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Post by marie on Nov 23, 2008 5:36:48 GMT
Hello everyone.
What, in your opinion, is the best English speaking accent?
I was having this discussion with my husband today. He told me he is fond of the way Dr Alice Roberts (Coast; Don't Die Young) speaks, and I told him, I am fond of the way Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion; The Root of all Evils) speaks.
As I understand it, Received Pronunication is standardised British accent sans regional and colloquial influences. So, is my husband and me correct in thinking Alice Roberts speaks RP English, and Richard Dawkins (he speaks with an Oxford accent, right?) doesn't?
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Post by Dave M on Nov 23, 2008 7:55:43 GMT
A difficult question, marie: "best" for whom?
If I'm to listen to someone, I judge more by the clarity of their diction and the timbre of their voice than the actual accent. My preferences seem to align with those of the people who cast actors for "voice-overs": John Hannah (distinctly Scottish, but crisp and sensitive) and Michael Gambon (slightly southwestern(?), but rich and confidently mysterious), for example. The "proper" accents of BBC announcers in the '30s, '40s and '50s are nowadays risible.
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Post by Twoddle on Nov 23, 2008 11:08:21 GMT
I miss a fair amount of Dr Alice Roberts's speech, because I'm concentrating too much on her accent and trying to work out where it originated; it's certainly not what I'd perceive as RP. Dawkins has a clear and precise accent, without sounding upper-crust-daft like the royals, and it's very easy to listen to him (unless you're annoyed by his views, of course). Someone who's derided regularly for his manner of speech, but to whose accurate and delightful pronunciation I could listen for hours, is Brian Sewell. (By the way, I couldn't quite get the hang of "So, is my husband and me correct in thinking ... .)
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Post by Verbivore on Nov 23, 2008 12:51:22 GMT
Twod: Thanks for the link to Brian Sewell. I had never heard of him (probably that Antipodean cultural deprivation again!), but was highly amused by some of the writings and voice recordings on his ste.
I particularly liked "The ladies of the harem cast lascivious eyes on whole cucumbers; they could only have them sliced" -- not all that funny in print, but hilarious when spoken by Sewell. ;D
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Post by Sue M-V on Nov 23, 2008 17:31:00 GMT
Dr Alice Roberts doesn't speak RP. Like Twoddle, I've been puzzling over what regional accent she has - I know she's spent a lot of time in Wales, but I don't know whether she was born there. Michael Gambon, whose voice I also love, is Irish! You don't notice this much, though, as he leans towards RP. Juliet Stevenson has a lovely voice, and speaks RP naturally, although she does all sorts of accents in films. One of the most typical RP speakers I can think of is Joanna Lumley.
I tend to prefer northern accents (for personal reasons!). I like Bernard Hill's accent, although it's rather mild. I also like most Scottish accents and southern Irish, as well as southern Welsh.
As for what is the best accent, that is not a valid question! It's like asking "what is the best colour?"
I recommend my students to acquire a "mid-Atlantic" accent, as it is probably the most useful for foreigners! British (RP) consonants tend to be clearer, and American vowel sounds are fewer and therefore easier to say.
Sue
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Post by marie on Nov 23, 2008 18:37:15 GMT
>So, is my husband and me correct in thinking... >So, is me and my husband correct in thinking... >So, are my husband and me correct in thinking...
So, how should the sentence be correctly constructed? What I wrote, it sounds awkward, but is it still grammatically correct? I feel stupid...
Twoddle, I knew someone would pick up on this. I was unsure about it when I wrote it myself. Can you please offer some suggestions?
I like the way Brian Sewell speaks as well, and people shouldn't ridicule him for the way he speaks.
Sue, when I was growing up in France and learning English, I was taught to try to imitate British English, and American English was regarded as an inferior variety of English.
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Post by Dave M on Nov 23, 2008 20:15:37 GMT
Marie
(1) Your husband and you are TWO people, so the verb must be "are" rather than "is".
(2) Would you say "am I correct" or "am me correct"? You'd say "I", because it's the subject of the verb.
So, putting the two together, you get: are my husband and I correct ...
(Vv: you missed something wonderful, in not seeing Brian Sewell's "Grand Tour". Wondrous pronunciation; scornful artistic critique; filthy inuendo; AND his oldish Mercedes!)
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Post by marie on Nov 23, 2008 20:20:04 GMT
Thanks Dave.
I feel a little embarrassed.
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Post by Twoddle on Nov 23, 2008 23:23:23 GMT
Thanks Dave. I feel a little embarrassed. Sorry, Marie; I didn't intend to embarrass you, and I can assure you that your English is at a much higher standard than my French is!
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Post by Twoddle on Nov 23, 2008 23:58:00 GMT
Dave M,
I agree wholeheartedly about Sewell's "Grand Tour". It was a superb series, and I may suggest that someone buys it for me as a Christmas present.
Sewell is so outrageously and unashamedly camp, he makes Barry look macho. (No offence intended to Barry.)
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Post by Verbivore on Nov 24, 2008 0:12:02 GMT
[...] (Vv: you missed something wonderful, in not seeing Brian Sewell's "Grand Tour". Wondrous pronunciation; scornful artistic critique; filthy inuendo; AND his oldish Mercedes!) Ahh - he must be a good bloke, then! ;D ;D Shall see if I can find "Grand Tour" on DVD -- locally. Postage of such items from the UK (where it does seem to be readily available) can double the cost.
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Post by Trevor on Nov 24, 2008 11:05:26 GMT
As for what is the best accent, that is not a valid question! It's like asking "what is the best colour?" Sue Orange, surely.
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alexknibb
Silver
"I have never fallen in love. I've stepped in it a few times..."
Posts: 194
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Post by alexknibb on Nov 24, 2008 12:50:32 GMT
As for what is the best accent, that is not a valid question! It's like asking "what is the best colour?" Sue Orange, surely. Um, clearly the best colour is Pantone 3272 C. I have a mug in that colour and I think you'll find it's vastly superior to boring ol' orange.
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Post by Trevor on Nov 24, 2008 13:32:21 GMT
Um, clearly the best colour is Pantone 3272 C. I have a mug in that colour and I think you'll find it's vastly superior to boring ol' orange. No, no, no. Pantone 3272 C is something of a confused colour, which can't decide if it's blue or green. Pantone 021C wins hands down.
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alexknibb
Silver
"I have never fallen in love. I've stepped in it a few times..."
Posts: 194
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Post by alexknibb on Nov 24, 2008 13:41:08 GMT
Um, clearly the best colour is Pantone 3272 C. I have a mug in that colour and I think you'll find it's vastly superior to boring ol' orange. No, no, no. Pantone 3272 C is something of a confused colour, which can't decide if it's blue or green. And it's that chromatic vacillation that makes it so enchanting! It has a wonderful ambiguity about it that brings to mind a young Bowie...
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