Speaking with an Accent

[Myfanawy]

One thing I've been wondering about...how easy do you ladies find it, in general, to learn to speak with the proper accent at faire? I tried a bit of it at AZRF, but it comes out sounding like this strange mix of English, Irish, and Scottish (some sounds and pronunciations just come more naturally to me...) I guess my biggest thing is that I'm afraid of sounding stupid for saying stuff wrong. The times I did briefly interact with vendors and such seemed to go well, and were fun.

Of course, this is coming from someone who's mother is a linguist at UC Berkeley (she's fluent in Welsh, can get by in Gaelic, and also specializes in other languages, incuding Chumash.)
--M

[Jeannie Fitzgerald]

I portray a disenfranchised Irish Noblewoman. I've spent many an hour in Irish bars in the past so picking up the acent was easy enough (I suppose being part Irish doesn't hurt). I also have played (and replayed...ad infinitum...ad nauseum) recordings of Irish movies (my favorites are The Secret of Roan Inish and The Matchmaker) studying the accent.

Doing an accent at Festivals is actually quite easy. Most patrons (and many participants) wouldn't know a good accent from a bad one. Most participants speak what is known as BFA (basic faire accent) which is a cross of American and hammed up English with frequent use of Early Modern English (what was spoken in England during the Renaissance) terminology (thee, thou, etc.). The trick is to sound a bit stuffy, large and deliberate, like a hammy Shakespearian actor.

Many people think talking like people in Shakespeare's works is the way to go. While it will work, I don't fully agree, Remember, what old Billy Wigglestick wrote was for the stage and is greatly exaggerated and over stylized. Better would be the language of the King James Bible (not the revised version). While not published until 1610, it still reflects the language spoken by most people during the 16th Century.

If you like, I can bring the text of a couple of Chapbooks I wrote on how to learn festival speake with me to Festival in the Pines or email them to you.

[Pathos]

My persona is that of a Musketeer which is French but I can in no way do a french accent. When I attempt to affect an English accent I tend to sound more Australian than English.

As a result I subsribe to the Shakespeare school (sorry Jeannie). I've been on stage in the past so I can easily project my voice and enunciate very clearly and talk in a verbose manner that can sometimes fool people into thinking is period.

Of course...anyone who knows even a little about accents can immeadiately see I'm full of it. :wink:

[Tapestry MacGillicuddly]

If you like, I can bring the text of a couple of Chapbooks I wrote on how to learn festival speake with me to Festival in the Pines or email them to you.

*waving hand* Jeannie could you email me too? I've just gotten an offer for a PAID job at NYRF instead of for the internship... woohoooooooooo

I gotta start studying and start accumulating my garb.

*bobs a quick curtsy, falls over, looks around for a block and tackle to hoist me up, scurries off with quill & parchment to make lists.* Thank you, thank you!

Tap ;~D

[Lady Sarah]

My persona is that of a Musketeer which is French but I can in no way do a french accent. When I attempt to affect an English accent I tend to sound more Australian than English.

As a result I subsribe to the Shakespeare school (sorry Jeannie). I've been on stage in the past so I can easily project my voice and enunciate very clearly and talk in a verbose manner that can sometimes fool people into thinking is period.

Of course...anyone who knows even a little about accents can immeadiately see I'm full of it. :wink:

Anyone who talks to you for 2 seconds knows you're full of it. ;)

I use BFA. plain and simple. I can't hold a scottish accent to save my life - and my personna's heritage is scottish / french / german / heiz 57... her mum's family got around :lol: I studied Sean Bean's accent and I practiced it in the car on the trips to and from work and Faire. my fellow drivers always looked at me like I was loony. I'm comfortable with it and as long as I'm not getting paid at Faire, I'll use whatever accent I feel comfortable with. You should too. If that means proper accent, then go for it.

[Pathos]

I can't hold a scottish accent to save my life
Looking like you do...you can be speaking Klingon for all I care. 8)

[Myfanawy]

I can't hold a scottish accent to save my life
Looking like you do...you can be speaking Klingon for all I care. 8)

Actually...speaking of the fact that my mom is a linguist...one of her friends is Marc Okrand, who wrote the Klingon and Vulcan languages for Star Trek, as well as Atlantean for Disney's Atlantis. Very cool guy--not at all who'd you expect as the inventor of Klingon!

