A Canadian aspect: mainstream singers here sound like they come from Kentucky, a million miles from their own speaking voices. I believe they're completely unaware of what they're doing - I've never heard or read any public discussion of this, so it's probably "unthinkable". I call it cultural imperialism of the worst (because unconscious) kind. I once heard a musical group in Kuala Lumpur without a word of English between them who sounded as if they were all born in Liverpool.

Jon Bartlett