as with anywhere else. We are Brits living abroad. There are lots of Americans worked in our organisation. One is loud. Some are really really quiet and others pretty much normal. We’ve had loud Brits too.

I reckon it’s because the ear isn’t used to the accent, so picks it out easily.
Where I used to work there were a few Americans and they could always be heard above the other staff. Not because they were deliberately being loud, just because it was the minority accent amount lots and lots of very local westcountry accents.

I always think in a work place, that accent always sounds very authoritative too. Not sure why though....

No, it’s just that you hear the accent through the chatter.

I live in Texas, if I meet a British friend for coffee every word we say can be heard through everyone else’s conversations because the accent is distinct.

IME Americans don’t speak more loudly than anyone else.

These two are young enough, very confident sounding and are talking (very loudly) about quite personal topics. Perhaps that is the difference? We are more private generally? More reserved?

Maybe it’s just them and they don’t realise

Thankfully they are on their way now. Other people’s voices are now wafting, a word here or there. The accents are now so much softer.

My DH is American and is loud, he is naturally enthusiastic about most things, which in turn sees the volume increase. Both his parents are hard of hearing so it's really loud when I visit.

I remember being in DC in a Starbucks and people shouting their orders from the door as they waited in the queue. I couldn't bring myself to do the same so I (very self consciously) stumbled my way to the counter to place my order. I felt very out of place and very British

There's one sat in the office next door to me and he's as quiet as a mouse. Very softly spoken.

The volume they consider to be an "inside voice" is louder. It's a cultural thing. Eastern/South Europeans do it too. And German children for some reason but not adults.

I work for an American company and spend a lot of my time working in our US offices and/or with Americans in the UK. Yes, I think the average American is relatively loud compared to Brits. I know quite a few quieter Americans who speak at what we would consider to be normal levels but I know an awful lot of Americans who don't seem to grasp the concept of "indoor voices" or if they do, they have a different view of normal volumes. In fact, my desk is next to someone like this and we all disappear to meeting rooms to take work calls as she disturbs everyone with how loudly she talks, especially on the phone, and we can't get anything done. By contrast, I don't know many Brits who talk this loudly (without the influence of alcohol).

I think many of them are.I have also lived in America and even then noticed that many of the kids ,particularly the girls had very penetrating /nasal voices .I am Irish and soft spoken which fascinated them somewhat.Many of my husbands colleagues are American and he is often on conference calls which I hear when he is doing Home Office . I can often hear the conversation clearly even when he is upstairs or if he has his headset on and we are in the same room particularly with a female colleague from Texas.It is quite fascinating also how long their vowel sounds are drawn out ie rather than saying ' bad 'they say 'baaaad' but they are definitely louder.that being said I think that it is catching on in the younger generation everywhere due to influence some much social media , Netflix etc.

Definitely!! You can always hear if an Americans on the train or tube

Oh look, another thread bashing Americans. Woohoo!

I've known a few loud, extremely brash, bragging Americans. The self-confidence has come across as arrogant and the boasting of their success has seemed unseemly.

I've also known many, many wonderful 'normal' Americans - unfortunately it is the loud ones that seem to make the most impact; they can be very irritating.

It’s a shame Lord because Americans regularly tell me how beautiful my accent is and personally I think the Texan accent is great.

People in different county are different. It’s not that surprising really.

Many Americans produce their voices in a way which uses a natural resonance that does increase voice volume without effort. In the UK we call it twang and most British people have to be taught how to do it - it's useful if you have particular types of voice disorder.

My DN is American and she has the loudest voice EVER! You hear her long before you actually see her!

It's not a conscious or arrogant thing I should add, it's just a different cultural norm. Children naturally speak at a louder volume than adults and we learn as we grow up to modulate this, but you'll only modulate it to the degree your culture dictates is "polite".

The thing is, you don't hear the soft ones because they are not loud, so you don't hear them.

Yes.

I can think of plenty of times I've been deafened by Brits who seems to think the entire carriage gives a shit about their conversation.