General American Accent Revisited: A Myth, a Model, or Something Else?

For actors, dialect coaches, and linguists, the term “General American Accent” has been the ultimate frenemy: both a handy shortcut and a never-ending headache.

In a 2012 post on the Thompson Speechwork website, dialect coaches Erik Singer and Phil Thompson had a lively email exchange revisiting the elusive creature many refer to as “GenAm” (or as I prefer to call it, "Generican"). They examined its true nature, and it turns out it’s a bit like Bigfoot. Plenty of people claim they’ve seen it, but does it actually exist? And what does that mean for actors tackling American roles?

A rare sighting of Generican in its native habitat

The Illusion of "General American"

For actors outside the U.S., Generican is often pitched as the “neutral” American accent—the golden ticket to Hollywood, TV, and global media (in the same way that Received Pronunciation, a.k.a. the RP accent was regarded in the United Kingdom up until recent decades) . It’s the accent every casting director supposedly expects non-American actors to master if they want to book that big U.S. gig. But as Thompson and Singer point out, this “standard” accent is about as real as a unicorn.

No one actually speaks “pure” General American because—fun fact—it doesn’t exist! Instead, it’s more of an ever-evolving, shifting ideal that sounds “neutral” depending on who’s listening and when. Over time, things once considered part of Generican (like shifting vowel sounds and whether the “r” in a word should be pronounced even if it isn't followed by a vowel sound). So many things have changed, because guess what? Accents don’t like to stay put.

The Dilemma for Actors Learning American Accents

So, what’s an international actor supposed to do when faced with this mercurial beast? If GenAm is a figment of our collective imagination, what exactly should they be trying to sound like?

An example of an accent over time

Singer and Thompson suggest that rather than chasing a mythical “neutral” accent, actors should focus on what we’ll call “vocal gymnastics”—mastering breath control, resonance, vocal posture, and the ability to switch accents faster than you can say “method acting.” This, they argue, is way more useful than trying to nail down an accent that’s constantly shifting, like a chameleon on a disco ball.

The Ethical Question

Here’s where things get tricky. Is it even ethical to teach an accent as “neutral,” when that implies all other American accents—whether Southern, New York, or African American Vernacular English (AAVE)—are somehow “less” than? It’s a bit like arguing over the “most authentic” pizza—and is pineapple a viable topping? Who gets to decide?

For actors, this isn’t just theoretical. Some casting calls still go out with “no accent” attached, but what they really mean is “please do a General American accent.” This often benefits actors who already speak in a close approximation of Generican, while actors with regional accents (from, say, Texas or Brooklyn) might be asked to “fix” their speech—reinforcing the idea that some ways of speaking are more “legitimate” than others. Spoiler alert: they’re not.

Moving Beyond "Neutral"

Instead of trying to squeeze into the ever-changing mold of GenAm, Thompson and Singer suggest a better goal: helping actors develop clarity, intelligibility, and adaptability. This means knowing how to speak for a role and being able to shift between accents like a linguistic shapeshifter, rather than chasing a phantom “neutral” accent.

For actors outside the U.S., this is a game-changer. Instead of stressing about perfecting an abstract, slippery GenAm, they can focus on building the skills to move between accents with ease. That way, they’ll be ready to tackle American roles with confidence—and maybe even a little swagger.

What do you think? Should actors still aim for what many of my KTS brethren often refer to as So-Called General American (SCGA), or is it time to stop chasing an accent that doesn’t really exist? Drop your thoughts in the comments—because if there’s one thing we know, every accent has a story to tell!