Posted on 02/04/2005 4:09:39 AM PST by grassboots.org
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A new class that seeks to teach youngsters how to lose their Appalachian accents has set off an age-old phonetic debate: Should mountain natives drop the drawl or hold tightly to their twang?
The class, put on by an eastern Kentucky theater group, is designed for children in middle and high schools who want to reduce their accent to "broaden their performance opportunities and improve overall marketability."
"We don't want people to be held back just because they have an accent," said Martin Childers, managing director of Jenny Wiley Theatre in Prestonsburg. "If you want to work professionally, you have to be able to drop the accent when it's required. We want to give people the opportunity to learn to do that."
People from central Appalachia have been wrestling with the accent for as long as they have been driving to northern cities to land jobs. Some quickly adopted the speech patterns of Cincinnati or Detroit co-workers to avoid being ridiculed. Others held onto the accent like a cherished keepsake from home.
The Appalachian accent is the sort of southern drawl heard in the movie "Coal Miner's Daughter," about singer Loretta Lynn, a native of Van Lear, Ky. It shows up at times in the fitting of words together into what sounds like one word: "Did you eat?" becomes "jeat?" and "young ones" becomes "young'uns."
An Appalachian accent can be an asset if a casting director wants an authentic mountain sound, but Childers said a strong accent can prevent actors from being able to fill some roles, especially those involving characters from the Northeast or Midwest.
(Excerpt) Read more at lasvegassun.com ...
Speaking of accents, do you notice that the white liberal northern elite have their own accent?
The men sound effeminate and whiney and the women sound like amazons.
You mean like that fat Kennedy? Oops that's mean but I can't help it.
One thing that pisses me off is the decline of the ol' New York accent. You NEVER hear it in Manhattan these days. All the whites and Asians want to talk like overeducated NPR hosts, while the blacks and Latinos learn to talk from watching BET.
Only in the shallow minds of damnyankees!
I was making this EXACT point to my 10 year old just this morning....the "New York Accent" is now just a part of history.
A few things I insist on from those who live or move to the New York area:
1. Forest is pronounced FAR-est.
2. Orange is pronounced ARE-ange.
3. Florida is pronounced FLAH-rida.
4. Route is pronounced "root."
5. Drawer is pronounced "draw."
"An Appalachian accent can be an asset if a casting director wants an authentic mountain sound, but Childers said a strong accent can prevent actors from being able to fill some roles, especially those involving characters from the Northeast or Midwest."
Obviously they do not see his northeastern accent as problematic......they want to enable the students to sound just like him.
As this is an acting school, do they teach the students to switch this on and off? How confusing!
I don't have a problem with someone doing news and weather whose accent sounds like mine. I wish they did sound more regional, but I think the media exec think it's more sophisticated to bring someone in from outside.
Some accents are more pleasant than others--some are grating. Thinking of that flatlander mill-town North Carolina accent of John Edwards **shudder** He should have paid to rid his.
The Appalachian accent is often pure scotch irish as these people settled into the US and then sequestered themselves for years. There are parts of Appalachia where they speak with a more british accent--again from being isolated.
Actually, they be doin that, and there be some outrage.
Lucy (when caught red-handed doing something she told Ricky she was not going to do): "Gee, Ricky, maybe you misunderstood what I said."
Ricky: "Lucy! I may speak with an accent but I don't listen with one!"
How stupid. Why should everyone sound identical? I like their accent. The trend is for everyone to look alike, act alike, talk alike -- and more and more control by the Federal government.
Well, yeah. Goes without saying. But you can't always avoid damnYankees, especially in the business world. All you can do is outsmart 'em.
Everyone should learn to speak in a manner free from regionalisms.
I know how to do it, I taught myself many years ago. It's valuable knowledge.
Most of the time I speak Coonass, but it's from choice. That's just the way I am. :-)
You poah lil tang....ah'm hettin' for ya. Fo' tru!
Gary Sinise does a scarily good Texas accent. I was surprised to find out he wasn't a native!
LaFayette, GA., pronounced La-FAY-et
Over here, we just put letters to their proper use.
You meant to say UM-BUR-ROW, right? ;-)
Gid ovuh yehsel. Nuttin wrong wid larnin how tuh speet widdout regionalitiez. Ah ken doot when ah cheese to cuz ah en ignent.
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