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.
What many people think of as a British accent is only one of many different ways in which the people of Britain may speak. It's known as Received Pronunciation and is often associated with the upper classes and being posh. The members of Britain's royal family normally speak this way and people in positions of power, such as the country's prime minsters, have often learned Received Pronunciation by taking elocution lessons.
Not every character from Britain that you might portray will be from the upper classes. Instead, you may play a Scottish highlander or a Welsh coal miner. Only in England there are hundreds of ways to pronounce a word and the way that you do it can tell people whether you're from Yorkshire, Cornwall or Northumberland, for instance.
Many English people speak in accents that are specific to the cities where they're from. John Lennon, for instance, spoke the Scouse of Liverpool, while Ozzy Osbourne's Brummie pronunciation tells you that he's from Birmingham. However, even in the same city there may be variation. This is especially true of London, where some of the accents include Cockney, North London and South 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.
What many people think of as a British accent is only one of many different ways in which the people of Britain may speak. It's known as Received Pronunciation and is often associated with the upper classes and being posh. The members of Britain's royal family normally speak this way and people in positions of power, such as the country's prime minsters, have often learned Received Pronunciation by taking elocution lessons.
Not every character from Britain that you might portray will be from the upper classes. Instead, you may play a Scottish highlander or a Welsh coal miner. Only in England there are hundreds of ways to pronounce a word and the way that you do it can tell people whether you're from Yorkshire, Cornwall or Northumberland, for instance.
Many English people speak in accents that are specific to the cities where they're from. John Lennon, for instance, spoke the Scouse of Liverpool, while Ozzy Osbourne's Brummie pronunciation tells you that he's from Birmingham. However, even in the same city there may be variation. This is especially true of London, where some of the accents include Cockney, North London and South 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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