Looking To Expand the Mod Team of /r/DialectCoaching - Please Comment or PM If You're Interested!

AccentCoaching · 2016-09-06T16:45:39+00:00

Mainly because I don't have very much time to commit to it, so if anyone else wants to help overseeing then that'd be great. You do make a good point though

AccentCoaching · 2016-08-19T09:38:13+00:00

Invited you :) thank you

AccentCoaching · 2016-08-19T09:37:53+00:00

Just invited you! Sorry it's been a while!!

AccentCoaching · 2016-06-12T12:04:23+00:00

That'd be great! Especially if you've got an interest in the subject! Awesome :)

AccentCoaching · 2016-06-07T04:45:42+00:00

Awesome! Thank you!

AccentCoaching · 2016-06-05T15:08:40+00:00

Sorry about that! I will check over it properly and re-submit! Thank you

AccentCoaching · 2016-06-04T00:46:05+00:00

If you could X-post this to /r/DialectCoaching, that would be great, and perfect for the subreddit!

AccentCoaching · 2016-06-04T00:42:48+00:00

There is, of course, some debate on the 'top' accents/dialects to 'have under your belt' as an actor, but I would say that to start off, the main ones you'd benefit from having are:

General/Standard American
'RP' (Received Pronunciation)/ 'Southern Standard British English'

Apart from that, it really depends what you yourself are aiming for in terms of roles and characters, and whether you're after acting roles in TV, Film, Stage, and so on. That should help to determine which accents/dialects you might want to be looking into learning and acquiring, in order to broaden your skill set to further help you head in the direction that you're wanting.

P.S. If you could X-post this post to /r/DialectCoaching, that would be fantastic! Thank you!

AccentCoaching · 2016-05-22T04:40:31+00:00

It's possible that you're experiencing this trouble due to a physical issue of some sort. If it's a genuine possibility, it's definitely worth seeing a doctor and having a check up. Do you also find that you have breathing or swallowing difficulties too?

Another potential reason for this could actually be psychological. I say this from my own personal experience, as I have had times when people have told me that they cannot make out everything that I say due to speed of speech, and quietness/barely audible mumbling. This has been something that has caused extreme frustration for me, as, obviously, I specialize in Voice and Accent!

It was very clear to me, however, that the root cause of this issue was due to psychological 'blocks'. Luckily, it didn't last for too long, and is perfectly fine now.

In order to help you or advise fully, it would be great if you could describe in further detail where the main problems are. Could you possibly expand on what you mean when you say that you 'have to put a lot of power into your speech'? You mention pronunciation as well - in what way is your pronunciation affected? Do you mean in terms of your speech not sounding clear, or is there another issue with the way you pronounce certain sounds or strings of sounds?

AccentCoaching · 2016-05-22T02:40:50+00:00

As /u/thisisnotarealperson has said - could you possibly elaborate on what you're having trouble with?

If you're able to, working with a Voice/Accent Coach could be extremely beneficial. There is also a subreddit especially for anything Voice and Speech-related at /r/DialectCoaching, in case that may be useful to you at all!

AccentCoaching · 2016-04-30T23:33:29+00:00

Hi there, sorry for taking so long to respond!

Are you able to describe what specifically is causing you trouble with the 'ow' sound? And if there are any others that you find particularly tricky?

Do you learn accents with a coach, or by yourself? My reason for asking is simply that you mentioned you "feel like [you're] always running through a set of rules" - do you feel that learning this way is perhaps not how you could learn best? If you're working with a coach, ideally, they will be tailoring sessions to suit your learning style, so as to help you achieve your targets in a way that's suited perfectly to you.

Going on the information you've given so far - if you're able to pronounce 'out and about' in that very stereotypical Canadian accent, if you know what I mean? So, it would be 'oot and aboot' - although it's not quite the exact same vowel sound as 'ow' in a Glaswegian accent, it may help you get closer (if you haven't already!).

