Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Helping with English

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chel
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Topic: Helping with English
Posted: 2/10/10 at 12:12pm

Undoing an accent.

If English speaking actors can learn to speak with thick French, German, Asian accents, then I figure someone of French, German or Korean decent can learn to speak with an English (American) accent.

Any exercises, tips, etc for this?

I have a Korean student who needs to lighten up his thick accent.

chel

www.windhamtheaterguild.org

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TonyDi
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Posted: 2/10/10 at 1:40pm

I don't know how relevant it would be to a non-English speaking person - or one whose English is heavily accented - ESPECIALLY WITHOUT someone to DEFINE the sounds IN ENGLISH they should be making.....but I've found using the International Phonetic Alphabet to be VERY helpful in remembering proper intonation, phonation and articulation (sheesh!) - and setting that into someone else's speech patterns. BUT it's a difficult enough system to learn itself (though not THAT difficult) using odd looking symbology but when learned and when clearly DEFINED for someone as to how to pronounce things using it, then it's a valuable tool - even for English speaking people. Helps to "standardize" the pronunciations for anything in English or for that matter just about any other language - assuming all the sounds for foreign languages can be covered with the symbology and style that IPA employs.

You can check it out here on Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet

This COULD be a deterrent to someone whose native language is NOT English and COULD easily confuse them as much as help - depends upon the person and how it's taught to them. Singers are the most common users since even for studying and singing in foreign languages the words can be reduced to the English International Phonetic Alphabet and standardize pronunciations so that when singing in foreign languages, it's easier to remember how to pronounce things by viewing it in IPA.

Just a thought - difficult to take a heavily accented person and in short time, get them to destroy the English language as well as we do!! :o\

Good luck

By the way also bear in mind that MOST English speaking or American actors are tutored by someone versed in proper pronunciation or by a person of foreign descent whose accent that they are trying to reproduce. Same idea here I'd think. Repetition and proper tutoring by way of explanation of the sounds that English speakers utter.

TonyDi

Edited by TonyDi - 2/10/10 at 1:42pm

"Almost famous"

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Gaafa
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Posted: 2/10/10 at 7:23pm

Some very good pionters & well set out Tony!

While I was spawnedf\ on Tyneside in NE England I can't remember having a pronounced Geordie accent as such, mainly be because I was born at the stage door & grew up in theatre. Thus loosing my native accent & picking up a general Pohmy one on the way.

One of the tricks to use is with singing most tend to adopt the accent of the orignal singer of the song, in most regards this tends to be American as a general rule heard on popular recordings.

Even those who normally speak with a heavy celtic accents, such as Scots, Irish & Welsh. Will adapt there accent to suit that of the song trough mimicry without thinking.

Sussan Boyle is an example who drops her broad scots accent to sing as we all tend to do.

Therefor if the need is for a scots accent just sing a scots accented song in your head & you will find it easy to follow on speaking as a scot. Because you will tend to move the vioce to that position of the mouth & mimic the spread of the lips to suit.

This we do in singing songs using the accent automaticaly.

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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chel
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Posted: 2/10/10 at 9:37pm

Great tips. Thank you.

chel

www.windhamtheaterguild.org

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vickifrank
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Posted: 2/11/10 at 8:44am

Chel,

I tried to help some people with accents (Indian and Chinese and Spanish) and I found after much research that not only are the sounds an issue but the rhythm of speech. In English we emphasize and draw out sounds of important words--nouns and verbs and speed up and 'swallow' the articles and other words. We use that rhythym to figure out the words.

So in some of the Dilalects that I saw the famous phrase "the Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plain" would be delivered with equal length of time for 'Rain' and 'in'. You will see that in English the emphasis (both volume and length of time is quite unequal.

So I had luck getting people understood better when they emulated that rhythym. It was very interesting because I found that the Indians who technically spoke better english than the american's around them were far less understandable than American's with a deep south accent. American's can compensate for the sound differences they hear, but have a very hard time with the rhythm differences.

_____________

http://www.studio-productions-inc.com
1-800-359-2964

The theater scrim people

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chel
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Posted: 2/12/10 at 9:27am

That's very helpful.

chel

www.windhamtheaterguild.org

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HongKongCV
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Posted: 7/09/10 at 3:05pm

Here's another suggestion: the Speech Accent Archive.

http://accent.gmu.edu/

It can give you a comprehensive accent for MANY locations, both foreign and domestic. It contains accents southern, western, New England, you name it.

I find that hearing it helps, and this may help as well.

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edh915
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Posted: 7/10/10 at 4:49pm

Check out www.paulmeier.com
He may have something that will help.

