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Category Archives: British English
Anne Hathaway’s Accent in ‘One Day’
In news of the dialect work of movie stars, the romantic comedy One Day opens soon. As I did with Mel Gibson’s accent in The Beaver, I’d like to briefly examine Anne Hathaway‘s “Yorkshire accent” in this adaptation of the popular … Continue reading
Posted in British English Tagged accents for actors, dialects in film, Northern English accents 37 Comments
Is the Glasgow Accent Being “Cockneyfied?”
I’ve often discussed Estuary English, the London-influenced accent spreading throughout England. One piece of evidence? Young people in Glasgow seem to be adopting ‘Cockney’ pronunciations. If the Glasgow accent is indeed becoming more ‘Southeastern,’ this would be a powerful indicator of London’s … Continue reading
Posted in British English Tagged Cockney, Estuary English, Rhotic vs. Non-Rhotic, scottish accents 35 Comments
But, buts, bus: The Scouse ‘T’
Scouse, the native accent of Liverpool, has comparatively unique features when compared to the surrounding area. Where Manchester and Leeds can arguably sound like variations of the same accent, Scouse seems to be in a world all its own. One … Continue reading
Why is Fantasy Always in a British Accent?
[Ed. Note: I’m on vacation till Saturday, July 30th, so I’m publishing some old posts I drafted but never published. Some of these might be rough around the edges. Also note that it may be difficult for me to respond … Continue reading
The British Drama League Recordings
I’ve been held back from posting due to the 4th of July holiday (compounded by some internet connectivity issues). But I’d like to briefly share a fun thing I found on YouTube recently. A user who identifies himself as EMGColonel … Continue reading
Michelle Collins’ Accent on Coronation Street
There has been a recent to-do over British actress Michelle Collins, who joined the Manchester-based soap opera Coronation Street. Collins was best known for her role in EastEnders (a soap set in East London), so her Manchester accent must come … Continue reading
Did Yiddish Shape the New York Accent?
One of the first dialect anecdotes I heard was from the director of my high school production of Guy’s and Dolls. “The Brooklyn accent is dying out,” she said. “There isn’t as much of a Jewish presence there anymore.” This … Continue reading
Multicultural London English is not “Jafaican”
The Telegraph’s Ed West recently published an editorial titled Jafaican may be cool but it sounds ridiculous, that I find appalling. I respect West for having politics different from my own, but that’s no excuse for slandering a legitimate dialect … Continue reading
Estuary English in the 21st Century
I’ve used the term Estuary English quite a bit on this site. For the dialect novices out there, I’d like to explain what this phrase means, and my personal take on it. Estuary English is a hard concept to define. Sometimes … Continue reading
Posted in British English Tagged celebrity accents, Estuary English, Received Pronunciation (RP) 28 Comments
Is the Welsh Accent “Foreign?”
The Welsh accent is a mystery on American shores. Numerous Welsh celebrities have made the US their home: your Hopkinses, Burtonses, Zeta-Joneses, and just plain Joneses. Yet Americans have few of the preconceptions about Welsh English that we do for … Continue reading