Brits (and people with a good brit accent), please come here.

Claenoic · 07-01-2002, 11:44 PM

Ok, my sister is auditioning for a part in the 3rd Harry Potter movie (horrors, I know). To the point, she needs help with her accent. I have a good accent, but we need some help. Suggestions? Tips? Chocolate cake?

***Khamûl*** · 07-02-2002, 12:11 AM

Don't people with a Cockney accent leave the h's off their words? Help becomes 'elp or something like that. But hey, I'm from Alabama, so what do I know about British accents?

emplynx · 07-02-2002, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Khamûl
But hey, I'm from Alabama, so what do I know about British accents?

I'll tell you what, West Virginia is full of British, so I have got this down pat. Wait a minute? WV? British? YEAH RIGHT!

Shadowfax · 07-02-2002, 03:00 PM

I'm definately NOT British any way (well, my great-grand parents are or something)...anyway: I DO like studying language and stuff like that, so here's what I know about Britain (or maybe I should say here's what I think I know...)

In England each region or section of the country has it's own dialect , or way of speaking; each region has its own accent! Like Khamûl said, some parts drop h's. Other parts do different thinks like pronounce vowels differently, etc.

I guess my piece of advice would be to watch a few British movies, especially Harry Potter, and try to memorize how the vowels are pronounced, if any characters drop certain letters, etc. Basically: take notes while watching H.P. and try to tak that way.

Anyone else have other ideas??

sun-star · 07-02-2002, 03:08 PM

I can't think of a way to explain the differences!

One thing is, most British people pronounce consonants more clearly: e.g. "twenty" instead of "twenny", if that makes sense. Just listening to British people talk on films or TV or whatever will help, but she might want to decide what kind of accent she wants, e.g. Cockney.

samwise of the shire · 07-02-2002, 08:42 PM

I sort of know how to speak in British accents. Actually I talk in them all the time so I might be able to help.
Here are some tips.
~Dont say your R's. R's sound like oohh or ahhh or ehh depending on if following an A or an O or an i. So "I like horses and airplanes and boys name Arnie" would sound like "I like Hohses, and ehplanes, and boys named Ahnie"
~If she's going for cultured British then say the H's and T's but if she wants Cockney, The above sentence about horses would go like this. "Oi loike 'ohses an' aiploines, an' boys named Ahnie"
~For movies I'd suggest reading My Fair Lady and listen to how Eliza says stuff in Cockney and in West Londoner. Read some Redwall books by Brian Jacques and try to talk like a mole or an eagle, listen to some of those books on tape and copy the accent. Listen to Phantom of the Opera and watch the live Jungle Book.
Gotta go and feed my mouse,
Bye,
Sam

Rána Eressëa · 07-02-2002, 11:41 PM

I can speak a very, very good British accent. Here's some tips: you have to widen the opening in your throat back behind the tongue, fill your lungs with just a little bit extra air (it helps me), and tighten the muscles in your neck (just not so much that it's visible). Drawl out the majority of your "kah" sounds with U's (for instance: don't say "ack-cent" say "auck-cent"). And when pronouncing anything with "or" in it, drawl that out too (it's best to tighen the neck muscles when doing the "or" sound).

Hope that helps!

elendili · 07-05-2002, 09:11 AM

Excuse Meeeeeeee but not all English people speak like the thickos on Coronation Street If you want to sound like a normal English person just try to talk pronouncing all the letters and not randomly missing them off like Ya'll or something like that and try not to sound like the queen coz normal Brits don't speak like that

Rána Eressëa · 07-06-2002, 08:50 AM

Well, mostly it's getting the accent - not the pronounciation.

sun-star · 07-06-2002, 09:44 AM

Also you need to avoid words and expressions that British people don't use, like 'real well' or 'airplane' (it's aeroplane in Britain). I'm sure that's obvious, but it's not as easy as it seems.

If I were you, I wouldn't go for a Cockney accent. Not many people talk like that, and it's very easy to spot when someone's faking it. The same goes for any distinctive accent - a person who really talks like that will be able to tell you're not Scottish, Irish, etc. Good luck!

Comic Book Guy · 07-06-2002, 02:30 PM

I use Airplane.

I woudn't recommend an Irish accent, seeing as it's not actually British.

Arathorn · 07-06-2002, 05:07 PM

One word where the accent is obviously different between american and british use is "Laboratory".

I think americans accent the first syllable and use a silent first "o" in the "bor" part while the british accent "bor" and use a silent "o" in "tor".