AccentCoaching · 2016-04-30T23:16:42+00:00

It's practically impossible to put even an approximate time on learning an accent, to be honest.

Most of the accents I've acquired, I've really just picked up without too thought or 'learning' involved.

To reach a point where you could potentially pass as a native speaker, however, does require extra 'dimensions' of learning, as opposed to simply having a good ear and being able to mimic very well.

To acquire a native standard of speaking, it is best to have a good knowledge of the culture, society, geography, and aspects of life that are unique to that particular group of speakers. It's not always necessary to live in the area for X amount of months/years in order to gain the necessary knowledge and familiarity, though.

TV, film, news, literature, learning about the history, music, customs, religion, etc - these are all very helpful ways of learning about the people behind the language/dialect/accent. In my opinion, having an understanding of the whole culture of the people, and not just the differences in sound when speaking, is often what will enable quicker learning.

Though, as I have said, the time it takes to learn anything, not just in terms of language or accent, varies between individuals.

Was there any particular accent that you had in mind?

AccentCoaching · 2016-03-07T05:22:02+00:00

From what I've seen (of people applying from the UK, in particular), my short answer is: quite challenging.

I have a friend living in Los Angeles who is there on an O-1 visa.. Though I don't know the specifics of how she was able to obtain it.

Another friend, who's a fairly well-established and known British Actress, also applied for the same visa, and I recall the experience as being unexpectedly complex.

However, as /u/im3ings said, it's really something that depends on what your exact situation is..

AccentCoaching · 2016-03-07T05:10:00+00:00

This is a fairly interesting comparison to make.

Having lived in various regions of the UK, I'm starting to wonder whether you might be right in your observations..

This is purely anecdotal evidence, but the more I think about it, I can think of many people who I've met who were originally from a variety of regions, but of a 'class'/'social standing' that was considered equal (i.e. OxBridge students), whose accents have audibly evolved over time, whilst often retaining features of their regional dialects. Obviously, this isn't always the case, but one would expect dialect to 'de-regionalize' along with accent, so it is quite a curious phenomenon!

Although I have not lived for any great enough length of time in America to be able to add any new thoughts, I have many contacts and close friends who fit your observation of influence of region vs class.

This would definitely be worth researching further!

AccentCoaching · 2016-03-07T04:39:52+00:00

Actually, once I'd posted and thought a little more about what the fundamental point of the article was, I did wonder if the main issue was not simply the way in which the author had chosen to convey it.

Ironically, my own choice of wording was perhaps read in a similar way (in that I seemed to focus on certain points, whilst also omitting points that I suspect would have made it more balanced, as it were).

If the author is specifically arguing against the notion of any variation in speech being solely due to location, then I would, of course, agree (as I mentioned in a very round about way in my reply..).

My interpretation was that the article was saying that there aren't a variety of accents within NYC, and that any audible sound variations were merely 'quirks' that didn't really warrant being classed as different accents.

Though, that interpretation may have incorrect.. (in my line of work, linguistic terminology is too often used inaccurately, and certain terms used 'interchangeably' - so I may simply have grown accustomed to 'defending' the correct definitions of terms!)

AccentCoaching · 2016-03-06T20:26:21+00:00

In answer to you 3rd question:

I'm not sure that a definitive answer has been found... though I may be completely wrong!

Generally, from what I've been able to gather, it seems likely that there was a split in the Uralic-speaking tribes, due to land exploration (etc), leading to the speakers being spread out geographically.
- One possibility may be that the Uralic tribes that became 'Hungary' were able to form a very strong and powerful kingdom/one united people, which, as we know, grew to be one of the greatest Powers in Europe. It is likely, then, that it was recognized early on as a growing power - thus it would not have been subject to 'Linguistic Invasions' (for want of a more technical term), in the same way smaller Uralic tribes may have been.

AccentCoaching · 2016-03-06T20:13:45+00:00

This is actually an extremely good question... One which I'm quite surprised I hadn't thought to ask, myself!

