downton abbey accents

The actor who plays Carson is actually from Yorkshire, but in many ways, his accent is ‘milder’ than the other staff, suggesting he tries to distance himself from his upbringing (which makes sense: in the episode where it is revealed he was once a music hall performer, it’s made clear how ashamed he is of his past). We spent endless time diagramming sentences, competing in spelling bees, and memorizing poetry, and all that had an effect on how we expressed ourselves in daily life. Downton Abbey has been an unexpected giant hit in the United States for years now. There was an emphasis on avoiding “slang” which of itself seems quaint. Now where on EARTH is Moseley with that tea??? One routinely hears Americans say “GER-bulls.” As if it were “guy gerbils” or something. If first, then Cora is, in fact, Jewish American which certainly precludes a blue blood aristocratic background. I can only assume this is a cunning scheme to make her acting look brilliant in comparison…. The dialectologist K.M. I haven’t seen it yet, but (being a fan of British television) will have to check it out! I agree completely. Oh, I so agree about her line endings. The references to America may be a reflection of that. Pingback: Accents, and listening – franceskraft. Am I missing something? Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. I put in my two or three cents before reading yours, and of course agree. She had, it remains to this day, the largest diamond ring I’ve seen in my life being worn by someone and not in a display case. “Think about it: music alone, so many people sing with an American accent. (I wonder where he comes from?). Great post. Most strikingly, the actors who play the wealthy characters eschew older varieties of ‘Upper Crust’ Received Pronunciation for slightly more contemporary varieties of RP. Thank you for beginning this conversation. Anyway, I thought he was a British jazz singer, who might have been trying to imitate an American style of singing. Actress Michelle Dockery's cut glass … Accents are more about pronunciation and sound, whereas dialects are more about word usage and idioms. I suspect that inconsistencies on the ‘English’ side of the cast were due to inexperience and basic lack of ability. But I must say, in the larger scheme of things, that the current American-English broacasting voices in the United States (e.g. Took us all away from the crassness of modern life. I’m glad I found this blog and I’m looking forward to reading more. What would Downton Abbey be like if it did not feature British accents? It was a surprise to find this blog on this special subject, even if it’s sometimes quite hard for me to follow some of you and your explanations. Older, affected RP (think Robert Morley or Noel Coward) was gratingly unpleasant to the ear but the Estuary solution was a great leap backward in clarity and erudition. I agree she isn’t one of the stronger actors on the series, but again, I think the outrage over her accent is mistaken. She does not sound either American or British to me. A bad dialect trips up the whole performance amd marks the actor, however seasoned, as an amateur. Clearly, a “transatlantic” accent could muddle the issue. I think that this has changed drastically which is why I find most American TV unwatchable (or unlistenable). In addition, the one accent closest to Estuary is spoken by a Welsh actor. that could be helpful for me. Quel hasard je comptais écrire un petit poste pareil à celui-là, Bon ce poste va aller sur mon site internet personnel, ʟ’intégralité de ces polst sont visiƅlemeent plaisants. The attitudes of these century-old characters may be hopelessly classist, but there was also a loyalty to employees and employers that is perhaps missing in the contemporary society. I can confirm Thomas has a Mancunian (Manchester) Daisy and Mrs. Patmore sound like Lancashire accents, O’Briens accent I forget but Anna’s sounds Lancastrian also. The actress who plays Mrs. Hughes is from Scotland, and you can definitely hear some of that in her accent. Kathryn Hepburn, and other actors of the period have this invented accent that was created to sound posh by american standards. None of the others do, Anna and Thomas have Manchester accents (NORTH west) Mosely has a slight northern twang but none of the characters speaks with a strong regional accent, Yorkshire or otherwise. Cotton Highclere Castle Downton Abbey House Crowns English Castles England Britain Travel Polka Dots Gray Cotton Fabric Print by The Yard (a-7317-c) 5.0 out of 5 stars 2. Those 2 words sound identical for most English people. This in sharp contrast to the put on accent of Elizabeth McGovern as Cora. the upper crust adopted this accent… which has all but died out. Matthew, Downton Abbey With American Accents Is Very Weird—Michelle Dockery Is a Valley Girl? I’m just going by what sounds familiar to me and what doesn’t. Yes, it is true, Cora’s accent ( a softer american accent, yet with the very strong irish-like “R” sound of the standard american accent) is the kind of accent that preceded the “transatlantic” accent of the 20s through 40s. For example, actress Kristen Wiig, which she pronounces “Wig.” Clearly her ancestors (or perhaps US Immigration) decided to preserve the spelling at the expense of the original prounciation which would be “VEEG” in Austrian German. It had to be worth several hundred thousand if not more. Example: cockney, the Yorkshire accent, Brooklynese, etc. Luckily, you can hear them sound more like their usual selves when "Downton" returns for its sixth (and final!) Liz MacG was just on an Irish talkshow (Miriam O’Callaghan) and she mentioned her accent on the show, and her surprise (and evidently, umbrage) at being sent to an accent coach. Nobody is teaching these people how to read, pronounce, or speak anymore and it would appear nobody knows the difference on either side of the screen! It’s brilliant. All of this is to say that Downton Abbey is a fascinating show from a linguistic perspective, and I highly recommend it. So when us (rhotic) Yanks and Canucks hear English people pronounce Sade as “shah-DAY” [ʃɑːˈdeɪ], we don’t know if we’re supposed to pronounce it “shah-DAY” [ʃɑːˈdeɪ] or “shar-DAY” [ʃɑɹˈdeɪ]. She brings a certain good cheer to Downton Abbey. That could have been a real game changer; or at the very least an interesting conundrum. Cora’s mother, Martha Levinson….do we know if Levinson is her second husband’s name, or first? Thanks for the article and comments. Actors Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Allen Leech showed off their hilarious US accents … One is also tempted to think in this context of Tony Blair’s glo’al stops. Her simpering smile is silly. Fuct.” See what I mean? Let me make clear that to me regional accents are in no way a degradation of the language, of themselves. I don’t pratice or hear English very much these last years so to keep en touch with the tongue I watch TV shows American and British ones. It's a little sad, because we prefer the posh British accents that make the stars (and characters) sound so much better. Does she have two consonants in the word? : Check out the freshest blog post on our very own blog It’s my understanding that she is supposed to have grown up with great wealth in America, then married an English nobleman in the late 1880s. Will there be a Season 5? Most English people don’t distinguish between shar and shah, because of R-dropping. Reminds me of a certain film: “Vito Andolini, from Corleone.”, “Although now that I think about it, would Brits pronounce her name as SHAR-day, as some of them do with China, calling it ‘Chiner’?”. If chiner were a word, most English people would say it just like China. Sacred turf. I would also love an explanation of Daisy, whose speech seems markedly different from anybody else in the downstairs group — is she supposed to be from even further out into the country, or is it her specific voice, or…? Hurrah! My personal favourites are Violet’s, Lady Mary’s and Daisy’s accents. I’m curious, how would you characterize Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes’ accents? the best but characatur-ical example of this is Thurston Howell from Giligan’s island. The Origins of the Pirate Accent, When Did Americans Stop "Talking British? I suppose. Mrs. Hughes has a Scottish accent. But clearly there must be legions of us who do! private) schools the moment they wished to. It used to be that media-ese in Broadcasting kept a strict standard of language. Beyond me. His accent is a horrid mishmash of RP, NYC tough guy for some reason, “standard American” and intermittent snatches of other things. 3 light green stones are accented with a halo of glittering clear crystals on a gold tone chain for a look that adds plenty of color and sparkle to your spring style. Consider the dropped ‘t,’ replaced by the glottal stop or simply abandoned: “Mar’n (Martin) drove his Pin’o (Pinto) from Sacramen’o (Sacramento) to go to the den’ist (dentist).” Or the dropped ‘l’ (a speech defect, often laziness, failing to touch the roof of the mouth with the tip of the tongue): “Moo-ions (millions) of do-wars (dollars) were spent in the viw-age (village).” Speech therapists can correct that specific problem. I have to disagree with your assertion that Clarkson speaks with an Estuary accent. Downton Abbey American accents on Late Show With Stephen Colbert; ... There’s nothing like a British accent to lend an air of gravitas to the upstairs-downstairs class struggles on Downton Abbey. The studio accent is characterized by a radically softened rhotic “r” and denasalized vowels. Mrs. Hughes has a Scottish brogue. I think it would enrich my appreciation for the portrayals if that layer of nuance could be available, as an annotation to the video. In the case of Downton Abbey, reproducing historical accuracy in the