Thanks for the advice guys--I'm not partiularly concerned about being authentic, just sounding the part without feeling dumb about it.

Jeannie--I'll PM you my email. Thanks!
--M

[Lady Sarah]

I can't hold a scottish accent to save my life
Looking like you do...you can be speaking Klingon for all I care. 8)

:oops:

awww... I do believe that's one of the nicest things anyone's said to me. that ranks right behing my being ferreted out of a crowd of people this past weekend by a cast member and told that I was positively one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen.
:smooch: thanks luv!

[Guinevere]

I've cheated....

I'm dating someone half Irish, half British, and spend time in both countries!

Guinevere

[Pathos]

Actually...speaking of the fact that my mom is a linguist...one of her friends is Marc Okrand, who wrote the Klingon and Vulcan languages for Star Trek
Could you do me a favor next time you see that guy? Smack him upside the head for me. I personally object to all the time, effort, and talent that's been wasted over the years translating the Bible and Shakespeare into friggin Klingon. Do we really need that? How 'bout those guys take that ability and tackle the Dead Sea scrolls or something. Something that actually MATTERS to the world.:x

Just my opinion of course.

[Pathos]

awww... I do believe that's one of the nicest things anyone's said to me.
Ever your servant my Princess. :)

[Bean]

My trick was to go out, have about 4 rather strong margaritas, and let it rip!!! You will be surprised how easy you get the hang of it.............

[Bonnie Strangeways]

You *could* just take the simple route, and spend sometime curled on the couch with Black Adder.

I fyou want to have fun with it, put in any Monty Python.

[Myfanawy]

Could you do me a favor next time you see that guy? Smack him upside the head for me. I personally object to all the time, effort, and talent that's been wasted over the years translating the Bible and Shakespeare into friggin Klingon. Do we really need that? How 'bout those guys take that ability and tackle the Dead Sea scrolls or something. Something that actually MATTERS to the world.:x

Just my opinion of course.

Marc had nothing to do with translating the Bible and Shakespeare into Klingon, with the exception of "To be or not to be" in Star Trek 6 (incidentally, there is no Klingon verb "to be", so it made for an interesting linguistic challenge...) From what he told me (several years ago--it's been ages since I saw or talked to the guy), he thinks it's absolutely ridiculous how seriously people take the Klingon language (and "culture")--like the "Klingon Kamps" people were holding at one point. Inventing the language was just a job for him (first one he worked on was Trek 5--he was having lunch with a friend in the Paramount Cafe, and the friend said, "Hey, we need a Klingon language" (something beyond the limited Klingon dialogue in Trek 2&3)--"can you come up with something in about 5 days?") He agreed to do the dictionary basically due to huge demand by fans, but that was pretty much his limit.

I suppose if people are going to be that serious about something he just did for a few paychecks, he should make a few coins from it here and there....
--M

[KissMeKate]

I've cheated....

I'm dating someone half Irish, half British, and spend time in both countries!

Guinevere

Not fair!
Richard had to drag me out of a Best Buy store a few weeks ago (usually it's the other way around!) because I was following a British employee around the store trying to keep him talking! :oops:

Just to be absolutely annoying, I wanted to learn really bad Cockney by listening to My Fair Lady over and over again, but unfortunately it's not a period accent for Bristol!

I listen to a lot of BBC shows and British movies. The accent is more modern, but then you just have to put in the period buzz words instead.

[Tapestry MacGillicuddly]

I'm trying to figure out where I have my tape of Scottish music by the Corries. I haven't seen that in ages. I may have to get a CD to try to brush up... I used to watch the East Enders on PBS about 20 years ago.... I had to get into the mood and listening mood if I hadn't watched for a while so I could understand them. And on the nights that I tried to watch when my Rogue was home, well let me say I wanted to cut his tongue out with a plastic spoon to get him to SHUT UP!!!! I learned to just record on his nights off and watch them before the next shows.

Tap ;~D

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Last year I brought a couple of British friends of mine to NYRF.

They were highly amused by the accents.

They were even more amused by the people they met there who said to them, "wow, you do the accent really well!" :D

[Jeannie Fitzgerald]

We have one lad ar AzRF who is English and used to have another who is Australian but lived much of his life in England. They are (were) constantly being told by others to lose the accent after festival.

