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Why, why, why, why, why, oh why?: Accents

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    I was wondering - accents seem to have such a powerful effect on us. I mean, if a specific person says the exact same sentence in an American accent and then a British accent, most people would swoon all over the British one regardless of the content. People's reaction may differ, say, some may prefer the American to the British, but it has proven itself time and time again that accents make an enormous difference.

    A while ago I heard a mother and daughter fighting on the street in English, and I felt sort of bad for them, but then when I detected their British accent, it was just.. pleasant! I could listen to them shouting all day!

    Now, this can't just be a matter of intonation - it's not just a physical reaction to the way a person pronounces their Rs right?
    Do you think it's a psychological thing? That I for instance associate British with "wonderful", so hearing the accent makes me tingly all over? Or maybe it's a social thing - that people are used to feeling a certain way when hearing a French or Italian accent, as opposed to say German, because that's what's socially acceptable?
    • CommentAuthorwudy
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2010
     
    Hum...I think it is both because I think psychological and social issues are flow from each other. People hear a Southern American accent and the person is slow because they speak slow. French is the language of love and women melt at hearing it. Those are stereotypical. I associate the coast of Louisiana with a lot of good memories so when I hear someone with that specific accent, I have to smile; I cannot help it. A know someone who is an Iranian immigrant and I tell you, he speaks and I do in fact go weak in the knee. His accent is just something else. Is it because I adore him or do I adore him because of his accent? And thinking about British, not only are there regonial accents, but class accents too.
  3.  
    And thinking about British, not only are there regonial accents, but class accents too.

    That's the point for me. Why do I understand, say, Queen Elizabeth faaaaaar better than, hmmm, that long-haired comedian...Russell Brand?

    Why do I understand Stephen Fry better than Hugh Laurie?

    And despite the fact that I prefer British accent to American one, why do I understand Bing Crosby better than David Bowie? (I saw a '70s video where they met and talked before singing "Little drummer boy" together).
    • CommentAuthorlynthingy
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2010 edited
     
    We had a neighbor, Mr. Fox, who moved here with this 3rd trophy (blond bombshell) wife and two beautiful little boys. He was a consultant, probably about 60, with a fabulous Oxford English accent. He told me, slyly, that people here thought he was about 40 IQ points smarter, just because of his accent. I am sure he was correct, but his wife ended up leaving him (accompanied by her two beautiful little boys) so I guess he is on to find #4 with his charming Oxford English accent in tow.

    I have an indistinct accent - no regional tell tale signs, unless I get pulled over for a traffic violation by one of our Texas police. I definitely develop a slight Texas drawl and my kids get a big kick out of it.

    I bought Stephen Fry's audio book, Fry's English delight - I could listen to him read the phone book - such a fantastic voice! I LOVE how Hugh Laurie has picked up on the Midwestern American accent, though - I am sure he is much more difficult to understand because he mumbles and he has a funny way to say "s" - almost a lisp but not quite. He can whisper in my ear anytime in any accent he chooses! :rainbow:

    Kudos to him, too, for being nominated for yet ANOTHER Emmy Award!
    • CommentAuthormrsthing
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2010
     
    Stephen enunciates every syllable of every word he speaks; Hugh has a tendency to drop his voice a lot. Hugh's American accent doesn't sound midwestern to me, but he certainly doesn't sound like he's from New Jersey, either.

    David Bowie and Elton John distort vowels when they sign. I can hardly understand either one of them.

    According to some site online, I have no accent. They pegged me as being from the midwest somewhere, but they sound like they have accents to me.

    John or Stephen could read the phone book to me. I'm sure both of them would make it very entertaining.

    When I was a kid, we used to think that people with English accents were snobs. Then the Beatles and the Stones came along, and British characters in some American sitcoms, and suddenly we Americans were greeting every British person with, "Pip-pip, cheerio, and all that rot!" :shamed::shamed::shamed::shamed::shamed:

    On behalf of the entire United States, I apologize to the Brits.
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2010 edited
     
    It's an interesting concept, and I'm not sure I have a viable theory for it, but there are some similarities between the Aussie accent and certain English accents (Cad - insert your opinion here) sound quite similar, I'm thinking perhaps Liverpool or Glasgow and Australians?

    Canadians are Americans, by definition (except they're not Satan's Spawn, like us US-Americans), but their accents are subtle, yet funny (to us, at least). They say "aboot" for "about".