American - LABratory
British - laBORatry

samwise of the shire · 07-06-2002, 05:35 PM

Rana's right BOP it's the ACCENT not the PRONUNCIATION that Claenoic needs to worry about. And we're Americans YOU'RE British. You probably now more about it then we do. Why dont you add your two cents worth?
Sam

Renille · 07-07-2002, 01:09 PM

Claenoic, how did your sister get the chance to audition? Tell her good luck!

Anyway. All I can say about any kind of accent is PRACTICE! Alot.

Oh yes, and watch alot of Brit- sounding- movies like "My Fair Lady" "Oliver!" blah blah etc...

TinuvielChild · 07-08-2002, 03:59 PM

I have a fairly decent Brit accent, what I do is I listen to Gilbert and Sullivan operettas on CD, all the actors have Brit accents, hang around my British friends (of which I have 3) a lot, and watch movies with the British accents. All the suggestions so far I agree with, except RE's, which I don't quite understand, so I'm not going to say anything about. Good luck to your sister! If she gets the part she wants, post it on here and we can all say we know the sister of the person who's playing...whatever it is she gets, ok?

TinuvielChild · 07-08-2002, 04:02 PM

Oh, I forgot: Here's some chocolate cake, since you asked...

Liviaine · 07-09-2002, 07:38 PM

Just listen to people speak with the accent a lot. It helped me.

LuthienTinuviel · 07-09-2002, 10:42 PM

ok, here's what you do:
rent life of brian
rent holy grail
rent all the flying circus videos you can find
put your sister in a small room with a tv and vcr
have her watch them three times each
after each video, have her recite parts of the videos, (the funny parts make it easier to remember)

after a few days, instant accent

and yes, i would like some chocolate cake

Arathorn · 07-10-2002, 12:41 AM

BTW, avoid the following films, for the moment:

1. Braveheart
2. In the Name of the Father

Now, whenever I try practicing with an english accent, I seem to swing between sottish and irish...

Dwarven Sen · 07-10-2002, 08:05 AM

You people are very strange. English has many accents, but depending on the character she wishes to fufill the role of, she may only need to know one- ie the basic one. Most strong accents are found in the inner cities or middle of nowhere. Dont think about brummy, scouser, or cockney. There's just no point. They tend to turn all their vowels into nioses through the nose.
4weddings&funeral aint bad but bit posh
good luck

07-01-2002, 11:44 PM	#1
Claenoic Queen of Prolonged, Unexplained Absences Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Texas. 'Nuff said. Posts: 556	Brits (and people with a good brit accent), please come here. Ok, my sister is auditioning for a part in the 3rd Harry Potter movie (horrors, I know). To the point, she needs help with her accent. I have a good accent, but we need some help. Suggestions? Tips? Chocolate cake? __________________ Very Biased Alternate Script (but it's funny!):Click here! FREAK RAIN!!!!!!!! O.o Queen of prolonged unexplained absences and long, loooong car rides. Well, hullo everyone. As you can see, I don't hang out here muchly anymore. There's a good reason for this. Y'see, I've been hanging out at a different chatboard called Cardboardia. So far, I've been havin' a blast. Not that I don't love the TLA, but the magic of Entmoot is lost on me. So, as soon as TLA ends, so will my existance here, probably. Who knows though? I might stay. Highly unlikely however. This is a good bye in advance, then. Unless you want to join me and my group of friends at Cardboardia. Cheers!

07-02-2002, 12:11 AM	#2
*Khamûl* Slacker Warrior Admin Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,759	Don't people with a Cockney accent leave the h's off their words? Help becomes 'elp or something like that. But hey, I'm from Alabama, so what do I know about British accents? __________________ "If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you." Gandalf to Pippin Psalm 107:31

07-02-2002, 03:00 PM	#4
Shadowfax The Fleet-Footed Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: British Columbia Posts: 913	I'm definately NOT British any way (well, my great-grand parents are or something)...anyway: I DO like studying language and stuff like that, so here's what I know about Britain (or maybe I should say here's what I think I know...) In England each region or section of the country has it's own dialect , or way of speaking; each region has its own accent! Like Khamûl said, some parts drop h's. Other parts do different thinks like pronounce vowels differently, etc. I guess my piece of advice would be to watch a few British movies, especially Harry Potter, and try to memorize how the vowels are pronounced, if any characters drop certain letters, etc. Basically: take notes while watching H.P. and try to tak that way. Anyone else have other ideas?? __________________ Jesus saved me "To remain ignorant of things that happened before you were born is to remain a child" (Cicero, 106-43 B.C.) "Art is a lie which makes us realize the truth" (Picasso)

07-02-2002, 03:08 PM	#5
sun-star Lady of Letters Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England Posts: 2,476	I can't think of a way to explain the differences! One thing is, most British people pronounce consonants more clearly: e.g. "twenty" instead of "twenny", if that makes sense. Just listening to British people talk on films or TV or whatever will help, but she might want to decide what kind of accent she wants, e.g. Cockney. __________________ And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool.

