The best actors are also the most versatile ones. Take Meryl Streep, for example. She has played everything from tragic heroines to moms you don't mess with to ditsy ex-hippies. She's also portrayed several real-life characters to great acclaim. Meryl Streep never has to sit around waiting for a great role. They come to her and directors and producers know that if they want a character who doesn't speak standard American English, Streep is the person to cast. If you want to improve your versatility as an actor, a good way to start is with 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.
What many people think of as a British accent is only one of many different ways in which the people of Britain may speak. It's known as Received Pronunciation and is often associated with the upper classes and being posh. The members of Britain's royal family normally speak this way and people in positions of power, such as the country's prime minsters, have often learned Received Pronunciation by taking elocution lessons.
However, just like someone from Massachusetts will sound very different from someone who is from Tennessee, Britain has a wealth of regional accents. In England alone there can be variation in how people speak in towns that are only an hour's drive apart. Someone from the south of England and someone from the north may even sound as if they're from different countries.
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.
Adding to the rich variety of English spoken in the UK are the accents of other parts of the country. To the untrained ear, the accents from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland often sound the same because of the way speakers roll the r. However, they're actually quite different and even within each of these regions you'll find variation. Someone from Edinburgh, for instance, speak a different kind of Scots than someone from Glasgow.
Of course there's no point in learning how to speak in a specific dialect from Britain if you're going to use American vocabulary. You'll need to learn that in Britain, the fall is called 'autumn', 'corn' is really any kind of cereal and 'pants' are underwear rather than trousers. Vocabulary also varies across dialects and where people in some parts may say 'My mum', others may say 'Me mam'.
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.
What many people think of as a British accent is only one of many different ways in which the people of Britain may speak. It's known as Received Pronunciation and is often associated with the upper classes and being posh. The members of Britain's royal family normally speak this way and people in positions of power, such as the country's prime minsters, have often learned Received Pronunciation by taking elocution lessons.
However, just like someone from Massachusetts will sound very different from someone who is from Tennessee, Britain has a wealth of regional accents. In England alone there can be variation in how people speak in towns that are only an hour's drive apart. Someone from the south of England and someone from the north may even sound as if they're from different countries.
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.
Adding to the rich variety of English spoken in the UK are the accents of other parts of the country. To the untrained ear, the accents from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland often sound the same because of the way speakers roll the r. However, they're actually quite different and even within each of these regions you'll find variation. Someone from Edinburgh, for instance, speak a different kind of Scots than someone from Glasgow.
Of course there's no point in learning how to speak in a specific dialect from Britain if you're going to use American vocabulary. You'll need to learn that in Britain, the fall is called 'autumn', 'corn' is really any kind of cereal and 'pants' are underwear rather than trousers. Vocabulary also varies across dialects and where people in some parts may say 'My mum', others may say 'Me mam'.
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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