#learning accents

[bodhrancomedy]

I know there isn’t such thing as a “generic” American/Scottish/English accent in real life, but it exists onscreen.

And I can change accents! I know I can, because I can come off really English when I’m struggling to hear and talking to new people and I’ve had a lot of people assume I’m American or Canadian when I enunciate! I just don’t know how to do it??

[orchidsandtulips]

Anyone else find it easier to learn an accent when you’re learning a song that’s performed in that accent?

‘Cause if so, I think that’s a good dialect-learning tool for actors and voice actors.

Brigadoon is a good idea for learning Scottish accents, Bonnie and Clyde for Texan accents, Newsies for New York, Literally any musical that takes place in Britain for received pronunciation British, My Fair Lady for Cockney accents, Gentleman’s Guide for multiple regional British accents, Bridges of Madison County and Light in the Piazza for Italian accents, etc.

Probably not the only tool you should use, but a good starting point.

[thatoctokittenclutchinganotebook]

Does anyone have any tips for learning a Scottish accent?

I have to learn to do one for a play I am doing as part of my drama degree. I know saying “scottish accent” isn’t specific enough, but the play doesn’t actually say where in Scotland this scene takes place. As a result, I am hoping that any Scottish accent might do, so long as it is accurate somewhere in Scotland.  I’ve looked on youtube, but I haven’t had much luck. Does anyone have any advice?

[sashyenka]

To go along with my video about why Portuguese sounds like Russian to foreign ears, I responded to the comment I often get about my Portuguese accent sounding almost Russian or Slavic to Portuguese ears, digging into what accents are and what influences them in the process.

[linguisticers]

How To Do A Cockney Accent

This is a short video made to show you the tricks behind speaking with a cockney accent. Presented by Gareth Jameson an actor and voice coach. If you ever wa...

Here's a comparison of what an actual cockney accent should sound like. If only Dick Van Dyke had youtube when he was cast as Bert!

[linguisticers]

A partial list of the accents and dialects taught by leading dialogue coach Andrew Jack.

As you can see, one dialect coach can have a mastery of multiple accents. This list has over 40 different dialects! I was surprised by all of the intricacies when it comes to British accents, there are so many varieties. Although to an untrained ear, some of these might sound the same, the small differences in dialects can really help with characterization and setting the scene. For most people, when the accents are done well, you'll forget it's an accent. However, when they're done poorly, it is extremely noticeable!

[linguisticers]

World renowned dialect coach details a typical day on the movie set as a dialect coach.

Here is a typical day for Andrew Jack when he is working on a set. I thought it was interesting how he starts off the day working with the actor by just chit chatting in the given dialect. It's like the warmup an athlete will do before a competition. It probably helps the actor get into the state of mind before them are needed on camera.

The rest of the day involves Andrew working with the actor when they have any free time, practicing saying words and giving notes. He will watching the filming and give notes to the actor when needed.

He seems to be there throughout all of the acting on camera, and also works with the sound editor to help discern which takes have the best representation of the preferred dialect.

[linguisticers]

World renowned dialect coach for over 100 major films including The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, Captain America and Batman Begins, as well as theatre.

Here's a link to dialect coach, Andrew Jack's website. The next few post will be going into detail about the different sections of his website that talk about his life as a dialect coach