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Author	Message
chel Celebrity Joined: 6/20/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 106	Topic: Helping with English Posted: 2/10/10 at 12:12pm
	Undoing an accent. If English speaking actors can learn to speak with thick French, German, Asian accents, then I figure someone of French, German or Korean decent can learn to speak with an English (American) accent. Any exercises, tips, etc for this? I have a Korean student who needs to lighten up his thick accent.
	chel www.windhamtheaterguild.org

	IP Logged

TonyDi Celebrity Joined: 9/13/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 2/10/10 at 1:40pm
	I don't know how relevant it would be to a non-English speaking person - or one whose English is heavily accented - ESPECIALLY WITHOUT someone to DEFINE the sounds IN ENGLISH they should be making.....but I've found using the International Phonetic Alphabet to be VERY helpful in remembering proper intonation, phonation and articulation (sheesh!) - and setting that into someone else's speech patterns. BUT it's a difficult enough system to learn itself (though not THAT difficult) using odd looking symbology but when learned and when clearly DEFINED for someone as to how to pronounce things using it, then it's a valuable tool - even for English speaking people. Helps to "standardize" the pronunciations for anything in English or for that matter just about any other language - assuming all the sounds for foreign languages can be covered with the symbology and style that IPA employs. You can check it out here on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet This COULD be a deterrent to someone whose native language is NOT English and COULD easily confuse them as much as help - depends upon the person and how it's taught to them. Singers are the most common users since even for studying and singing in foreign languages the words can be reduced to the English International Phonetic Alphabet and standardize pronunciations so that when singing in foreign languages, it's easier to remember how to pronounce things by viewing it in IPA. Just a thought - difficult to take a heavily accented person and in short time, get them to destroy the English language as well as we do!! :o\ Good luck By the way also bear in mind that MOST English speaking or American actors are tutored by someone versed in proper pronunciation or by a person of foreign descent whose accent that they are trying to reproduce. Same idea here I'd think. Repetition and proper tutoring by way of explanation of the sounds that English speakers utter. TonyDi Edited by TonyDi - 2/10/10 at 1:42pm
	"Almost famous"
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Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 2/10/10 at 7:23pm
	Some very good pionters & well set out Tony! While I was spawnedf\ on Tyneside in NE England I can't remember having a pronounced Geordie accent as such, mainly be because I was born at the stage door & grew up in theatre. Thus loosing my native accent & picking up a general Pohmy one on the way. One of the tricks to use is with singing most tend to adopt the accent of the orignal singer of the song, in most regards this tends to be American as a general rule heard on popular recordings. Even those who normally speak with a heavy celtic accents, such as Scots, Irish & Welsh. Will adapt there accent to suit that of the song trough mimicry without thinking. Sussan Boyle is an example who drops her broad scots accent to sing as we all tend to do. Therefor if the need is for a scots accent just sing a scots accented song in your head & you will find it easy to follow on speaking as a scot. Because you will tend to move the vioce to that position of the mouth & mimic the spread of the lips to suit. This we do in singing songs using the accent automaticaly.
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

chel Celebrity Joined: 6/20/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 106	Posted: 2/10/10 at 9:37pm
	Great tips. Thank you.
	chel www.windhamtheaterguild.org
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vickifrank Celebrity Joined: 9/21/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 332	Posted: 2/11/10 at 8:44am
	Chel, I tried to help some people with accents (Indian and Chinese and Spanish) and I found after much research that not only are the sounds an issue but the rhythm of speech. In English we emphasize and draw out sounds of important words--nouns and verbs and speed up and 'swallow' the articles and other words. We use that rhythym to figure out the words. So in some of the Dilalects that I saw the famous phrase "the Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plain" would be delivered with equal length of time for 'Rain' and 'in'. You will see that in English the emphasis (both volume and length of time is quite unequal. So I had luck getting people understood better when they emulated that rhythym. It was very interesting because I found that the Indians who technically spoke better english than the american's around them were far less understandable than American's with a deep south accent. American's can compensate for the sound differences they hear, but have a very hard time with the rhythm differences.
	_____________ http://www.studio-productions-inc.com 1-800-359-2964 The theater scrim people
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chel Celebrity Joined: 6/20/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 106	Posted: 2/12/10 at 9:27am
	That's very helpful.
	chel www.windhamtheaterguild.org
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HongKongCV Walk-On Joined: 5/27/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 7/09/10 at 3:05pm
	Here's another suggestion: the Speech Accent Archive. http://accent.gmu.edu/ It can give you a comprehensive accent for MANY locations, both foreign and domestic. It contains accents southern, western, New England, you name it. I find that hearing it helps, and this may help as well.
	IP Logged

edh915 Celebrity Joined: 11/19/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 7/10/10 at 4:49pm
	Check out www.paulmeier.com He may have something that will help.
	IP Logged

Topic: Helping with English( Topic Closed)