American accents?

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-06-22 11:34pm

I just saw an interview with Brad Banna (star of the Hulk and appeared in Black Hawk Down) I KNEW intellectually that he was from new Zealand, but when I watch his movies he sounds perfectly American. Then in this interview out comes this THICK New Zealand accent I was like whoaa!!

Then I remembered Ian McKlellan saying how he had to work on a diufferent accent for Gandalf during the LOTR commentray and he said he aimed for soemthing more American for Gandalf. I keep hearing this from other English speaking actors and a german friend of mine once tried her best to imitate an American and she always gets loud and sort of boisterous when she does it.

Anyway I'd be interested to know what other English speakers, or hell other Non Americans say an American accent is like. In Behind the Actors studio, Mcklellan said that an American accent was easy to do and started slwoly drifting into one which was cool to watch.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-06-22 11:36pm

1. It's Eric Bana

2. He's from Australia, that's an Australian accent, I sound like that.

EDIT: The American accent is growning more common in Australia, as we can't get away from it, TV, movies, music etc. I'm proud to have my silly sounding accent. Though sometimes I bumble like Hugh Grant.

Post by **fgalkin** » 2003-06-22 11:38pm

I have a heavy Russian accent, so I wouldn't know.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-06-22 11:40pm

Gandalf wrote:1. It's Eric Bana

2. He's from Australia, that's an Australian accent, I sound like that.

New Zealand, Australia....same shit right?

**runs like a bat out of hell...well more like an elepahnt on a rampage but I digress**

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-06-22 11:42pm

Stravo wrote:
Gandalf wrote:1. It's Eric Bana

2. He's from Australia, that's an Australian accent, I sound like that.
New Zealand, Australia....same shit right?

**runs like a bat out of hell...well more like an elepahnt on a rampage but I digress**

It REALLY REALLY isn't, go on WinMX, or Kazaa, and look for some radio sketches called Tum and Phul. They give a vague idea of what NZ accents are like.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-06-22 11:42pm

Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania are all alike. I mean, hell, I didn't even know people LIVED on Tasmania until like a month ago. I thought it was inhabited solely by hunter-gatherers.

Post by **fgalkin** » 2003-06-22 11:49pm

HemlockGrey wrote:Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania are all alike. I mean, hell, I didn't even know people LIVED on Tasmania until like a month ago. I thought it was inhabited solely by hunter-gatherers.

And Tasmanian Devils. You can't forget Tasmanian Devils!

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-06-23 12:01am

Australia is the hick UK, and New Zealand is hick Australia.

So does that mean that Tasmania is hick New Zealand?

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-06-23 12:04am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Australia is the hick UK, and New Zealand is hick Australia.

So does that mean that Tasmania is hick New Zealand?

Does it matter if Tasmania is part of Australia?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-06-23 12:11am

Not unless the Australian and New Zealand members can prove that New Zealand is just hick Tasmania.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-06-23 12:12am

Well would the non-hick-ness of certain parts of Australia alter the hick avarage of our country? Thereby putting Tassie abouve NZ.

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-06-23 12:17am

HemlockGrey wrote:Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania are all alike. I mean, hell, I didn't even know people LIVED on Tasmania until like a month ago. I thought it was inhabited solely by hunter-gatherers.

Fuck you.

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Australia is the hick UK, and New Zealand is hick Australia. :P

So does that mean that Tasmania is hick New Zealand? :)

And you.

Gandalf wrote: Does it matter if Tasmania is part of Australia?

And you.

Stravo wrote:New Zealand, Australia....same shit right?

Most definately fuck you.

And Tasmanian Devils. You can't forget Tasmanian Devils!

Hey - I lost my baby sister to a pack of Tassie Devils. Don't joke about it...

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2003-06-23 01:49am

Hugh Jackman uses an "American accent" as well. I think its just cutting out the "eau" sounds at the end of every sentence, for Europeans!

I was told by a friend from Kent that I had a "suprisingly cultured accent for an American"

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-06-23 01:56am

Hey, come on now, don't bash Australia. They have that one really good steak restaurant.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-06-23 01:59am

...Lone Star?