07-02-2002, 08:42 PM	#6
samwise of the shire Radically Tolkienited Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: If home is where the heart is, and my heart is in heaven...that should answer your question. <+>< Posts: 967	I sort of know how to speak in British accents. Actually I talk in them all the time so I might be able to help. Here are some tips. ~Dont say your R's. R's sound like oohh or ahhh or ehh depending on if following an A or an O or an i. So "I like horses and airplanes and boys name Arnie" would sound like "I like Hohses, and ehplanes, and boys named Ahnie" ~If she's going for cultured British then say the H's and T's but if she wants Cockney, The above sentence about horses would go like this. "Oi loike 'ohses an' aiploines, an' boys named Ahnie" ~For movies I'd suggest reading My Fair Lady and listen to how Eliza says stuff in Cockney and in West Londoner. Read some Redwall books by Brian Jacques and try to talk like a mole or an eagle, listen to some of those books on tape and copy the accent. Listen to Phantom of the Opera and watch the live Jungle Book. Gotta go and feed my mouse, Bye, Sam __________________ Jesus is my all in all <><+<><+<><+<><+<><+<><+ People who are so concerned with escapism do have a name...we call them jailers. ~J.R.R Tolkien Radically Saved, Totally Tolkienited GOD... BLESS... AMERICA...

07-02-2002, 11:41 PM	#7
Rána Eressëa The Rogue Elf Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,722	I can speak a very, very good British accent. Here's some tips: you have to widen the opening in your throat back behind the tongue, fill your lungs with just a little bit extra air (it helps me), and tighten the muscles in your neck (just not so much that it's visible). Drawl out the majority of your "kah" sounds with U's (for instance: don't say "ack-cent" say "auck-cent"). And when pronouncing anything with "or" in it, drawl that out too (it's best to tighen the neck muscles when doing the "or" sound). Hope that helps!

07-05-2002, 09:11 AM	#8
elendili Elven Warrior Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: a galaxy far far away (aka Manchester) Posts: 320	Excuse Meeeeeeee but not all English people speak like the thickos on Coronation Street If you want to sound like a normal English person just try to talk pronouncing all the letters and not randomly missing them off like Ya'll or something like that and try not to sound like the queen coz normal Brits don't speak like that __________________ Dovie'andi se tovya sagain "Courage my soul, now learn to wield The weight of thine immortal shield Place on thy head thy helmet bright Ballance thy sword against the fight See where an army strong as fair With silken banners spreads the air Now if thy bee'st that thing divine In this days combat let it shine: And shew that nature wants an art To conqeur one resolved heart" Andrew Marvell

07-06-2002, 08:50 AM	#9
Rána Eressëa The Rogue Elf Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,722	Well, mostly it's getting the accent - not the pronounciation.

07-06-2002, 09:44 AM	#10
sun-star Lady of Letters Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England Posts: 2,476	Also you need to avoid words and expressions that British people don't use, like 'real well' or 'airplane' (it's aeroplane in Britain). I'm sure that's obvious, but it's not as easy as it seems. If I were you, I wouldn't go for a Cockney accent. Not many people talk like that, and it's very easy to spot when someone's faking it. The same goes for any distinctive accent - a person who really talks like that will be able to tell you're not Scottish, Irish, etc. Good luck! __________________ And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool. Last edited by sun-star : 07-06-2002 at 09:46 AM.

07-06-2002, 02:30 PM	#11
Comic Book Guy Best Ex-Administrator ever Join Date: May 2001 Location: Ireland Posts: 60,547	I use Airplane. I woudn't recommend an Irish accent, seeing as it's not actually British.

07-06-2002, 05:07 PM	#12
Arathorn Bard of Mangled Songs Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: West of Middle Earth...oh alright...Manila Posts: 2,679	One word where the accent is obviously different between american and british use is "Laboratory". I think americans accent the first syllable and use a silent first "o" in the "bor" part while the british accent "bor" and use a silent "o" in "tor". American - LABratory British - laBORatry __________________ Power attracts the corruptible. Absolute power attracts the absolutely corruptible. -Missionaria Protectiva, Frank Herbert *Accio, Ash Nazg!* Elennuru s?la lúmenn' omentielvo* (The Death Star shines on the hour of our meeting) - Darth Arathorn Put aside the ranger... Start looking for Mumakil action figures...

