Comments on: How To Get A Specific Accent

By: Olisch

Olisch — Sat, 21 May 2016 09:37:57 +0000

I have always wondered why anyone would want to speak with a specific accent, can somebody explain that to me?
If you don’t, and have never, lived in Paris why try to sound like you do? Same with any other accent and by extension, dialect.
I can understand wanting to sound natural, I also suppress my German accent as much as I can and lean towards a “British” pronounciation rather than “American” (whatever that may mean), but I have no interest in speaking a regional accent.
If anyone could elaborate on this mindset I’d be much obliged.

By: nhairek

nhairek — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 12:06:00 +0000

I know this is old (sort of), but I want to comment anyway… can anyone recommend a female actor ‘surrogate’ who doesn’t use overly feminine speech (in their works)?

I prefer masculine speech but I would only be able to use it in say vlogs or with really close Japanese friends or those learning Japanese (since I’m a girl)… I think most girls speak in a quite neutral way anyway – I just want to find a female actor I really like.

Any recommendations?

By: ライトニング

ライトニング — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 02:57:06 +0000

It’s all about dat 標準語 though.

Just kidding. When I first watched 海が聞こえる by Studio Ghibli, I was so intrigued by this dialect that was so different than anything I heard, and at the time it was pretty unintelligible for me.

I watched it so many times (probably around 100+ times), along with some other stuff, and now I can speak 土佐弁, haha.

I sort of realized most Japanese learners settle for Kansai dialect, which sort of makes most of the other dialects sort of like a black sheep. Kansai is cool and all, but there are just some dialects that are way cooler (in my opinion of course), like Tosa.

It’s all about the input, input, and more input. Output just follows, and sometimes the dialect just comes out without thinking, lol.

By: Damn, My Japanese Sucks « 侍魂 ~Samurai Tamashii~

Damn, My Japanese Sucks « 侍魂 ~Samurai Tamashii~ — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:57:04 +0000

[…] it, just repeating anything you hear. It was recommended once on AJATT for people wishing to acquire a specific accent; not my case, but it should work to get me used to myself speaking Japanese, which will already be […]

By: Kagome

Kagome — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:47:56 +0000

Interesting. I’d love to know more about shadowing. Khatz hasn’t talked about this though so not sure about it. What happens if you pronounce a word wrong ? Just don’t worry about it?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:42:38 +0000

I completely agree on the influences of one’s native language. Native English speakers aren’t usually aware that English has a specific stress-timed rhythm that isn’t found in a lot of other languages. Stress or lack-there-of doesn’t seem to get mentioned very often in foreign language classes, so a lot of learners don’t even realize the problem exists.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:33:56 +0000

I like the idea of shadowing one person in particular. This is true when doing an accent in your own language, as well. I think a big mistake a lot of American actors who try to do British roles have is that they try to do a generic accent as opposed to singling out one accent from within the UK and sticking to that. It’s a lot less likely to sound fake if you’re copying one person instead of a patchwork of different people who don’t speak the same way.

By: Nagoya Blue

Nagoya Blue — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 05:24:14 +0000

‘Cos every French person you will ever meet talks like a newscaster…..

In the same vein, all English learners should copy the BBC news, and get RP accents.

By: Nagoya Blue

Nagoya Blue — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 05:22:24 +0000

Or very cool, depending on your out look.

By: Thomas Smith

Thomas Smith — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:54:33 +0000

Be sure to avoid choosing a surrogate who’s the target language equivalent of Christopher Walken, coz…y’know…that’dbe…CRAZY!!

By: Fangio

Fangio — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:45:18 +0000

To Skyler: to be frank, I’ve never met an English / American able to speak french without an english accent. I don’t know why, but it probably has to do with the heavy inflexions of English language. So if you are an English speaker, I would suggest focusing first on getting rid of it instead of targetting a so-called “parisian accent” (which as already mentioned is either elusive -if you think “accent of the parisian on the street”- or completely dated -if you think of a typical accent such as in old movies like Hôtel du Nord). This advice would apply as well to other student of French or in general to any foreign language speaker of any origin, but there are languages which, in terms of pronounciation, are specially badly matched and French and English is one such pair (French also have this dreadful accent -that for some reason native English speakers find “cute” but that ashames us to no end).
Actually, I’m realizing that there’s a neglected gold mine in language education here: creating education material targeted not only on language learned but also on the native language of learners to get rid of the native language’s bad influences (accent, but also grammar mistakes, litteral translation of language-specific expressions and idioms often translated literally)…

By: Miss Language Learning

Miss Language Learning — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:16:20 +0000

Yup, listening to the radio is always a good idea, and something everybody should do more!

By: Ian Long

Ian Long — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:25:10 +0000

Try watching the BBC news for a ‘TV accent’. Almost no real English people talk that way, but BBC newscasters do.

By: Miss Language Learning

Miss Language Learning — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:30:53 +0000

Staying away from the Marsellais accent and the Chti one is probably a good idea too. Basically, listening to the news is the way to go.

By: Sami

Sami — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 09:27:56 +0000

Cyprien=MonsieurDream 🙂

By: Miss Language Learning

Miss Language Learning — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:11:00 +0000

Just listening to French would do, as long as it’s not Québécois. 🙂

By: Skyler

Skyler — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 19:00:07 +0000

Or are Cyprien and Monsieur Dream the same person?

By: Skyler

Skyler — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:46:56 +0000

Thank you! Do you know if Cyprien is also a Parisian?

By: Skyler

Skyler — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:56:54 +0000

Skyler spaking xD… I like that name Khatz nice choice, and I’m flattered you posted my question on your blog!

I guess my idea of a native accent is different than other people’s. I definitely understand that there will be more than one accent in Paris, but notice I only said A Parisian accent not THE Parisian accent. I don’t really know how I will choose, but I will be traveling to Paris the upcoming Summer. I guess will just try to learn the Parisian accent that I like the most (which will most likely be this “neutral” accent especially since it is the accent I probably have been listening to the most). I think I have heard of another French person talk about this single native Parisian accent. He/She said it was the accent of the working class in Paris and the people of St. Dennis.
Now just to share some of my opinions. I don’t believe there is such thing as a neutral accent nor a generic TV accent. Either you have an accent or you don’t (and if you don’t then you don’t speak). If this “neutral” accent is spoken by people born and raised in Paris in their everyday lives then I consider it a native Parisian accent. And this “generic TV” accent spoken by NY newscasters is probably the General American accent which isn’t a “generic TV” accent; it is a living and native accent of the US. We use it here in Omaha.
-Skyler :}

By: Sami

Sami — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 18:09:37 +0000

“Any category” should be crossed out.
no formatting=no comedy 🙁