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-06-23 02:10am

Durran Korr wrote:Hey, come on now, don't bash Australia. They have that one really good steak restaurant.

The one with the "Bloomin' Onion"

Back on topic:

I've been noticing American accents more, including my own. I'd been around a lot of accents in the Navy and Arizona has a fair range of different accents as well but tv and movies have been the things that have really caused me to start noticing the way people pronounce things. Some of it has to do with the increasing number of Australian and New Zealand actors whose work is reaching the US on a more regular basis. It also has to do with some of the horrible accents I've heard American actors use in movies (Kevin Costner in Robin Hood, Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula

Also, the critics obsession with the people's accents in Fargo really g got me to start noticing various North American accents. All of it has lead me to consider how my accent has changed since I grew up in the Midwestern US.

IIRC I also think on one of the Farscape commentaries Claudia Black made some comment about how Americans have trouble doing Australian accents well and from what I've heard she appears to be right. Ben Browder sure didn't pull it off the couple times he tried.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-06-23 02:11am

I have a slight southern accent, apparently. My great-aunt noticed it when I went to Rockford, IL recently. I don't know what the "American" accent sounds like, anyway, I just know some of the different regional accents.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-06-23 02:11am

Well, first of all, there is no such thing as an "American accent". A person with a Mountain Southern accent will sound just as odd to a person from, say, New York as a person from London (believe me, when I went to Nashville once, it was like some people were speaking in tounges, where as your average Englishman is perfectly understandable).

The closest thing you can come to the "American accent" is something called Standard English, which is an accent that IIRC came from the midwest, that is required learning for newscasters, and good for any actor, which is considered a neutral accent that is understandable by everyone without trouble. If the actor is worth his salt, he studied this accent extensively, so when doing American cinema, he comes across as accentless. Standard English is the "default" accent for movies as well, and you'll notice that the main characters all use it unless there is a compelling reason for them not to (like they are from a specific region) just to make sure that everyone can understand their dialogue.

Post by **Zaia** » 2003-06-23 02:46am

Gandalf wrote:It REALLY REALLY isn't, go on WinMX, or Kazaa, and look for some radio sketches called Tum and Phul. They give a vague idea of what NZ accents are like.

*remembers Kiwi-Ben* Mmmmm...NZ accents.... The word 'six' sounds like 'sex' when Kiwis say it.... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

They sound Scottish with a twist of Aussie goodness thrown in. To me, anyway. *cue "Dumb American" comments now*

pellaeons_scion · Post by **pellaeons_scion** » 2003-06-23 02:51am

I concur with what Weemad said. Having lived in both places(well 3 if you count tassie) the people and culture there arnt as you say, hicks.

Well, maybe not all of them, maybe some of our farmers and other rural creatures.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-06-23 02:52am

I do love how Australia is often portrayed in American pop culture. The first Crocodile Dundee movie seemed to paint Australia as nearly paleolithic.

pellaeons_scion · Post by **pellaeons_scion** » 2003-06-23 02:54am

Crocodil dundee should have been taken out the back and shot. No way is that a good view of australians as a people

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2003-06-23 02:55am

HemlockGrey wrote:...Lone Star?

Outback >.<

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-06-23 03:04am

I have a Lon Gisland accent, which is quite distinctive - or so I'm told

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-06-23 03:15am

Gil Hamilton wrote:The closest thing you can come to the "American accent" is something called Standard English, which is an accent that IIRC came from the midwest, that is required learning for newscasters, and good for any actor, which is considered a neutral accent that is understandable by everyone without trouble. If the actor is worth his salt, he studied this accent extensively, so when doing American cinema, he comes across as accentless. Standard English is the "default" accent for movies as well, and you'll notice that the main characters all use it unless there is a compelling reason for them not to (like they are from a specific region) just to make sure that everyone can understand their dialogue.

As far as I can tell, the Pacific Northwest generally speaks in this dialect.

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American accents?

American accents?

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