In the new film Gone Girl, Rosamund Pike adopts an American accent to play an American character with authenticity. How did she do it? She used an accent coach to help her learn the sounds and patterns she needed to change. In addition, she very likely spent a great deal of time practicing her new speech sounds. Did she lose her native accent? No, she still speaks British English, as you can see on her recent Today Show interview, but she can switch to speaking as an American if she desires. Check her out in the trailer for what is sure to be a popular new movie.
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You are visiting a neighbor’s house, and you compliment the art on their wall. They immediately take it down and insist that you take it as their gift to you. Are they being sincere? It can be hard to judge, and apparently, if they are speaking with an accent, it can influence what you think of their sincerity. A recent study at USC found that listening to information in accented vs. non-accented speech can affect the listener’s subsequent interpretation of events. If the listener comes from the culture of the accented speech, they are more likely to follow their native cultural trends in their reading of the situation, but if they are mono-cultural Americans, they are more likely to impose their American judgments and values when considering what they heard. Whoever your listeners may be, the clearer you can be in your speech, the better the resulting communication. Read more about the study here. Image: Myjewelrybox.com
Image: Associated Press Congratulations to the scientists and engineers whose 10-month mission to Mars has successfully put a probe in orbit around the red planet. The success of the mission is a tribute to the hard work of many in India, and an inspiration to young people there to pursue science. It is also likely to lead to increased global interest in what India has to offer for space travel and transport, as they demonstrated an ability to reach this achievement with a lower budget than has been seen before. As India, the US and other countries work together to reach the frontiers of space exploration, the ability to communicate clearly and effectively will continue to be paramount. Listen to India’s Prime Minister talk about the accomplishment (in English) here.
Ever wonder how people sound in different parts of the United States? PBS’s extensive website, “Do You Speak American?” has a wealth of information about regional variation in American English. Not only do we use different words in different parts of the country, but our accents are different. You can listen to recordings from different cities across the US here. How does your city sound compared to the others? Image credit: Robert Delaney
Why is American English so different from British English? Besides the use different vocabulary, there are specific sound differences in the accent. While there are many different accents in both countries, if we compare what is considered “standard American” with British RP (Received Pronunciation, or the British English you hear on the BBC), one of the major differences is in the pronunciation of the consonant “r.” British English leaves out the “r” sound in the middle and ends of words (“bird” sounds more like “buhd”) while the American English word includes the “r”. For a little more about the difference and when it may have started, read Matt Soniak’s article on MentalFloss. |
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