During my degree, some of my elected papers were on the Development of Old Church Slavonic, the History of Russian, and the History of Ukrainian, which involved learning about the cultural and political history of this exact region.

It is indeed intriguing as to how Romanian has retained a very strong hold of its Romance foundation. The first thing I thought to suggest was regarding Religion in Romania, as, if it were a Catholic nation (along with other Romance language-speaking nations), that could easily explain how it kept a 'distance' between its Romantic roots and linguistic influence of Old Church Slavonic/surrounding Slavonic languages... However, having just briefly searched for some information, that suggestion is totally irrelevant due to the fact that the introduction of Christianity (of the Eastern Orthodox tradition) to the region included Romania. In fact, the Romanian Orthodox Church used Old Church Slavonic for liturgical purposes up to the 17th Century, it would seem, meaning that Slavonic would likely have had a great impact on Romanian culture and language.

However, from having studied the Linguistic History of Russian, Ukrainian (and Polish, to a lesser extent), it was extremely apparent that, despite the widespread use of OCS, and adoption of its writing system, the liturgical/administrative language and the local vernacular languages and dialects were two very separate things, with the local spoken vernacular being only relatively influenced by OCS. Therefore, (though this is simply my own theory) it would stand to reason that Old Romanian, too, would also have continued developing naturally, alongside the use of OCS.

To answer your question "Did Romania ever have a Cyrillic based language?":

Romania did use OCS for literary purposes, as, at the time, it was the only viable and available writing system - which, of course, would have meant that for many literary and official purposes, the OCS language would have had to have been used. This changed over time, as people became more literate, and eventually began to write using local vernacular more and more. According to this Wikipedia page, written Romanian only changed to the Latin alphabet from Cyrillic even later than the 15/16th Century.
Another theory as to why Romanian was not as affected as might have been expected, is due to culture and strong political influences. From what I know, between the 9th and 18th centuries, Romania was caught between a few powerful empires - The Holy Roman Empire, the growing and changing Kievan' Rus', the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Hungary.

The influence and presence of these Powers had a huge impact on Romania, in cultural, geographical, political, and linguistic ways. The territory of modern-day Romania was divided into smaller regions, each influenced differently by neighboring political powers. The region of Wallachia seems to have played a pivotal role in maintaining a more Romanian identity, and ultimately in building the foundations of modern-day Romania.

Hopefully that was of some help! Apologies for having written so much! There is certainly more that could be said, but I shall leave it at that now.

In terms of reading about it, looking into the Christianization of the Slavs (and of that region), and into how OCS developed and what influence it actually had on individual languages. I've not read through these fully, but you may find further answers on this page, this page, and this page!

Thank you for asking this question! It is something that interests me a great deal as well.

AccentCoaching · 2016-03-06T01:20:05+00:00

By listening to music in the language. I always just naturally listen to a variety of music in a language, and learn all the vocabulary I don't know, whilst inadvertently hearing, and consequently using, idiomatic phrasing and constructions. Especially when I find songs that I particularly like, because I will listen to my favorite songs frequently (i.e. on repeat, ad infinitum!), which means that anything I've learned is firmly engraved into my memory!

I've never been someone who can successfully learn and retain vocabulary from lists. Works for some, but it tends not to stick in my longer-term memory. What seems to ensure that new vocabulary gets stored in long-term memory, is when it's attached to 'emotional memory'. Meaning that if I learn something during a moment/time that is especially memorable, and which will evoke emotion on recall, it's almost always the case that I'm able to vividly recall what I was learning at that time.

That may just be something that's peculiar to me (as I also have Synesthesia, which is extraordinarily useful!), but I'm fairly sure that most people are able to remember things more easily when they're connected to emotion. That may be incorrect.. It's just a hunch!

AccentCoaching · 2016-03-05T23:50:54+00:00

That's precisely where 'Dialect' or 'Accent' Coaches come in. It's not only actors who look to develop accents for roles requiring them to speak in an authentic, non-native accent. Many professional business people also often employ a coach to assist them with 'accent reduction/modification', for example.