dialects is essential. Thanks for the support! The clarity @Ralph: I think I follow what you mean, but I believe those Yanks/Canucks hearing “Shah-day” for the first time should instead have wondered about the spelling of the name, rather than the pronunciation. I wonder who made this choice, and why. A sure sign of overacting. Downton Abbey With American Accents Is Very Weird—Michelle Dockery Is a Valley Girl? This made them all sound the same no matter where they came from. (Brits may be intrigued to know that some Americans say “winder” for “window” and “idear” for “idea.” Mostly Bostonians and people from parts of the South.). At least there were many mentions of Canada and, being no expert on accents, especially not American/Canadian ones, I thought what he speaks must be a Canadian accent. But semantics aside, there are a few aspects of "Downton Abbey" Season 4, that raise some questions, as the period drama attempts to tackle such issues as … This post answered all of my questions. Petyt did a study on this and found that Emily Bronte’s representation of the local dialect was very accurate for a non-phonetic text. Mr. Carson has more of a London or Southern accent. Mr Mason has a Yorkshire accent. But it seems more plausible to me it’s just another convenient anachronism, to “code” her as a typical American, to be recognizable as such to modern audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Maggie Smith’s pronunciation of ‘off’ might better be described as an American pronouncing ‘awf,’ since in American speech the ‘r’ is emphasized–your suggestion of ‘orf’ might confuse American readers, in context. I thought Estuary was supposed to come from a combination of the influence of “Eastenders” added to the Australian influence of “Neighbours”, “Home and Away”, and others. “I’m sooooo happy to be heeyuh at my deeeyuh home on my buhthday,” and so on. Thanks for the reply and the link (and for not pointing out that my flying fingers somehow made me misspell “Nazi”). Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog: Dialectblog.com: On language variation | Floating in Dreams, This Week’s Language Blog Roundup | Wordnik ~ all the words, Downton Abbey and the Perils of Preservation | Nick Socrates Contemporary Art, The Death of Drama School Accent Enforcement | Dialect Blog, Arrr, Matey! Anyway, Cora’s English sort of reminds me of Marilyn Monroe, or Jayne Mansfield. Ms. Mcgovern fills the role perfectly. e.g. All artisto's speak the Queens English, received pronunciation, which is 'posh'. It occurred to me that the ancestors of music producer Butch Vig (Nirvana/Foo Fighters) might have had the same spelling (Wiig) until a gruff bureaucrat at Ellis Island decided to phoneticize the surname. I am always shocked when I visit Ireland or the UK and people say that I don’t “sound American”. Thomas has a Mancunian accent though (Manchester) which is similar but still distinct. In “Restless” the other actors, especially Hayley Atwell, Rufus Sewell and Charlotte Rampling, deliver their RP flawlessly. Better yet, a case of identity fraud. I’ve seen films and heard recordings of some women from the same basic period and none of them, I mean none, ever pronounced an “R” the way Cora Crawley does. Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Allen Leech perform a scene from "Downton Abbey" using good ol' American accents, and it's unsettling. I mean, not only doesn’t she drop her “R”s, she draws them way out. For example, I remember I once thought an Englishman was talking about his career, but I later realized he was talking about Korea. (Sorry to say it, but it’s how I feel..). Semi-OT, but one thing I really like about Downtown Abbey is that it portrays the relationship as a much more collaborative one. Only common people had regional accents in UK. His career could only have gotten better having the full breadth of Downton under his belt. But having read these comments, I’m guessing that’s how it’s supposed to be??? And I think we can all agree that Elizabeth McGovern could not manage it. Would sound utterly stupid to replace British or American accents with German ‘counterparts’, although it was done in earlier times sometimes! All the aristocrats speak with an upper class English accent. Actors Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Allen Leech showed off their hilarious US accents … ET on PBS. The same ‘delightful difference’ in regional accents maybe found in the U.S. in the distinctive accents of Brooklyn, or Texas. I have a problem with Elizabeth McGovern’s American accent. I expected her to use Standard American, or “Transatlantic” as you mention, because it was the received pronunciation for the upper classes. no one else on the show actually speaks with a 60s accent… although they speak with the tone. Downton Abbey Silver Tone Crystal Accent Red Teardrop Wire Earrings 18190 Regular price $32.00 USD Save $-32.00 USD / Add a spark of color with