    Oh, and I was wondering why I can always tell a "Shakespearian Actor" and came to the same conclusion that mrsthing did - They take the time to fully enunciate each syllable when they speak. We Americans are generally in too big of a hurry to bother - if we can get the point across with grunts and gestures, close enough.

    But more interesting, is that sometimes the same accent is sexier in one of the genders than the other. Russian women's accent, for example, is *very* sexy, but Russian men's accent, not so much.

    Others' opinions?
    •  
      CommentAuthorenglishcad
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2010
     
    Yes unless your English you will have a funny accent. Try not to let it hold you back though. You can't help being Johnny foreigners, live and let live is Cads motto ( actually it's take advantage of the vulnerable) repeat after Cad 'the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain'
  8.  
    "La rana is Spagna gracida in campagna"
  9.  
    I think I've made one of my usual mistakes today...

    It's not "I understand Fry better than Laurie", it's "I understand Fry better than I understand Laurie", and the same for the Queen and Russel Brand and for Crosby and Bowie...I can't help it, I'm a Johnny foreigner and the accent is the last of my problems.

    BTW, thank you Mrs T, for your explanation. Stephen has such a wonderful voice! Aww :heartbounce: (I know he's gay, nonetheless: :heartsabove:)
    • CommentAuthorzelda
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2010
     
    The women of the forum could change him, well at least try.:tooth::tooth::tooth: They say it can't be done, but we are virtual.:thumbup:
  11.  
    LMAO. Well, at least we could try to make him laugh. I follow him on Twitter but I've never tweeted him (uhm...maybe once..I was drunk). :tooth:
    • CommentAuthormrsthing
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    Vale: I lust after Stephen, too. Why not? He's wonderful! Better than lusting after Russell Brand.

    Zelda: He's pretty decidedly gay, though he has had women, and enjoyed the experience some.

    Russian women's accent, for example, is *very* sexy, but Russian men's accent, not so much.
    Try telling that to Wanda Gershwitz!
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    Instant poll question, women only: Who here thinks Russian men's accent is as sexy as Australian men's accent?
  14.  
    I got to know a lady from Georgia on another forum, who happened to visit New England and told me I definitely had an accent. Not quite Bostonian (I'm in Connecticut) but obviously Eastern, while her southern drawl, while distinct to me, was normal.
    Funny part is, now I can't *read* her posts without *hearing* them in her accent.
    • CommentAuthorzelda
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    Aw, sugar, what a sweet thang you are!
    Atlanta girl!
  16.  
    Israel is pretty overpopulated with Russians, that normally insist on speaking their own language instead of Hebrew, so their accents are usually pretty strong. So I don't view either sex's accent as appealing - I think that once it stops being exotic, it loses its appeal. Australian is super sexy.
    I don't have an accent in Hebrew, but in English it's pretty straight-forward American (California-prone), with a hint of something-not-quite-right :) Personally, I hate it, but it's better than having an Israeli one, which always sounds so very ignorant to me (and practically indistinguishable from Arab to foreigners..).

    I think I love every type of British accent there is. Posh, cockney, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Liverpoolian - and everything in between - they all make me melt to a little puddle of joy.
    • CommentAuthorwudy
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    Spanish beats Russian, Austrailian, French or British.
  18.  
    Spanish comes in second after British :)
    • CommentAuthormrsthing
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010 edited
     
    I don't think the Australian accent is sexy. Cute, funny, appealing--certainly on the way to sexy, and if a guy has all the other attributes I like, the accent would be icing on the cake. But not sexy in and of itself.

    I like British, French, Spanish (especially Castillian) and Jamaican accents. But like I said, the accent itself isn't sexy--it's the guy speaking it. John Cleese, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie--WOO-HOO! Prince Charles, Russell Brand, Rod Stewart--NO!! I really like Prince Charles--he seems like a very nice person, and he cares about the environment, which is a big plus for me. But he doesn't turn me on. Maybe he would in person--it's so different meeting someone that just watching them on screen.

    But an accent alone doesn't make me melt. It does catch my attention, if for no other reason than I live in this boring little white-bread town, and ANYTHING that comes in from the outside world is such a relief!
  20.  
    I have to admit that for me it makes a very big difference.
    Say for instance Tom Jones - I used to think he was American, and a total douche. But once I heard his real (Welsh) accent, it completely changed my opinion about him! I'm not proud of it, it's just the way it is.
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    "pretty straight-forward American (California-prone), with a hint of something-not-quite-right"

    Ironically, you've described me to a "T".