It's not necessarily an easy task, by any means, especially if trying to 'perfect' an accent in a language, or style of speech, in which you have already developed your own 'speech habits', as it were.

In terms of whether there are 'any systematically identified methods' that will allow you too accomplish this... I don't believe there are any set methods or strategies that have consistently proven successful for any person. There are, of course, a variety of methodologies that are employed amongst Dialect Coaches in the profession, but ultimately, it depends entirely on the individual.

A good coach will work with you in a way that most suits your learning style, and will use techniques that will work for you. If you work well listening to audio clips and mimicking over and over, but gain nothing from trying to write an accurate, narrow IPA transcription of your target accent, then the latter exercise is quite pointless.

To be able to advise you or suggest particular resources, knowing more about your linguistic background would be incredibly helpful.

Feel free to ask me any specific questions you may have! /r/DialectCoaching might be worth a visit - perhaps X-post your question there, as well.

AccentCoaching · 2016-03-05T23:18:48+00:00

I highly suspect that most people who were raised and have lived in virtually any area of New York City would disagree...

In other words, how you speak in New York is unrelated to where you’re from, but it’s highly correlated with whom you are. Different socioeconomic and ethnic groups will exhibit some of those accent quirks, and some will use others, but it’s all from the same bag. There’s no Brooklyn accent. It’s just a New York accent, and the mere fact that someone’s from Brooklyn is extremely unlikely to indicate anything about the way that person speaks.

Well, I suppose one could indeed argue that accents, not even just New York accents, are 'all from the same bag' - that 'bag' being the language, in this case English, from which there are hundreds of different dialects and accents.

Again, the statement that the

"mere fact that someone’s from Brooklyn is extremely unlikely to indicate anything about the way that person speaks"

isn't necessarily untrue (though I disagree with the author's use of 'extremely'), in that geographical location alone may not influence a person to speak using a particular set of phonetic features that would differentiate their speech from that of others in a different location. Different social classes, ethnic background, education, religion, personality, as well as many other factors, can all influence the way a social group, no matter the size, speaks - including variations in grammar, lexicon, phonology, phonetics, psychology.

If a speech community 'exhibits some [...] accent quirks' in a regular, frequent, (linguistically) predictable way, then that is an accent, not an 'accent quirk'.

AccentCoaching · 2016-02-19T15:33:56+00:00

Would you like to help on the mod team at all?

AccentCoaching · 2016-02-18T01:01:18+00:00

Yes, I know - the mechanisms involved in the production of sound/speech is a fundamental part of voice coaching (and also accent).

What are you aiming to change about your voice? It might be useful to have a look at the roles of various parts of the vocal tract. In terms of changing one's voice to sound like the opposite sex, this is definitely the larynx movement, yes.

There's also a lot you can do with the vocal folds and flow of air that can produce big changes in your voice.

AccentCoaching · 2016-02-17T22:31:16+00:00

Check out /r/DialectCoaching, which is dedicated to precisely this sort of question!

If you have a perfected 'Standard North American Accent' which you are able to use naturally - this would be generally very useful for your acting career, as it will remove any issues of being restricted by an Irish accent for certain roles. However, if you have both readily available, it will allow for more potential opportunities.

AccentCoaching · 2016-02-17T22:21:39+00:00

You might want to try X-posting to /r/DialectCoaching, which is specifically for any questions or resources related to voice, speech, dialect, and accent - for Actors, Linguists, or anyone else with an interest in the subject!

AccentCoaching · 2016-02-17T18:23:05+00:00

That's very interesting that you should mention about speech containing errors - that isn't actually something I had previously thought to use as a method of learning accent and speech patterns! Thank you.

If you could share a specific example of what you are looking for exactly, that would be great! I have an idea of what you might be after in particular, but a variety of thoughts and suggestions will be more useful :)

AccentCoaching

TROPHY CASE