these ruby red teardrop earrings set in silver-tone metal and accented with petite clear crystals around the main stone. What a great find! They may have explained this somewhere, or else Millicent couldn’t do the Manchester accent (I’d be surprised if she couldn’t), or no one on the production team actually noticed the difference. A good dialect ought to be so smoothly engrained that one oughtn’t really even take notice of it but rather the words and emotions being expressed by the character should be the focus. I watched Downton Abbey on a whim and was hooked and watched all the seasons in a few days time. Now Carson I could listen to all day! “. FULL COVERAGE: ‘Downton Abbey’ news, features and intrique “If only we could take one lesson out of this otherwise terrifyingly starched era and … If you want to hear her ‘natural’ Estuaryspeak, watch the excellent new Sundance two-parter “Restless,” in which the grating unpleasantness of her voice comes across strongly. I wonder if this was a conscious decision. Oh Gawd, the jazz singer’s accent was AWFUL!!! Shirley is originally from Virginia, though of course she has a trained voice. A ‘t’ in Clinton would sound pretty affected in Arkansas. An accent that would be contemporary of new york blue bloods would be theodore roosevelt or woodrow wilson. The spelling ‘orf’ is a typical non-rhotic speaker’s way of indicating that off sounded like ‘awf’. I am writing my bachelor thesis on RP English in media, with a particular attention to Downton Abbey, so this right here is a goldmine for me. She and Shirley MacLaine had an encounter in a hallway in London during the last episode of Downton Abbey, shown here a couple of weeks ago. In reality a performer like Jack Ross would have adopted RP or “Mid-Atlantic” accents for upper class audiences as the real Leslie Hutchinson did. Nine times out of ten you will get, ” NO PROBLEM”. My friend met Mr. Fellowes at a dinner party quite unexpectedly in London last year. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest (Washington State), so I have a fairly tame American accent (no twang, few swallowed sounds, no exaggerated vowels). I like her very much, however. You’re right, Downstairs they mostly speak with a Yorkshire accent. RP was then taught and used worldwide. I was curious about McGovern, and you’ve answered my question. And WHY?! Which begs the question: when did ” You’re welcome” become ” No problem” ? ” Mr. MOLESLEY !!! It has completed 3 seasons and fourth season is being aired from January 9, 2011. A result of poor dialect coaching which the director ought not have given his blessing to. I think that most of us in the 50’s and 60’s felt that it was important to sound educated and non regional and perhaps even “mature”. Simply want to say your article is as surprising. I also love Cora’s “tinged” accent, and Violet is just awesome in general. As ‘Lady Mary’ Michelle Dockery does a haphazard job of concealing her ‘natural’ Estuaryspeak but it slips from time to time. Having said all that it is no easy feat to assimilate in Britain as an American. He gives James Earl Jones a run for his money. McGovern’s accent is awful. So when the stars of the new film, Michelle Dockery … obtain helpful data regarding my study and knowledge. If you would like to debate this further, feel free to call me in California–650.962.9590. (Sorry, I can’t remember the technical term for what they do, but there are basically two distinct forms of the “r” sound in German (so I believe), and it tends to be fairly regional. It’s been a pleasant and very interesting reading! But her acting skills are limited and somewhat one dimensional. Very insightful! Lady Grantham of 'Downton Abbey' Leads a Double Life as a Folk-Rock Musician Diane Kruger is a Master of Accents Downton Abbey Cast Signed for Seasons 4 and 5! $7.95 $ 7. Had she done a bit of research into the accents of wealthy ladies of Cora’s time, blue bloods and not, and had she listened to old recordings of these types of women – with a good ear ( and barring that, the aid of seasoned dialect coach) she would certainly have been able to give Lady Grantham an accent worthy of her unique station. He returns physically disfigured, but expects the family to recognize his voice. I’ve always been very interested in accents and the differences that can be heard. Another example of Americans’ mispronunciation of the German “o:” (commonly rendered “oe”) is Goethe. Like Mad Men, it is set in a transitional time in a country’s history (in this case, 1910’s Britain), and as such, it is interesting to see how the show deals (or doesn’t) with the dialects of its characters. However, while in most of Germany, there is not what you’d call a hard “r” sound, the further south you go, and this also extends into Austria, they often tend to “trill” or “roll” the “r”. For example, many of the younger actors use some glottal-reinforcement for voiceless plosives like /t/, /p/ and /k/–perfectly normal for modern ‘mainstream’ RP, but probably less so among early-20th-Century aristocrats. Downton Abbey stars Michelle Dockery, Allen Leech and Hugh Bonneville joined Stephen Colbert on set to promote the series’ final season, and were promptly presented with a royal challenge. She looked the part in the early episodes, but the Marcel Wave is very unflattering, indeed, mostly she looks pasty. In fact all of the Top Gear presenters are pretty posh and speak Public School PR. It was the mark of an educated person, regardless of region. Stephen Colbert tasked the actors with doing a scene as Americans. Best regards I think that the Downton Abbey folks decided to play to what sounds American to their core UK audience. Today, for example, better (clearer, RP-based) English is spoken in Delhi than in London. Most English people don’t distinguish between father and farther, i.e., they don’t distinguish the “ah sound” from the “ar sound” (both sound like “ah”). At last I got a web site from where I can actually Clear examples of the Estuary accent can be seen if you watch a television presenter like Jonathan Ross speak or a soap like Eastenders demonstrates it its strongest form. I also think McGovern’s acting is often very poor. I’m German and a huge Downton addict, currently watching it in English (there is a very good German dubbed version, but it’s really intriguing to hear the original! But still very hard on the ears! Basically, in older variants of RP, the sound in ‘off’ was pronounced with the same vowel as ‘thought,’ contrasting with the short-o sound in ‘lot.’ Many American accents still do this, most markedly in New York (hence the jokes about “Cawfee”) and the Mid-Atlantic. . But there is also a thing in most (I think) English accents called an intrusive R. In this case, there really is an R after the word, e.g., China-r-is an awful country. Those people are probably no longer with us and now anything goes and ignorance rules. Only 2 left in stock - order soon. Begging your pardon. By … You can hear the Transatlantic accent in any old American movie — listen to Joan Crawford or Bette Davis. I am apparently the last person in the English-speaking world to watch Downton Abbey, but got a chance to see the first series over the past two evenings. I think Mrs. Hughes leans toward a Scottish dialect. Heck, didn’t Thomas Edison himself (a regular old American Joe) drop some of his Rs while reciting “Mary Had a Little Lamb”? NBC’s Williams and CBS’ Pelley) are far superior to their current BBC counterparts in the UK. Unfortunately, his English is rather difficult to understand (for me), but you can get the idea from the German words he says. A shimmering multi-faceted faux ruby red crystal that shines within a lustrous silver tone frame accented with petite clear crystals. Has anyone ever created a guide to the dialects or accents of the various characters in the series? But this only happens when the following word begins with a vowel (and the speaker doesn’t pause before it), as in the example I just gave. There is also a brief recording of Alice Longworth Roosevelt available, which I think may provide a good example of a somewhat typical Society accent. Shine bright this spring with colorful crystals and polished metals. Downton Abbey Cast Performs Scene With American Accents on Late Show — And It's Unsettling (Watch Video) By Ryan Schwartz / December 10 2015, 7:02 AM PST 14 But her default accent by choice was an upper-class Dallas drawl. Mrs. Hughes has a Scottish accent. I think you’re underestimating the producer’s intentions with Cora. It’s pretty unashamedly aiming to be popular entertainment – and apparently that worked given that the season 4 premiere was PBS’s biggest night ever on the American airwaves. Not everyone is so lucky, and I expect that is the case with Miss McGovern. in your post is simply spectacular and i could assume you are an Buy Downton Abbey "Gilded Age Boxed" Gold-Tone Edwardian Pave Crystal Accent Drop Earrings and other Drop & Dangle at Amazon.com. As a Californian American, I didn’t get that pun at all the first time I saw The Pirates of Penzance. But this guy takes it to an extreme and was very hard on the ears. Thomas has a Mancunian accent though (Manchester) which is similar but still distinct. Downton Abbey’s use of RP, now sadly considered archaic or elitist, was entirely appropriate in key cast members. (After all he, not you, is the one who actually moves in this social circles.) expert on this subject. I’m surprised that character of Patrick hasn’t resurfaced. Downton Abbey is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes.The series first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2010, and in the United States on PBS, which supported production of the series as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology, on 9 January 2011..

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