    (Incidentally, it's the *first* "T" in Elliott that's silent.)

    I can't say one way or the other about "Spanish" accents, as most of the locals who speak Spanish are from Mexico, so I suspect that the two are different, as Canadian-French is different from Parisian French. (In Quebec, they refer to "Johnny Walker Red" as "Johnny Marchier Rouge" - I heard this some 38 years ago, and that may not be true in *this* universe.) But I *can* say that when I was in Paris, the most beautiful young women I saw always turned out to be Spanish tourists - happened several times.

    I'm mostly of Scots-English descent, with some transplanted Norse-French in there, too (Vikings who stayed in Normandy), and visited England, Scotland, and France a couple of times, and while I really enjoyed London (except when I'd get hungry), and found Paris very beautiful (seemed a shame there were so many Parisians there, though), I actually felt right at home in Scotland. Something about the Scots' sensibilities, accents, warmth, and frizzy reddish-brown hair (like mine used to be), made me feel right at home. Including the fact that dogs are allowed everywhere, including restaurants, and were always better behaved than most American children, something about that made me feel welcome everywhere. I'm not suggesting that the Scottish accent is sexy, but then, I'm a guy, and I can only observe the impact of Sean Connery's voice on women. Scottish women's accent was somehow soothing to me.
  22.  
    Sean Connery has a lot more going for him that is way stronger than the accent :wink:

    The Scottish accent is so very cool! I love hearing people with it, it's like music. All British accents... I'll stop now.
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    I meant to mention the Welsh accent, as some of England's finest actors were actually Welsh (e.g., Richard Burton), and some of my favorite television programs are from BBC-Wales. The Welsh women's accent is something I find sexy, while the male accent, not so much (although I really can't tell). Like Russian.

    At the risk of further annoying mrsthing, my girlfriend is from Connecticut, and while I knew of the "Lockjaw-Connecticut" accent (think "Mr. Howell" on Gilligan's Island), I wasn't aware that there was another CT accent until I met another CT woman, who had the same accent that my girlfriend has. It's very subtle, but they seem to have difficulty pronouncing "T"s, as in, "kitten". My gf pronounces it, "ki__en", substituting a full-glottal-stop for the "tt".

    Mrst - Can you confirm/deny/comment?
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    Another quick poll: How do you feel about the new James Bond?

    (I actually feel that he compares on equal terms with Sean Connery's Bond, though I feel guilty saying it, for some reason, but they're different, and Daniel Craig's Bond is the first since Connery's that "owns the role" as Connery did.)
  25.  
    It's very hard to compare the old Bonds with the new, not only Daniel Craig but the whole movie - the genre has transformed immensely, to a point where, when it used to be perfectly legitimate to have Bond's charm and gadgets carry the entire movie, it is no longer possible to make a Bond movie that is that simple without it feeling weak. Action movies have come a long way, incorporating intricate camera work and increasingly elaborate stunts, far more impressing than the 70s or 80s, even 90s. Not to mention the need for a clear message to accompany the dry spy story - people used to be happy with just seeing Bond infiltrate a foreign building, blow some stuff up, make a narrow escape and get the girl. Now, you need subtext, twists, a lot more than before, to keep the audience interested, after movies like The Bourne Identity and Ocean's Eleven sort of raised the bar. That's why so many franchises fail lately - James Bond, Indiana Jones - they don't fit in anymore. (With Batman being the exception, because the Dark Knight did manage to take it to that extra level)

    So, where was I going with this? Ah yeah - subsequently Craig has a very different role to play, regardless of it being the same character, because he can't just wink at the camera and get away with it. That said, I quite like him, but I'm not a Roger Moore / Sean Connery devote since I only started watching when Brosnan took over. Meaning, my opinion means absolutely nothing, and this whole post was a complete waste of your time. :bigsmile:
    • CommentAuthorzelda
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    I fear we may be related, Carter, but, add a little more Norse & Austrian for me. I refer to self as Viking- no frizzy read hair though ...Have you been to The Isle of Man (Mann) - many Vikngs descendants.

    Now about Sean Connery, Naughty. Maybe be good call for cloning. His Highness as well...Hmmmn.
    • CommentAuthorzelda
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    You jumped me with, Bond, Naughty. That was a very good analysis. I rather think Craig is good, too, but I found them each interesting in thier on way.
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010 edited
     
    "and this whole post was a complete waste of your time. "

    Like *I'm* the person you'd need to apologize to for that...