What I find funny is the reaction I get from people at festivals who call me and have no clue who is answering the phone because they are expecting the outrageous Irish accent I affect at Festivals. I rarely break character while in garb so they have no idea how I really talk. What really blows me away are the quare looks I get when people see me in danes for the first time. THAT I don't understand (unless it's because they discover my bum roll is really my bum!).

[Alianne]

What I'm really digging listening to right now is a Gaelic soap opera that one of our local PBS station runs, called Ros Na Run. There's stray smatterings of English in it (some of the characters tend to say 'Hi' and 'okay' in English). It's terribly fun (and thank goodness it's subtitled!) and great for accent-listening.

(This is the same PBS station that carries the Korean daily dramas that I'm totally addicted to, along with one in Polish and runs a full Saturday afternoon's worth of Bollywood entertainment).

[Bronya]

Alianne-Everytime I surf by those Korean dramas, I SWEAR I am not going to watch,they are so bad-but it is like "looking at a train wreck"-I end up watching it! :roll:

[Alianne]

Alianne-Everytime I surf by those Korean dramas, I SWEAR I am not going to watch,they are so bad-but it is like "looking at a train wreck"-I end up watching it! :roll:

Funny thing is, I detest American soap operas, but there's something about the Korean dramas that's very appealing to me. I think part of it is that I'm into Asian cultures, and a lot of what drives the plots of the dramas are cultural issues. Also, they're finite -- they have a beginning, middle and end, so even if you find yourself watching one that's less than stellar, you know it's going to end eventually.

The pacing's very different than what we're used to -- much slower, and they take longer to develop the characters (though if you've got a character who's one-dimensional, they come out blazing from the get-go and stay that way to the end ;) )

[Kit]

Speaking of accents... I am going to be hawking stuffs at Fling and PARF and my accent worries me... As of now it is a cross between overly hotty toitty English (which has never fit ANY period as of yet, heh) mixed with a bit of over exaggerated Irish... Heh... If I try Irish I eventually slip rather quickly into English and back again... its odd. Lol so many people get a kick out of my IMO rather bad Irish accent that I've just gotten used to it now and I don't know if I can break it for faire. It seems though that I usually have to dodge many a flying object when I'm playing around with my hoitty toitty English by itself tough... heh... PIP PIP CHEERIE'O!... OW!

[Jeannie Fitzgerald]

Speaking of accents... I am going to be hawking stuffs at Fling and PARF and my accent worries me... As of now it is a cross between overly hotty toitty English (which has never fit ANY period as of yet, heh) mixed with a bit of over exaggerated Irish... Heh... If I try Irish I eventually slip rather quickly into English and back again... its odd. Lol so many people get a kick out of my IMO rather bad Irish accent that I've just gotten used to it now and I don't know if I can break it for faire. It seems though that I usually have to dodge many a flying object when I'm playing around with my hoitty toitty English by itself tough... heh... PIP PIP CHEERIE'O!... OW!

I wouldn't worry about it. Since you are hawking, the amusing aspect could prove advantageous in attracting customers.

[Ciani]

I don't even know where to begin with the accent thing :sigh: I think I'll be rather afraid to even speak. Maybe I should pretend to be a mute. No, not really, but hah, I might be lucky to remember to say privvy :sorry:

[Tapestry MacGillicuddly]

I don't even know where to begin with the accent thing :sigh: I think I'll be rather afraid to even speak. Maybe I should pretend to be a mute. No, not really, but hah, I might be lucky to remember to say privvy :sorry:

I've started saying some words already. People at work are getting a real kick out of it too. We have to have a walkie-talkie with us at all times, and they've added earpieces now so what we need to say isn't broadcast all over the store.

It's so much fun when someone says something totally offbeat. We get a little laugh in the middle of a real pain in the arse customer sometimes.

Everyone at work is excited about getting to come to NYRF to see me in garb. So they start laughing when I softly say into my microphone, "May I have the key to the privy, please."

I was shopping at Lane Bryant the other day and saw some skirts that I thought might work but they were too short for my tastes.

Tap ;~D

[Ciani]

heehee.. I should start telling people around here I'm going to the privy. they might spit out their drinks. haha.. that would amuse me. Tap, are you going to the celtic fling? Is that too far for you? If I get my own garb done in time, I might be able to make you some skirts if you want to cover costs and postage if I need to send it.

