Mid-Atlantic accent

A Mid-Atlantic accent is specifically developed to sound neutral among American and British accents. Such accents used to be usual among the upper social classes of many cities in eastern North America, especially New York City (where it is sometimes called the "Locust Valley lockjaw" after the home of American President Franklin Roosevelt, who spoke with such an accent), Boston (where it is sometimes called a "Harvard accent" or "Boston Brahmin accent"), Philadelphia (where it is sometimes called a "Main Line accent"), and Baltimore. In fact, it formed a required segment of the education to be had at most of America's most prestigious schools until as late as 1950. In Britain, it has been most often affected by businessmen, intellectuals, and members of academia who seek or support a special Anglo-American relationship in areas of culture and commerce.