People who refer to a British accent.
Let me point out that England, Scotland and Wales are all in Britain.

Someone from Glasgow does not have the same accent as someone from Guildford or Cardiff.
( Mrs Entity is in hiding., Sat 20 Mar 2010, 14:19, 9 replies)

Well then...
that depends on how you are using the term. It can be used as an encompassing term, following a logic similar to Geordies are northerners, northerners are English, the English are British etc. cf A European car, a British company, a North American etc...

An indeed the term is sometimes used in this sense, not to refer to a specific accent but to refer to a group of accents.
( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Sat 20 Mar 2010, 14:27, closed)

But rather a lot of people use
when they mean to say a southern English accent.

I guess though it's similar to saying an American accent when they too differ across the country.
( Mrs Entity is in hiding., Sat 20 Mar 2010, 14:34, closed)

Yes
To Americans we probably all sound the same, just like most Amercans sound the same to me. Mind, I get confused enough between Irish and Scottish myself.
(Cloudane, Sat 20 Mar 2010, 18:59, closed)

no it can't be used as an encompassing term
There is just no such thing as a British accent. The difference between, say, a Californian and Bostonian accent and between Essex and Glaswegian is incomparable. It drives me up the wall, every time.
(jennymnemonic, Sun 21 Mar 2010, 12:14, closed)

and...
Brummie is incomparable to Geordie, yet using English as an encompassing term is somehow valid?

Of course it's an encompassing term, English, Scottish and Welsh are all subsets of it.

Just like Coal mining and Whisky are/were both subsets of British industry.
( Slippery Mick ‏, Sun 21 Mar 2010, 23:37, closed)

well what about american accents?
There's new england, yankee, southern, texan, californian, midwestern, bostonian, etc. I used the term in my qotw topic because that's what I meant. I know Gerard Butler has a Scottish accent not a british one. But I couldn't tell you where Patrick Stewart' accent is from. I know it's not Irish, Welsh, or Scottish, so it's British to me. But I can pick out a geordie accent :)
(CactusZack Shaved his coin purse on, Sat 20 Mar 2010, 18:39, closed)

I think it's the confusion
between British and English. He has and English accent, which I accept covers many variations.
( Mrs Entity is in hiding., Sat 20 Mar 2010, 18:47, closed)

but
On a school trip to Ireland and the UK, I was told by many many people, we are all British not English, but as I type this I realize the ignorance. Like a kick to the head. Forgive me! Please?!????
(CactusZack Shaved his coin purse on, Sat 20 Mar 2010, 23:34, closed)

This annoys me a wee bit too.
When people talk about "Britishness" they really mean anything from around London.

My mum and dad's friend was recently stopped at customs in 'merka for passport fraud or some such lark. He had a Scottish accent which they decided was not at all stereotypically British, but German, therefore he had a fake British passport. I think he had a few well chosen words and they relinquished.
( vix0r was not Matthew on, Wed 24 Mar 2010, 20:59, closed)