07-06-2002, 05:35 PM	#13
samwise of the shire Radically Tolkienited Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: If home is where the heart is, and my heart is in heaven...that should answer your question. <+>< Posts: 967	Rana's right BOP it's the ACCENT not the PRONUNCIATION that Claenoic needs to worry about. And we're Americans YOU'RE British. You probably now more about it then we do. Why dont you add your two cents worth? Sam __________________ Jesus is my all in all <><+<><+<><+<><+<><+<><+ People who are so concerned with escapism do have a name...we call them jailers. ~J.R.R Tolkien Radically Saved, Totally Tolkienited GOD... BLESS... AMERICA...

07-07-2002, 01:09 PM	#14
Renille Elven Lady of Speed-posting Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the cheese state Posts: 988	Claenoic, how did your sister get the chance to audition? Tell her good luck! Anyway. All I can say about any kind of accent is PRACTICE! Alot. Oh yes, and watch alot of Brit- sounding- movies like "My Fair Lady" "Oliver!" blah blah etc... __________________ Oh the thinks you can think! Think and wonder and dream...far and wide as you dare! When your thinks have run dry, in the blink of an eye, there's another world there... (from Seussical the Musical. Listen to it...watch it...really.)

07-08-2002, 03:59 PM	#15
TinuvielChild Padawan Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: The Barony of Carolingia Posts: 2,176	I have a fairly decent Brit accent, what I do is I listen to Gilbert and Sullivan operettas on CD, all the actors have Brit accents, hang around my British friends (of which I have 3) a lot, and watch movies with the British accents. All the suggestions so far I agree with, except RE's, which I don't quite understand, so I'm not going to say anything about. Good luck to your sister! If she gets the part she wants, post it on here and we can all say we know the sister of the person who's playing...whatever it is she gets, ok? __________________ There are only four questions of value in life: What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: ONLY LOVE. Dance as though nobody's watching. Sing as though nobody's listening. Dream as though you'll live forever. Live as though you'll die tomorrow. EIDRIORCQWSDAKLMEDDCWWTIWOATTOPWFIO and proud! FRODO LIVES!!!!!

07-08-2002, 04:02 PM	#16
TinuvielChild Padawan Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: The Barony of Carolingia Posts: 2,176	Oh, I forgot: Here's some chocolate cake, since you asked... __________________ There are only four questions of value in life: What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: ONLY LOVE. Dance as though nobody's watching. Sing as though nobody's listening. Dream as though you'll live forever. Live as though you'll die tomorrow. EIDRIORCQWSDAKLMEDDCWWTIWOATTOPWFIO and proud! FRODO LIVES!!!!!

07-09-2002, 07:38 PM	#17
Liviaine Elven Warrior Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ithilien Posts: 203	Just listen to people speak with the accent a lot. It helped me.

07-09-2002, 10:42 PM	#18
LuthienTinuviel protector of orphaned rabbits Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Kalamazoo... yes, its a real place! Posts: 1,236	ok, here's what you do: rent life of brian rent holy grail rent all the flying circus videos you can find put your sister in a small room with a tv and vcr have her watch them three times each after each video, have her recite parts of the videos, (the funny parts make it easier to remember) after a few days, instant accent and yes, i would like some chocolate cake __________________

07-10-2002, 12:41 AM	#19
Arathorn Bard of Mangled Songs Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: West of Middle Earth...oh alright...Manila Posts: 2,679	BTW, avoid the following films, for the moment: 1. Braveheart 2. In the Name of the Father Now, whenever I try practicing with an english accent, I seem to swing between sottish and irish... __________________ Power attracts the corruptible. Absolute power attracts the absolutely corruptible. -Missionaria Protectiva, Frank Herbert *Accio, Ash Nazg!* Elennuru s?la lúmenn' omentielvo* (The Death Star shines on the hour of our meeting) - Darth Arathorn Put aside the ranger... Start looking for Mumakil action figures...

07-10-2002, 08:05 AM	#20
Dwarven Sen Elven Warrior Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Edinburgh University Library Posts: 410	You people are very strange. English has many accents, but depending on the character she wishes to fufill the role of, she may only need to know one- ie the basic one. Most strong accents are found in the inner cities or middle of nowhere. Dont think about brummy, scouser, or cockney. There's just no point. They tend to turn all their vowels into nioses through the nose. 4weddings&funeral aint bad but bit posh good luck