Image credit: splatter.com, HBO An impressive range of British regional accents can be heard in the television series Game of Thrones. Many characters are portrayed with an accent that matches their upbringing and heritage. For those in the know, this adds an element of authenticity to the character and allows the viewer to make associations about them based on the way they speak. But just how accurately are accents being used? Gawker writer’s Max Read’s take? It’s a mixed bag. Read the details here.
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Regional varieties of American English are still going strong in this country, despite the homogenization of “broadcast speech” heard on the tv news. You might be interested to learn what your own biases are when it comes to labeling regional accents as “standard.” While linguists believe that every region has its own standard, there are socio-linguistic trends and preferences that make people believe one American accent is more typical than another. When you are trying to make yourself understood, your best approach is to strive for an accent that is comfortable for you, matches those with who you communicate the most, and has some of the elements used in American accent training such as slow rate and clearly pronounced consonant sounds.
Linguist Justyna Kozyra-Bober recently investigated the likelihood that the main characters in the FX hit “The Americans,” Russian-born spies living a 1980’s suburban American life, would speak with no trace of a Russian accent. (Read her article in Language Magazine.) While her conclusion was that the show’s realism is flawed by the fact that as adult emigrants, the Russians would not be capable of native proficiency in their pronunciation, we should not be discouraged by this information. Instead, it is a good reminder that the goal of accent training is not to lose one’s accent entirely, but rather to improve pronunciation for clear communication. Interestingly, the male lead, Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, who was educated in Welsh-medium schools and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. His ability to speak with a near-perfect American accent is a testament to what one would have to presume was a great dedication on his part to his American accent training. |
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