[Kit]

Speaking of accents... I am going to be hawking stuffs at Fling and PARF and my accent worries me... As of now it is a cross between overly hotty toitty English (which has never fit ANY period as of yet, heh) mixed with a bit of over exaggerated Irish... Heh... If I try Irish I eventually slip rather quickly into English and back again... its odd. Lol so many people get a kick out of my IMO rather bad Irish accent that I've just gotten used to it now and I don't know if I can break it for faire. It seems though that I usually have to dodge many a flying object when I'm playing around with my hoitty toitty English by itself tough... heh... PIP PIP CHEERIE'O!... OW!

I wouldn't worry about it. Since you are hawking, the amusing aspect could prove advantageous in attracting customers.

*chuckles* My Irishy accent is amusing to the "mundanes" in my life but I have a feeling Rennies aren't going to find it so amusing, lol.

[Ciani]

*chuckles* My Irishy accent is amusing to the "mundanes" in my life but I have a feeling Rennies aren't going to find it so amusing, lol.

Hey I bet I'll find it amusing :) It's definitely going to be better than whatever I manage to sputter.

[Kit]

Hey I bet I'll find it amusing :) It's definitely going to be better than whatever I manage to sputter.

lol, well I aim to please. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. As you know I don't know much about accents but I say grab a good movie that has been mentioned here and watch it a few times. Then, once you know some of the lines, pick a few characters and speak their lines. Get friends to join you then you can each "play" a character... it has lots of fun potential. Once you've done that a couple times you can just go on your own rants and speak in the car, at work, wherever. Hehe, its always fun to see the blank looks of people when they hear you using any kind of accent out in public. Aparently people are very suprised to see a Brit in a wally world of rural PA. Hehe! :twisted: And anyways, hopefully we'll meet some people at fling who can help us a bit before faire rolls around!

[Ciani]

Yes, it is true that there will be time to practice at the Fling :) I hope I can go! Okay.. well.. I've just about made up my mind on going. Assuming I can find a place to sleep. I've PMd Roger about that to see if there is still room in the guest tent.

hmmm... what movies to watch.. I can throw some in tonight when I'm trying to sew a bodice! I hope I do ok. I don't want to look like the poor talentless wench who, sadly, had to make her own clothing. :ow:

[KissMeKate]

You'll get the hang of it. And don't worry about trying to speak in the accent all the time. Try the buzz words to begin with - privy, good morrow, anon, etc (there's a great stuff on www.renfaire.com). Then build up speaking with an accent an hour or so each time you're at Faire. Next thing you know, you'll be speaking "properly" all day!

[Ciani]

You'll get the hang of it. And don't worry about trying to speak in the accent all the time. Try the buzz words to begin with - privy, good morrow, anon, etc (there's a great stuff on www.renfaire.com). Then build up speaking with an accent an hour or so each time you're at Faire. Next thing you know, you'll be speaking "properly" all day!

Thanks! I should do this around work just to keep people guessing. They already think I'm strange, but at least I'm in good company!

[Ysobelle]

I know they run workshops for merchants at PARF, and they really do know their stuff. If you can get to them, GO! You'll have fun!

And if anyone gives you grief about your accents at Fling, tell them to get the stick out of their butt. Fling is MUCH less "formal" about such things. I tend to stay in my accent-- when I remember-- because I know most of the people I see there will see me again at Faire. Also remember that sometimes just speaking very clearly, with careful pronunciation and diction, is "different" enough to make people hear an accent even when it isn't really there. But if you really get discouraged, come see me. Or Betty at the Hostel. We'll cheer you up!

And come to the Movie Marathon-- I know we'll have suitably-accented movies!

[Ciani]

I would come to your movie marathon, but it's about 6 hours away :/ However! I may just have to have my own. I have Elizabeth.. I need to see Dangerous Beauty again anyway.. boy I love that movie! hrm.. I'm looking forward to meeting you and everyone else at Fling though! I'm very excited now that I've made the decision to go. I already ordered my ticket and got Friday off work :)

[Tapestry MacGillicuddly]

I am so wishing that it wasn't so far to Fling... retirement has put a real crimp in my traveling for weekend events.

