# For Aussies and other English speaking peoples **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2001, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460 "2001-12-02T14:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460/21 "2001-12-04T12:24:26Z")
To use the “Australian” episode of The Simpsons as a guide: The little kid who answered Bart’s phone call had an awful accent. Whoever did that one wasn’t Australian. His father’s voice was well done though. It sounded like a native Aussie-English speaker trying to ham up his own accent. It was quite funny. ---
**Author:** ![AB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/82dd89/32.png) [@AB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AB)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460/22 "2001-12-05T10:03:30Z")
I have to say that I was suitlably impressed with Kate Winslets Aussie accent in “Holy Smoke”. She came to Oz to promote it and spoke on Triple J with Merrick and Rosso (apologies for anybody not Australian for these references) and they asked her to do the interview in her Aussie accent - she was pretty bloody good. I thought Gwyneth absolutely sucked in “Sliding Doors” - it was like she HAD to say “bollocksy, bleeding, shagging wanker” about ten times to prove that she was even pretending to be English - but then again, I really really dislike her, so maybe I am a little predisposed in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460/23 "2001-12-05T12:19:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AB \* > \*\*I thought Gwyneth absolutely sucked in “Sliding Doors” - it was like she HAD to say “bollocksy, bleeding, shagging wanker” about ten times to prove that she was even pretending to be English - but then again, I really really dislike her, so maybe I am a little predisposed in my opinion. \*\* I can’t stand her either, but that’s not the reason I thought her accent sucked. It just did. It was like a parody-accent, like she was trying to imitate Four Weddings and a Funeral. “Emma” was slightly more bearable, if only because it was a more appropriate accent for that type of character (historically/socially). But her accent in SD was hard and flat, whereas a native English person even with a very “correct”/“well-spoken”/received pronunciation voice would sound much more relaxed and natural. But then I guess she’s not native. ---
**Author:** ![Norrybaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9a28c/32.png) [@Norrybaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norrybaby)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460/24 "2001-12-05T12:35:55Z")
Personally, I thought Meryl Streep really sucked, but then, like others have said, maybe that’s 'cos I really hate her. > [@](#): > > We might never find out all because keeping them out made for an excellent election stunt. I’m with Dave, double amen to that. Bloody Little Johnny ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460/25 "2001-12-05T13:38:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anticay \* > **Same for the Brits, Irish, SAs while I’m at it…** South African here - the only two movies (that I have watched) with SA accents are _Muriel’s wedding_ (the swimmer she was going the marry) and one of the _Lethal Weapon_ movies (all the bad guys) and they all sucked (the accents, not neccesarily the movies). I havn’t seen _Cry Freedom_ or _Sarafina_ and I know that _Cry the Beloved Country_ and _Ghandi_ used SA actors for the SA parts (with the exception of James Earl Jones in the former of course). I suppose that the moral of the story is that, to a native, any attempt to mimic your accent will sound put-on, and it takes an exeptional talent to overcome this… Gp ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460/26 "2001-12-05T14:14:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grimpixie \* > \*\*_Muriel’s wedding_ (the swimmer she was going the marry) \*\* [Totally off-topic] She did marry him. But why, oh why, oh why, did she not stay with him?!! Yes, I know that misses the point of the film, but arrrggh!!! He was soooo nice! [/Totally off-topic] ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460/27 "2001-12-05T18:32:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mersavets \* > **You’re right on all counts of course. I was really making the point that most of our cultural ambassadors don’t seem to have actually been born here. Phar Lap, Michael Klim, John Farnham (blech!)… so many great Aussies are actually imports.** Hugh Jackman? ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460/28 "2001-12-06T08:51:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by istara \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by grimpixie \* > > \*\*_Muriel’s wedding_ (the swimmer she was going the marry) \*\* > > [Totally off-topic] > She did marry him. > But why, oh why, oh why, did she not stay with him?!! > Yes, I know that misses the point of the film, but arrrggh!!! > He was soooo nice! > [/Totally off-topic] \*\* Well, for one thing, he had a terrible accent!!😃 Gp ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460/29 "2001-12-06T10:25:37Z")
The Minogue’s were actually born and raised here and even they don’t have real Aussie accents. Looks like we’re stuck with footballers and cricketers (Ian Meldrum might qualify, he says “uhm” a lot). I want to know how Rolf Harris can have spent so many years in Britain and still sound like an Aussie to me. It’s definitely a vowel thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-aussies-and-other-english-speaking-peoples/96460.md?page=1)