Anyone who has ever watched an old black and white movie has probably noticed the strangely cultured accent that the actors affect. I know that this was something that was taught to actors during that period (maybe for purposes of proper diction?), but where does it come from? How was this accented way of speaking developed? Is it something that was supposed to make Americans sound more refined? Did people start doing it ironically to mock the British, and it just stuck somehow?
hi! there's lots of room for more info on the origins of this accent, but you'll find a few posts to get you started in the FAQ; they do talk a bit about why it was used (tl;dr: clarity, ease of being understood by both American & UK audiences)
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