Meryl Streep is the queen of accents. When she portrays an Australian, she sounds like she's really from Down Under. In 'Sophie's Choice', she even managed to speak German the way a Polish person would. It's probably not surprising that she has been nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress more often than any other actress in history. If, as an actor, you're going to portray a character from the UK, you may want to show Streep's level of commitment and take some British accent lessons.
One of the main reasons for Streep's success is that she manages to make her characters sound convincing. Compare her in any film she's acted in to, for instance, Kevin Costner who portrayed Robin Hood, one of Britain's most famous heroes, while speaking like an American. Costner's career never really recovered after that while Streep can get any role she wants.
Many people make the mistake of thinking all people in Britain sound like the royal family or like the country's politicians. That posh-sounding way of speaking is indeed what is regarded as standard English pronunciation, formally called Received Pronunciation. Few people speak like that from childhood, though. Even Margaret Thatcher had to learn Received Pronunciation so that she could sound more posh.
Most English people speak in specific regional accents. There are hundreds of these. In England you may find distinct variations even in neighboring towns but especially from one county to another and between the northern and southern parts of the country.
some regional accents in England are typical of specific cities and may even have their own names. In Liverpool, for instance, people speak Scouse while in Birmingham the dialect is called Brummie and in Newcastle it's Geordie. Accents can also be typical of specific parts of a city, most famously the Cockney from the East End neighbourhood in London.
When you travel across England's borders, you'll find that in the UK, English is even more varied than you may have thought. The rolled r is generally typical of the English spoken in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. However, each of these parts of the country has a distinct character reflected in the way its inhabitants speak. Moreover, just like in England, there is often variation among towns and cities.
Once you start working on different accents, you also need to learn the vocabulary. In some parts of the USA, people will talk about 'soda' while others might say 'pop'. The situation is similar in Britain and vocabulary may differ from region to region. It's also important to learn the differences between American English and British English in terms of vocabulary.
Learning different accents mostly involve listening and imitating. A good way to do this is to go live in a region for a while, where you'll constantly be exposed to the way the locals speak. When you're studying for a part in a play or movie, though, you'll need quicker results and a dialect coach may come to your rescue.
One of the main reasons for Streep's success is that she manages to make her characters sound convincing. Compare her in any film she's acted in to, for instance, Kevin Costner who portrayed Robin Hood, one of Britain's most famous heroes, while speaking like an American. Costner's career never really recovered after that while Streep can get any role she wants.
Many people make the mistake of thinking all people in Britain sound like the royal family or like the country's politicians. That posh-sounding way of speaking is indeed what is regarded as standard English pronunciation, formally called Received Pronunciation. Few people speak like that from childhood, though. Even Margaret Thatcher had to learn Received Pronunciation so that she could sound more posh.
Most English people speak in specific regional accents. There are hundreds of these. In England you may find distinct variations even in neighboring towns but especially from one county to another and between the northern and southern parts of the country.
some regional accents in England are typical of specific cities and may even have their own names. In Liverpool, for instance, people speak Scouse while in Birmingham the dialect is called Brummie and in Newcastle it's Geordie. Accents can also be typical of specific parts of a city, most famously the Cockney from the East End neighbourhood in London.
When you travel across England's borders, you'll find that in the UK, English is even more varied than you may have thought. The rolled r is generally typical of the English spoken in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. However, each of these parts of the country has a distinct character reflected in the way its inhabitants speak. Moreover, just like in England, there is often variation among towns and cities.
Once you start working on different accents, you also need to learn the vocabulary. In some parts of the USA, people will talk about 'soda' while others might say 'pop'. The situation is similar in Britain and vocabulary may differ from region to region. It's also important to learn the differences between American English and British English in terms of vocabulary.
Learning different accents mostly involve listening and imitating. A good way to do this is to go live in a region for a while, where you'll constantly be exposed to the way the locals speak. When you're studying for a part in a play or movie, though, you'll need quicker results and a dialect coach may come to your rescue.
About the Author:
If you have an interest in taking up British accent lessons, there are many classes in your local area. The one you should join right now is available at http://www.windsor-cunningham.com.
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