    Zelda - I'm not absolutely certain, but I do remember taking a ferry to an island midway between Scotland and Ireland - Could that have been the Isle of Mann?

    I remember it as being stunningly beautiful.

    I don't really think the frizzy hair was a Viking thing, I may just be a victim of Central Casting's stereotypes, but I thought they were all blondes with straight hair. Scotland's where they'd have needed the frizzies, due to the weather, same reason sheep have wool instead of "fur".

    Cloning Sean Connery - I almost went into this, but out of respect for him (he was my *real* father figure, moreso than my actual father), I didn't, but Sean Connery has a brother who looks and sounds almost identical to him - except he was never a weight-lifter, as Sean was. I saw him in a cheap knock-off of the Bond films, starring as 006 (or something), and they had the full roster of the same characters played by the same actors - M, Q, Miss Moneypenny, etc., except Sean's Brother playing the spy. It was pathetic to see him, and very revealing. A lot of Sean Connery's chemistry was due to the time he spent lifting weights, prior to acting. If you scrounge around the internet long enough, you may find a picture of Sean C. with his shirt off, flexing, in his early 20's. He didn't go for bulk, as most current body-builders do, nor did he take steroids (ditto), so he didn't look at all like Arnold or the 'roid-monsters currently competing. No "air-mattress" look to him, he just looked very strong.

    Unlike his brother, who looked, in the movie, like he might snap in half and collapse in a heap at any moment. "Spindly", if that's a real word, might best describe him. (As if he were designed by the BP Brain Trust.)

    If there's a lesson to be learned from this (and any young men among us), it is this: Lift weights, at least until you have definition in your abs ("six-pack"), pectorals distinct enough to hide your upper ribs, shoulders that are the widest part of your body, and biceps at least as thick as your fists. Your legs should be capable of allowing you to run up flights of stairs taking them two at a time, and your back needs to be strong enough to carry your front without slouching over.

    Anyway, about new-vs-old Bonds, I like how Daniel Craig plays him as being a bit crazy, as it isn't a job that sane people would want (or could do well). Also, Daniel Craig does most of his own stunts, including the fight sequences, and is very credible as being someone capable of winning fights where he's outnumbered.
    • CommentAuthorzelda
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    I ama natural toehead, but many reds in my male family. I did play with red Henna once when hair was short and loved it with blond highlights that kept popping out. Yes, lots of frizzy rwed in scotland.
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2010
     
    I'm not "ginger-red" nor freckled, but I don't tan so much as get skin cancer. Back when I *had* hair, I'd try to comb a part into it and make the rest follow the shape of my head, but within minutes, I'd have an "Afro" with a beveled-flat where my part was, leaving me looking like a page in a book with a folded-over/earmarked corner.
    • CommentAuthormrsthing
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2010
     
    Yes, Carter: a lot of Nutmeggers replace full glo''al stops for tt's in the middle of words. "The three li''le ki''ens lost their mi''ens..." It drives me freakin' ba''y! Worst of all, I hear myself starting to do it--saying "liddle" or "lil" instead of "little".

    Another oddity: they pronounce the word "quarter" as "quodder". "Twenty" is "twunny"; "plenty" is "plunny" or "plenny". And some of them put a slight diphthong in words like "bank"--anything with an "ang" sound in it comes out sort of like "bahink" (with the h not aspirated).

    I haven't seen Daniel Craig as James Bond, but I think he's the most unattractive Bond ever. To me, James Bond will always be Roger Moore. I was too young to appreciate Sean Connery.

    I find modern body-builders absolutely repulsive. And you know what they'll look like when they're 50 and all that extra skin starts to sag? Ew. I like a man with some definition--don't like 6-packs, they look too fake. About 5 men who ever lived had natural 6-pack abs; the rest had to work out to get them. I do like some chest muscles in men--prominent pecs are sexy, but over-developed ones aren't. Neither are totally flat chests.

    About like this, but he's almost crossing the line:



    Mr. Thing has the perfect body for my tastes! Nearly 55 and hardly an ounce of extra fat on him (wish I could say the same for myself), natural ectomorph. Sigh.
    • CommentAuthorzelda
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2010
     
    Ex was 6'2 runner. Called him my greyhound. I hate him...L'amour, L'mour.:fierce:
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2010 edited
     
    "To me, James Bond will always be Roger Moore."

