One result was the foundation of “General American” – the accent which came to be heard across the country throughout the northern and central regions

It was this accent which came to be represented in the dictionaries and pronunciation manuals

It is commonly used as a convenient standard of reference for the study of American speech

However, there has never been a standard accent in the United States corresponding to the supra-regional educated accent (Received Pronunciation) which came to the fore in Britain during the nineteenth century