# How can I fake an English accent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2002, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481 "2002-12-09T08:57:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/41 "2002-12-10T23:44:13Z")
Oh yeah, one more important vowel difference between American and RP. The “long o” vowel is heavily diphthongized in RP, but only slightly in General American. RP speakers don’t just let go of the o vowel when they’re done saying it, but but let it trail off into a strong offglide. It’s like o followed by oo-ww. In fact, the really snooty RP o doesn’t even have any o in it at all. It starts with a neutral central vowel like an elongated schwa or even an open eh … then the oo-ww offglide. eh-oo-ww. Italian is the international gold standard for “pure vowel” sounds. No offglides in Italian. Just the plain o and that’s it. American o has a slight offglide, but is much closer to an Italian pure o than the RP sound. Garrison Keillor, in _The Book of Guys_, has a hilarious essay telling how in high school he imitated a recording of Sir John Gielgud reading Walt Whitman’s “O Captain!” Gielgud had the plummiest of British accents. When saying “oh!” he stretched out the syllable into a veritable polyphthong. “Aaeooouuuwwwww…” ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/42 "2002-12-10T23:57:39Z")
Many of us American linguists have tried to teach ourselves little- known languages from odd corners of the world. Most of the teach-yourself books for these unusual languages were written by British authors for a British audience. Consequently, when explaining the pronunciation of foreign sounds, they give examples of dialects from various parts of Britain. For example, “You have to pronounce this sound somewhat as a Yorkshireman would…” or “This is approximately the sound heard in Devonshire speech…”, etc. Americans are then at a loss, not having any idea how these far-flung corners of Britain speak. We mostly get to hear the homogenized BBC accent, which I have heard was artificially contrived so as not to sound like any genuine regional accent. ---
**Author:** ![Blueapple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Blueapple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueapple)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/43 "2002-12-11T00:23:57Z")
You might want to pick up/order a copy of [Lonely Planet’s British Phrasebook](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0864424841/qid=1039566188/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-2458098-7095824?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) I picked one up a few years ago in Harrods bookshop, and have seen it around the states in travel bookstores a few times. I find it very interesting as it is written to shop you the whole aspect of British (including many dialects) along with Welsh and Scottish. There are many phrases as well as customs too. I find it very interesting with a good dose of humor in it. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/44 "2002-12-13T00:34:05Z")
what, no julia roberts/mary reilly jokes? ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/45 "2002-12-13T03:06:40Z")
It’s suprising that someone would single out Johnny Depp’s accent in _From Hell_. Compared to Heather Graham, he’s dead on. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/46 "2002-12-13T07:27:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handsomeharry \* > \*\*what, no julia roberts/mary reilly jokes? \*\* Maybe because this is a thread about _English_ accents … ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/47 "2002-12-13T08:34:34Z")
Say “ectually” every now and then. ---
**Author:** ![Sparrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/48 "2002-12-13T14:02:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wendell Wagner \* > \*\*Sparrow writes: > > \> Also among the worst - Anthony la Paglia as Daphne’s brother > \> in Frasier. Awful. > > You do realize that Anthony LaPaglia is Australian, don’t you? He’s an interesting case. \*\* I thought he might be, because his Bad English Accent is so different from a BEA done by Americans, who all tend to make the same mistakes, mainly by being to exaggerated. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/49 "2002-12-13T14:24:18Z")
Ironically, (look it up Americans) most Brits can do a pretty good American accent. Why is that? Is it more exposure through the media? Or perhaps that British accents are components in the American Accent? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/50 "2002-12-13T15:05:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by owlstretchingtime \* > \*\*Ironically, (look it up Americans) most Brits can do a pretty good American accent. > > Why is that? Is it more exposure through the media? Or perhaps that British accents are components in the American Accent? \*\* Actually, if you’re talking about ordinary-Brits-on-the-street, most of them sound like an Irish person with a mouthful of marbles when they try to do an American accent. Even trained actors can’t always pull it off – I’ve been to an RSC performance where one of them tried and failed miserably. Emma Thompson does a fairly good American accent in _Primary Colors_, but there’s one longish monologue toward the beginning where she slips a bit. I think it’s almost as hard for Brits to do an American accent as the other way around, it’s just that they sound OK to other Brits because it’s harder to hear mistakes in an accent that isn’t your own. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/51 "2002-12-13T18:37:17Z")
I agree with **Porpentine**. We _think_ we’re doing well, but we aren’t. We’re largely rubbish at it. Just listen to any ‘Yank’ character on Radio 4 drama. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/52 "2002-12-13T19:37:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*Sean Connery is the MASTER of accents 🙂 \*\* **Agent** : Say, Sean, we’ve got a role here for a Tough Irish-American cop. Can you do that? **Sean** : Well, how about I interprete that with a Scottish accent? **Agent** : Perfect! And how about this Soviet navel officer? **Sean** : I could do my Edinburgh accent for that. **Agent** : Genius! They’re also looking for an secret agent. No nationality specified, so you could really let your imagine fly with that one! **Sean** : Scotsh with a tendanshy to shhhh my eshhhes? **Agent** : I love it! American academic? **Sean** : Well then, tailor-made for my American-born-and-bred-in-Scotland accent. I’ve been practicing that one! **Agent** : Oh my gawd, you are so versatile! How about alien from Planet Zog whose mother is South African, father Indian and spent his teen years in Japan? **Sean** : Tricky. … Sound anything like this? **Agent** : Perfect! Rather like a Scottish Edinburgh accent!!! **Sean** : What about the Braveheart role? **Agent** : Sorry, it fell through. They prefered Mel’s accent. They were looking for a mangled American-Austrailian interpretation. **Sean** : Pity. **Agent** : You should hear him, he’s very good. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/53 "2002-12-16T10:18:48Z")
Agent: I 've got a part for you Sean, I’ve made an appointment tomorrow for 10ish. Sean: Tennish? I haven’t even got a raquet boom boom. ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/54 "2002-12-16T16:34:30Z")
Ralph Feinnes in Red Dragon was very iffy. The wierder the character got, the more pronounced his English accent became. As you are from Norn Irn, Dunmurry, why not try watching one of the English soaps? You would be able to hone your skills three nights a week or four if you wanted a Yorkshire accent and tuned in to Emmerdale. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/55 "2002-12-16T18:54:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*Dick Van Dyke did the worst ever english accent in Mary Poppins. \*\* Just to be fair, Tim Curry did the worst american accent I’ve ever heard in “Annie” (a thoroughly awful movie) I wish I’d cited Sean Connery 🙂 Brian ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/56 "2002-12-16T20:09:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*Say “ectually” every now and then. \*\* And here I thought that was pronounced _egg-jelly_… ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/57 "2002-12-16T21:33:35Z")
Just keep repeating this phrase: “Sweep your chimney for a shilling, guv” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481/58 "2002-12-16T22:01:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fretful Porpentine \* > **Actually, if you’re talking about ordinary-Brits-on-the-street, most of them sound like an Irish person with a mouthful of marbles when they try to do an American accent.** Most of them sound like they took diction lessons from Jeff Spicoli. Although in _High Fidelity_ Catherine Zeta-Jones sounded like she’d taken them from Barbara Walters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-fake-an-english-accent/141481.md?page=2)