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 main reasons for Streep's success is that she manages to make her characters sound convincing. Compare her in any film she's acted in to, for instance, Kevin Costner who portrayed Robin Hood, one of Britain's most famous heroes, while speaking like an American. Costner's career never really recovered after that while Streep can get any role she wants.
Many people make the mistake of thinking all people in Britain sound like the royal family or like the country's politicians. That posh-sounding way of speaking is indeed what is regarded as standard English pronunciation, formally called Received Pronunciation. Few people speak like that from childhood, though. Even Margaret Thatcher had to learn Received Pronunciation so that she could sound more posh.
Not every character from Britain that you might portray will be from the upper classes. Instead, you may play a Scottish highlander or a Welsh coal miner. Only in England there are hundreds of ways to pronounce a word and the way that you do it can tell people whether you're from Yorkshire, Cornwall or Northumberland, for instance.
Often the variation is so great that you can pinpoint the town or city that a person grew up in simply by how they speak. Ozzy Osbourne, for example, is clearly from Birmingham, where the local dialect is known as Brummie, while there's no doubt that Paul McCartney is Liverpudlian. In some cases those with an ear for accents will even be able to tell whether you're from the northern or the southern part of London.
Of course, Britain does not only consist of England. It also encompasses Wales, Scotland and Northern Island, as well as islands such as Man or Jersey. At first, many of these accents may sound similar but if you know what to listen for, you'll soon be able to tell whether someone is, for instance, from Edinburgh or from Glasgow, the two largest cities in Scotland.
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'.
Learning different accents mostly involve listening and imitating. A good way to do this is to go live in a region for a while, where you'll constantly be exposed to the way the locals speak. When you're studying for a part in a play or movie, though, you'll need quicker results and a dialect coach may come to your rescue.
One of the main reasons for Streep's success is that she manages to make her characters sound convincing. Compare her in any film she's acted in to, for instance, Kevin Costner who portrayed Robin Hood, one of Britain's most famous heroes, while speaking like an American. Costner's career never really recovered after that while Streep can get any role she wants.
Many people make the mistake of thinking all people in Britain sound like the royal family or like the country's politicians. That posh-sounding way of speaking is indeed what is regarded as standard English pronunciation, formally called Received Pronunciation. Few people speak like that from childhood, though. Even Margaret Thatcher had to learn Received Pronunciation so that she could sound more posh.
Not every character from Britain that you might portray will be from the upper classes. Instead, you may play a Scottish highlander or a Welsh coal miner. Only in England there are hundreds of ways to pronounce a word and the way that you do it can tell people whether you're from Yorkshire, Cornwall or Northumberland, for instance.
Often the variation is so great that you can pinpoint the town or city that a person grew up in simply by how they speak. Ozzy Osbourne, for example, is clearly from Birmingham, where the local dialect is known as Brummie, while there's no doubt that Paul McCartney is Liverpudlian. In some cases those with an ear for accents will even be able to tell whether you're from the northern or the southern part of London.
Of course, Britain does not only consist of England. It also encompasses Wales, Scotland and Northern Island, as well as islands such as Man or Jersey. At first, many of these accents may sound similar but if you know what to listen for, you'll soon be able to tell whether someone is, for instance, from Edinburgh or from Glasgow, the two largest cities in Scotland.
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'.
Learning different accents mostly involve listening and imitating. A good way to do this is to go live in a region for a while, where you'll constantly be exposed to the way the locals speak. When you're studying for a part in a play or movie, though, you'll need quicker results and a dialect coach may come to your rescue.
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