Meryl Streep is the queen of accents. When she portrays an Australian, she sounds like she's really from Down Under. In 'Sophie's Choice', she even managed to speak German the way a Polish person would. It's probably not surprising that she has been nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress more often than any other actress in history. If, as an actor, you're going to portray a character from the UK, you may want to show Streep's level of commitment and take some British accent lessons.
One of the things that Meryl Streep is most famous for is her ability to imitate different accents. This has kept her career interesting and healthy and has earned her the record for most Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. In contrast, someone like Kevin Costner saw his career take a nosedive after playing Robin Hood while he was at the height of his fame. The reason was mainly because his Robin Hood spoke in an American accent.
When you learn to speak like someone from Britain, it's important to remember that there are hundreds of accents in the country. What most people think of as a British accent is actually called Received Pronunciation and it is regarded as the standard pronunciation. Some people, such as the royal family, speak like this naturally. Others, such as former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, took elocution lessons to sound more upper class.
Most English people speak in specific regional accents. There are hundreds of these. In England you may find distinct variations even in neighboring towns but especially from one county to another and between the northern and southern parts of the country.
Many English people speak in accents that are specific to the cities where they're from. John Lennon, for instance, spoke the Scouse of Liverpool, while Ozzy Osbourne's Brummie pronunciation tells you that he's from Birmingham. However, even in the same city there may be variation. This is especially true of London, where some of the accents include Cockney, North London and South London.
Of course, Britain does not only consist of England. It also encompasses Wales, Scotland and Northern Island, as well as islands such as Man or Jersey. At first, many of these accents may sound similar but if you know what to listen for, you'll soon be able to tell whether someone is, for instance, from Edinburgh or from Glasgow, the two largest cities in Scotland.
Once you start working on different accents, you also need to learn the vocabulary. In some parts of the USA, people will talk about 'soda' while others might say 'pop'. The situation is similar in Britain and vocabulary may differ from region to region. It's also important to learn the differences between American English and British English in terms of vocabulary.
The best way to learn an accent is to go live in the area where that dialect is spoken and just listen to the locals as they speak. However, this is not a practical approach if you're rehearsing for a movie or a play. For faster results, a good option is to invest in the services of a dialect coach.
One of the things that Meryl Streep is most famous for is her ability to imitate different accents. This has kept her career interesting and healthy and has earned her the record for most Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. In contrast, someone like Kevin Costner saw his career take a nosedive after playing Robin Hood while he was at the height of his fame. The reason was mainly because his Robin Hood spoke in an American accent.
When you learn to speak like someone from Britain, it's important to remember that there are hundreds of accents in the country. What most people think of as a British accent is actually called Received Pronunciation and it is regarded as the standard pronunciation. Some people, such as the royal family, speak like this naturally. Others, such as former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, took elocution lessons to sound more upper class.
Most English people speak in specific regional accents. There are hundreds of these. In England you may find distinct variations even in neighboring towns but especially from one county to another and between the northern and southern parts of the country.
Many English people speak in accents that are specific to the cities where they're from. John Lennon, for instance, spoke the Scouse of Liverpool, while Ozzy Osbourne's Brummie pronunciation tells you that he's from Birmingham. However, even in the same city there may be variation. This is especially true of London, where some of the accents include Cockney, North London and South London.
Of course, Britain does not only consist of England. It also encompasses Wales, Scotland and Northern Island, as well as islands such as Man or Jersey. At first, many of these accents may sound similar but if you know what to listen for, you'll soon be able to tell whether someone is, for instance, from Edinburgh or from Glasgow, the two largest cities in Scotland.
Once you start working on different accents, you also need to learn the vocabulary. In some parts of the USA, people will talk about 'soda' while others might say 'pop'. The situation is similar in Britain and vocabulary may differ from region to region. It's also important to learn the differences between American English and British English in terms of vocabulary.
The best way to learn an accent is to go live in the area where that dialect is spoken and just listen to the locals as they speak. However, this is not a practical approach if you're rehearsing for a movie or a play. For faster results, a good option is to invest in the services of a dialect coach.
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