kitano
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« on: January 19, 2012, 04:48:54 AM » |
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My girlfriend wants to speak with a British accent  Her English is really good, but she finds it really difficult to not sound like some damn colonial! Does anyone know of any good resources for this? So far I have used My Fair Lady as my 'teaching manual' lol This would also be useful for students I think, I'm sure this was discussed on here before but English curricula don't tend to focus on phonics beyond absolute beginner level, but it's actually really important at all levels..... |
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MK
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« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2012, 06:11:41 AM » |
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For the basic building blocks, get her to learn the IPA the for British pron (if she hasn't already): http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/activities/phonemic-chart(There's links to more pronunciation stuff on that page too) And then most quality dictionaries will allow her to pick between Br/Am pronunciation for any given word. After that it will just be a matter of practice and lots of British films and TV. For the record, a Chinese female friend absolutely loves the silly British comedy ' Miranda' and I've noticed her picking up the accent a bit. |
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« Last Edit: January 19, 2012, 06:19:06 AM by MK »
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What is the sound of one hand ganbei-ing?
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Raoul F. Duke
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"Be specific if you order the mushrooms!"
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« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2012, 10:27:20 AM » |
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The Scots are British. Please teach her a burlesque Groundskeeper-Willie-grade Scottish accent. Pretty please?  |
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"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)
"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)
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gonzo
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« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2012, 08:51:11 PM » |
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Hell, I can understand Scots, Canucks, the Irish, Kiwis..even damn Okies. What's this "accent" obsession I'm seeing? Nothing sounds worse than a forced accent. There is a Chinese English accent, just as there is an Indian one. Generally, SLA research indicates that unless L2 is acquired [NB, not learned] in pre-teen years, accent will persist to at least some degree throughout adult life. There are some highly articulate English speakers out there in business, politics and academia with quite strong accents. Henry Kissinger was one!
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....and the beat goes on............
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Fozzwaldus
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« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2012, 01:58:47 AM » |
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Hell, I can understand Scots, Canucks, the Irish, Kiwis..even damn Okies. What's this "accent" obsession I'm seeing? Nothing sounds worse than a forced accent. There is a Chinese English accent, just as there is an Indian one. Generally, SLA research indicates that unless L2 is acquired [NB, not learned] in pre-teen years, accent will persist to at least some degree throughout adult life. There are some highly articulate English speakers out there in business, politics and academia with quite strong accents. Henry Kissinger was one!
Here here, a affected accent is pretty annoying in most cases. give me a good, clear Chinese English accent anyday. My Chinese is a mixed bag of accents from all the places I've lived before. Which is not good. |
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两只老外， 两只老外，跑得快，跑得快，
一个是老酒鬼，一个是老色鬼，真奇怪， 真奇怪
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BrandeX
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« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2012, 03:08:31 AM » |
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fox
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« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2012, 05:31:58 AM » |
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The Scots are British. Please teach her a burlesque Groundskeeper-Willie-grade Scottish accent. Pretty please? 'pull doon yer breeks and let me pull yer tadger' a useful sentence for any gf to learn. |
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regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value.
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kitano
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« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2012, 11:52:00 AM » |
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The reason is that foreign language resources tend to be full of american accents and it's kind of nauseating.
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xwarrior
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« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2012, 12:19:09 PM » |
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Damn! I misread the quote. Thought it was for a link to 'British porn'.  |
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I have my standards. They may be low, but I have them.
- Bette Midler
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gonzo
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« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2012, 02:26:23 AM » |
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Anyway, accents can't be learned. The results of such attempts range from laughable to cringeworthy, as any viewer of CCTV "News" 9 will verify. Good actors can mimic accents for as long as it takes to complete the movie
L2 learners- pre-puberty and in a target language scenario- can acquire [as in the Krashen acquire] native-like phonology and grammar;
all else is pointless affectation and grovelling to perceived master cultures.
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« Last Edit: March 13, 2012, 05:50:48 AM by gonzo »
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....and the beat goes on............
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A-Train
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« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2012, 10:39:46 AM » |
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My girlfriend wants to speak with a British accent
She could attend the Meryl Streep, "School of a thousand tongues" seminar. But, if it must be English, she could start by wearing a rotting fish around her neck. It would at least give her the proper facial expression. |
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"The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore attempt the impossible and achieve it, generation after generation.
Pearl S. Buck
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Foscolo
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Boom boom!
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« Reply #12 on: March 15, 2012, 08:22:37 PM » |
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"School of a thousand tongues"
Made me think of school discos from my youth. Apart from entertaining Americans ("You guys! Love that accent!") it's hard to see why anybody would particularly want an RP English accent. In Britain, while it may be an asset for joining the establishment, for more interesting walks of life such as media and the arts, it can be a bit of a handicap. It's just not cool. |
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gonzo
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« Reply #13 on: March 16, 2012, 06:44:17 AM » |
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Good onyo Basil Brush. Boom boom!!
The only way to get an authentic accent is to live it BEFORE you sprout pubic hair. The critical period hypothesis, which has been around for some decades, is debatable, but does seem valid for accent and pronunciation. Witness Benjamin Netanahyu [sp?]. Lived in Philly USA for 2 years at around 8/9 years. Listen to the guy talk. You can't learn that.
Meryl's a fine actress, and she's learned the accents she does so well. If a bat flies up her nightdress in the middle of the night, you'll hear her real accent.
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....and the beat goes on............
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