    I think you're alone in that category, mrst. Even Roger Moore never claimed to take the role seriously.

    And I recommend you see both of the new Bond's movies. Daniel Craig secures his "ownership" of the Bond character within the first five minutes of "Casino Royale". As for his looks, don't pass judgment until you see him exiting the surf in his swim trunks (more modest than the Diesel underwear, above). This preview will give you a better idea:

    Casino Royale Preview
  34.  
    Lots of people favor Moore actually

    I liked Casino Royale. Haven't seen Quantum.
    • CommentAuthorPinkGiggles
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2010 edited
     
    I would now like to pop in and say that British accents are my favorite.
    For whatever reason they make a person sound about 50% smarter than he/she actually is.
    You could be hammering my toes into a sideboard while speaking with an English accent and I would probably just sigh and say "Thank you, good sir."
  36.  
    You could be missing three teeth and have a lazy eye and smell like feet, but if you have a British accent you'll still be charming.
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2010 edited
     


    I was up to 6 am figuring out how to post the picture and the link to the "Casino Royale" preview, and *nobody noticed*?!?

    And I also added my picture to the profile and tried adding a cute shot of my baby-kitty as my "Icon", but that was somewhat disappointing, it cropped so much of the photo that you can't tell her white chin from her white paw. She's resting her head on her left paw, facing right. (Does anyone know the *right* size/style to make those things?)

    So please, either comment on it or at least, give me hug for the effort!

    (I could especially use one from Naughty O, given the creepy age-difference... I need to catch up to Cad's posting the shot of those girls by his pool.)

    :peace:
  38.  
    :) The image is going to be that size no matter what, so my advice is to find a picture that's recognizable that way. Other than that - I noticed but didn't understand what it was until you explained - how cute is she! I suggest just picking a different pic, or maybe cropping one to only include her face, if you have a good one. Kudos on the effort though, for an old fart like yourself. ;) (I didn't see the link because you edited it after I saw it)

    Still need a hug? I'm thinking with the way those are going these days, I should start charging!
  39.  
    BTW, if you ever struggle with anything else, don't be silly, just ask or look in the How-To thread on the top
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2010
     
    Thanks, Naughty O! You do an old fart's heart a lot of good!


    :wink:
  41.  
    So I've been told...
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2010 edited
     
    For the Sean Connery fans - a shot of him while he was still a body-builder (ca. '52).

    • CommentAuthorzelda
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2010
     
    Check him out on back of Vanity Fair (feb) in Louis Vuiton) add. Oh I do love older well preserved men.:rainbow::heartsabove:
  44.  
    [nevermind, that didn't work]
  45.  
    You can do it Inquisitor! We're rooting for you!
    •  
      CommentAuthorWmCElliott
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2010 edited
     
    I've got a quick question, specifically for the British here - How convincing is James Marster's British Accent? I'd been watching him playing "Spike" on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off, "Angel", for five years before I heard his "normal" American voice, and at first, I thought he was faking *that*.

    You may know him from BBC-Wales' "Torchwood" series as Captain Jack's former (gay) lover and all-around rogue, Captain John something.


  47.  
    Just had a Buffy marathon last night - 6 episodes from the 7th season. :heartbounce: Almost nothing makes me happy like that show. Maybe sex, but that's debatable :wink:

    Among them was an episode where you saw him as "William", the human he used to be before he was sired - a privileged (sissy) Englishman from the 19th century. His accent changed accordingly, when usually, as "Spike", it's mostly cockney. We also got to see how he was right after he was sired - which was sort of a transition between William and Spike ("Spilliam" if you will). Also had a slightly different accent. I just love those nuances, having such convincing control over a fake accent... Not to mention how he makes extremely British slang sound believable. He blows me away. And Joss blows me away.
    • CommentAuthormrsthing
    • CommentTimeJul 12th 2010
     
    I'm just not that into James Bond anyway--the character is unappealing to me. I much prefer scrappier, more flawed and less successful "heroes" like Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and the like.
    • CommentAuthormrsthing
    • CommentTimeJul 12th 2010
     
    And Sean Connery as a body builder: THAT'S what body builders ought to look like. Not like this:



    EW!
    •  
      CommentAuthorCPDolly
    • CommentTimeJul 12th 2010
     
    Yes, EW!
    They look like if they were plasticized! Or Action Men on steroids!
 

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