For any actor, a good indicator of his or her skill is the ability to do different accents convincingly. Some, like Meryl Streep, are famous for this. In her movies, Streep has spoken in everything from Australian to German with a Polish accent and she's done it so well that she has received more Best Actress Oscar nominations than anybody else. Other actors haven't been so lucky and more than a few could have benefited from, for instance, some British accent lessons.
If you're studying for a role in a movie, a TV show or a play, making your character sound convincing is half the battle won. Speaking like a true Brit can make your career but getting it wrong can become a source of lifelong embarrassment. Just ask Kevin Costner, who managed to make English folk hero Robin Hood sound as if he was from across the pond.
When you learn to speak like someone from Britain, it's important to remember that there are hundreds of accents in the country. What most people think of as a British accent is actually called Received Pronunciation and it is regarded as the standard pronunciation. Some people, such as the royal family, speak like this naturally. Others, such as former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, took elocution lessons to sound more upper class.
However, just like someone from Massachusetts will sound very different from someone who is from Tennessee, Britain has a wealth of regional accents. In England alone there can be variation in how people speak in towns that are only an hour's drive apart. Someone from the south of England and someone from the north may even sound as if they're from different countries.
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.
Of course, Britain does not only consist of England. It also encompasses Wales, Scotland and Northern Island, as well as islands such as Man or Jersey. At first, many of these accents may sound similar but if you know what to listen for, you'll soon be able to tell whether someone is, for instance, from Edinburgh or from Glasgow, the two largest cities in Scotland.
When you learn the particular accent that fits the character you'll be playing, it's also important to remember that regional variations of English are about more than pronunciation. Vocabulary often differs too. A good start is to know the differences between American and British English. In the UK, for instance, a sidewalk is called a 'pavement'. Sometimes the same word has a different meaning elsewhere, for instance the word 'pants' that in the UK means underwear.
To learn how to speak in certain accents, there are different approaches you can take. Most involve listening to people and trying to imitate the way they speak. However, hiring a dialect coach will be money well spent if you're a professional actor and want the best results.
If you're studying for a role in a movie, a TV show or a play, making your character sound convincing is half the battle won. Speaking like a true Brit can make your career but getting it wrong can become a source of lifelong embarrassment. Just ask Kevin Costner, who managed to make English folk hero Robin Hood sound as if he was from across the pond.
When you learn to speak like someone from Britain, it's important to remember that there are hundreds of accents in the country. What most people think of as a British accent is actually called Received Pronunciation and it is regarded as the standard pronunciation. Some people, such as the royal family, speak like this naturally. Others, such as former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, took elocution lessons to sound more upper class.
However, just like someone from Massachusetts will sound very different from someone who is from Tennessee, Britain has a wealth of regional accents. In England alone there can be variation in how people speak in towns that are only an hour's drive apart. Someone from the south of England and someone from the north may even sound as if they're from different countries.
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.
Of course, Britain does not only consist of England. It also encompasses Wales, Scotland and Northern Island, as well as islands such as Man or Jersey. At first, many of these accents may sound similar but if you know what to listen for, you'll soon be able to tell whether someone is, for instance, from Edinburgh or from Glasgow, the two largest cities in Scotland.
When you learn the particular accent that fits the character you'll be playing, it's also important to remember that regional variations of English are about more than pronunciation. Vocabulary often differs too. A good start is to know the differences between American and British English. In the UK, for instance, a sidewalk is called a 'pavement'. Sometimes the same word has a different meaning elsewhere, for instance the word 'pants' that in the UK means underwear.
To learn how to speak in certain accents, there are different approaches you can take. Most involve listening to people and trying to imitate the way they speak. However, hiring a dialect coach will be money well spent if you're a professional actor and want the best results.
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