A really great video on the original pronunciation of Shakespeare (only about 10 1/2 min.)
by MeanMrMustard 14 Replies latest social entertainment
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ekruks
This is fascinating - Americans discussing British accents. Regarding the video from the Open Uni - that Original Pronunciation accent was how people used to speak, and older people in rural areas (from days before television) have an accent that is not too dissmilar. If you head up to the North of England, you will find people sound more this way.
The Received Pronunciation is more associated with the South of England, particularly near London and anywhere within about 2 hours distance by car/train - this is where most of the wealthy live, and the "proper" accents are associated the schools such as Eaton and universities such as Cambridge and Oxford (think of USA's Harvard and Yale), graduates of which dominate politics, and business. Received Pronunciation is about speaking with accuracy.
However, note that most people, even in the South of England, do not speak with Received Pronunciation. I notice that Hollywood often gets this wrong, where it mixes up British accents in films. Despite much reform Britain is still a very class driven society, with different sectors of society having very different accents.
There is an accent associated with school dropouts, i.e. think of AliG who is actually mocking these lazy troublemakers
There is the accent of the working class person, and there is MUCH regional variation, where people from one end of England sound as if they come from a different part of country to other end. It will differ even more so if you go to Ireland (Dara O'Brien), Wales (Rob Brydon) or Scotland (Sean Connery), where it's influenced by traditional languages - if they are from a rural area, this will sound more like Original Prounciation of Shakespeare's day, but if they live in a city, it will sound more like that of TV programmes exported from the USA to Britain.
Phil Davis has a working class accent.
Simon Pegg sounds like an average Londonner, but American films often portray the Cockney accent which is particular to a certain area of London and people with a low education:
The middle class accent is particulary associated with London surburbia such as Surrey. The middle class is usually divided into upper and lower, where the upper has an accent more inline with RP, likely having attended an Oxbridge university. Rupert Penry Jones, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Hugh Laurie, Benedict Cumbernatch, Stephen Fry, or Paul Bettany - they sound as if they went to a top university, come from a well-bred family with a lot of money, so would get preference in career progression (this is why Welsh people such as Timothy Dalton and Anthony Hopkins adopt this accentand not a Welsh accent).
If someone is very wealthy, i.e. the royalty, the middle class accent will be very emphasized, they speak "hot potato". Kate Middleton has a very upper class accent, speaks very well, far far better than Prince William who sounds more an average upper middle class lad.
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Apognophos
In the future, 50% of all performances of Shakespeare will be in Klingonese.
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Hortensia
Very interesting thread. Thanks for sharing!