Thread: Please, help to identify the accents!

Please, could anybody identify the accents of the main characters in such TV series as "House MD", "Pretender", "Friends" or "Angel"?

What I mean is can you tell who of them speaks standart American English (or if they have some noticable American accents what are these), and who has English, Australian or any other accent? Who of them speaks most clearly?

My friend is eager to try a new method of pronouncation training (mainly mimicking to the point of absolute identity some conversations). But he doesn't want to pick up a strange or funny accent. I'm not sure he will succed, but probably I'll try it too, if he has some progress. So whould you help us?

Слишком общая просьба - лучше запостите мп3 и мы ответим с удовольствием!

The reason is that almost all American productions use American actors who speak more or less standardized American. In Buffy there was that professor, and there was a bad guy, Spike, along with his girlfriend - these three spoke not American, probably Br. English.

In friends, they all speak american english except for those episodes when Ross was dating that woman from England. I forgot her name but she was English and spoke with an accent.

I believe most people in House are American, There is one guy (again I dont know his name) but he has Long(er) blonde hair and I know he is actually from Australia and speaks with an Australian accent.

I know that the show 'Bones' has an American and British main character and the British guy speaks with an English accent.

Lastly, I know I probably didn't help you at all, and I'm sorry.

No, Dogboy, you really helped. Thank you. I can now say to my friend, that he can safely use any of "Friens" voices. I think that's enough for now, there are plenty of episodes to recite.

I'm always thought that House himself speeks with English accent, because he's actually british. Or did he develop an American accent living in USA?

Also I often heard about "Boston accent", "Texas accent", etc. And I'm just curious, can you really identify where is the person from judging by his/her accent? I don't remember where "Friends" storyline takes place (I guess it's New-York). So don't they have "New-York" accent?

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

I'm always thought that House himself speeks with English accent, because he's actually british. Or did he develop an American accent living in USA?

Hugh Laurie is an English actor who speaks with an Oxbridge accent. His American accent in House is affected for the part, it's not real.

Also I often heard about "Boston accent", "Texas accent", etc. And I'm just curious, can you really identify where is the person from judging by his/her accent? I don't remember where "Friends" storyline takes place (I guess it's New-York). So don't they have "New-York" accent?

Yes, you can. Even as a Brit, I can often tell what part of the US an American comes from. With British accents, I can probably tell to within 30 miles where someone's accent comes from. With Scottish accents, I can probably tell which town or village they come from, and with Edinburgh accents (my home town), I can probably tell what part of the town they come from.

Originally Posted by scotcher

Hugh Laurie is an English actor who speaks with an Oxbridge accent. His American accent in House is affected for the part, it's not real.

Yeah, I didn't remember the actor's last name, but I remember him in "Jeeves and Wooster". They showed it to as at school, I couldn't understand 90% of what the characters were saying. "Jolly fellows" and such.
So in 'House' he speeks with fake American accent. Do you know is he good in it?

Originally Posted by scotcher

Even as a Brit, I can often tell what part of the US an American comes from. With British accents, I can probably tell to within 30 miles where someone's accent comes from. With Scottish accents, I can probably tell which town or village they come from, and with Edinburgh accents (my home town), I can probably tell what part of the town they come from.

It's amazing. I never could fully understand how it's possible. Probably it's because we don't have so many Russian accents, 2-4 at most, and they are not so well-defined geographically.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

So in 'House' he speeks with fake American accent. Do you know is he good in it?

I've heard that it convinced plenty of Americans who didn't know who he was before House, so I guess it must be. Personally, I think it's quite impressive, but I can't tell exactly how good since I knew it was fake from the start.

It's amazing. I never could fully understand how it's possible. Probably it's because we don't have so many Russian accents, 2-4 at most, and they are not so well-defined geographically.

No idea. I don't think regional accents are peculiar to English though. Didn't Russian used to have far greater variety in pronunciation than is the case today?

Yes they do live in New York. But since its just TV, and the actors all work in California, and the show is actually filmed in Hollywood, they all speak with a west coast accent.

Like scotcher said. You can tell what part of a city (usually) somebody is from by their accent. Sticking with new york, The show friends takes place on Manhattan island, But people speak differently if you go to Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Or staten island... Or even new jersey for that matter. All of them are no more than 20 miles away from each other, but each part of the city has its own accents.

Ive also noticed being in england that about every 50 miles the accent changes as well. I can't tell where people are from just by hearing them talk... I'm not that good yet. But someone posh from Great Yarmouth will sound nothing like a blue collar worker (like Ozzy Osbourne's accent), or someone from London.

It's fascinating! All American accents sound pretty much the same for me, so I'm very impressed you can differ them (Brittish English is another matter). And didn't know that the word Anglia exists in English. It's just like in Russian. Funny.

Scotcher, I agree, many languages have plenty of accent variations (German and Arabic come to mind).
But I know just a few variations of Russian pronounsation - Moscow region (prominent "a"), Volga region (prominent "o") and some south-eastern regions, where the pronouncation is influenced by Ukrainian, and probably some Siberian dialects (I/m not sure).
I didn't mention here Ukranian accent, Geogian accent, Armenian accent etc. (every soviet republic had it's own), because I'm talking here about Russa Russian accents.
Maybe somebody will tell you more.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

So in 'House' he speaks with fake American accent. Do you know how good he is at it?

Hugh Laurie's American accent is very, very good. Fans of that show are often shocked when they learn he isn't really American.