Tap ;~D

[Buxom Wench]

When it comes to accents, I sorta had a tutor when I was younger. My Grandmother's cousin was born and raised in England and every time she came to visit (and eventually move here) I woud always find a way to visit with her just to hear her speak.

I also listen almost exclusively to BBC America. (Cash in the Attic is on right now).

The very strange thing; when I'm reading a book, (yes, yes, mostly English & Scottish historical romance :oops: ) I always read with the accent in my head. The English is alot easier for me. I can get thru a 400 page book in 6 hours. When reading with the Scottish accent, it takes a couple hours longer. The rolling r's and burr sometimes make my head hurt :? .

The best is when I watch a movie, though. Doesn't really matter the subject as long as the acent is there. (Colin Firth, Sean Connery, Gerard Butler, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr)

[erinrai]

I can't do an English accent to save me hide. But get me going on an Irish one and you'll ne'er get me out. Spent a whole day in it once, (even convinced a soccer team from Ireland that I was from County Cork). It was a blast. I started doin' the accent when I was fourteen to make my da' laugh. He told me that is where I should have been born and bred and he felt that I had been in centuries past.

[Katerinka Kotenoka]

I cheat... Russian accent. It's easy to do.

[Scarlett Rogue]

Okay, know this has been dead for awhile, but searching for patterns, I fell onto this link ((ouch!)) ..so I brought this back to life /\___/\_____/\__/\__/\__/\__

thought this was interesting if anyone had the money to toss out for it'

http://www.renstore.com/Itemdesc.asp?CartId={6AD4D51C-06CD-4FC3-B3EB-9DC21BBA27EVERESTD3}&ic=PNZ1001&eq=PNZ1001%2D2&Tp=

[KissMeKate]

I listened to the audio samples a while back and it's not really the diction or pattern that is most often heard at Bristol. So I gave it a pass. If it was less expensive, it might be worth it.

[Ysobelle]

Y'know, PARF has some online tutorials for cast and vendors. I wonder if they're open to all?

I'll try to remember to ask-- it's really top-notch stuff.

[Kit]

Oh really? Thats sounds great!

[I'Cin]

hey, Ysobelle, even if they aren't open to "all" - being your adorable persuasive self, couldn't you try (with proper accent of course) to convince them that the IWG isn't just "anyone" b/c they know we're special. With all the guild participation at PARF, it would behoove them to have us speaking correctly, wouldn't it?

I'Cin

[Tapestry MacGillicuddly]

This is how the list of job qualifications for Eeldrytch Armouree put it for speaking in accent

Acceptable accent capable (Da Bronx is not an acceptable accent)

which is totally funny when you consider how close to The City and NJ they are. I'm thinking that if I could get some tapes of someone speaking with a Scots accent I'd be okay... I've got a couple of customers who come into the store every now and then who are from Scotland. I love waiting on them. I had a British couple the other day who were ordering furniture. I'd need to talk to them a little while and I could do the upper crusty British accent fine.

Tap ;~D

[Katerinka Kotenoka]

A great thing to watch... BBCs Moll Flanders.

[LashaLaRouge]

ok biggest hint for ya! just SLOW down! when your talking consiously slow down and annunciate (sp?) and youll be able to fool most of the none regulars into beliving.
as for developing, watch/listen to ANYTHING and EVERYTHING off british tv sticking with the northern areas, the very southern ritish accents (cockeny ect) are usually either too raw or too proper for most characters...however anything from manchester/yorkshire/stafordshire ect will work fine, not the easiest to recreate sometimes but combine the slowing down with the generalized way words are said and youll be way on your way...
also make friends with us crazy brits...were great, insane usually, but MUCH fun lol.

i got out lucky, i was born and raised in bolton england so im a one of those manchester lasses...im often used as an example for those learning lingo other than the usualls, and often asked to just read things or if they can listen in on my convos to help them pick up. i also get the whole, "wow your real good at that accent" and "ok you can drop it now" i even managed to fool a few people into beliveing ive worked/attended fair for so long that i just kind of got perminantly stuck...lol.

most of all...have fun with it...most people wont judge you that much for the accent (if your just going to have fun what does it matter) rember were all new to this at one point and americans arnt born with the ability to talk in an english accent tis a learned behaviour...and anyone trying to pull you on it...tell them to...well *polishes twinkle light halo*

just have fun, and practice, watch monty python...for a scotish accent sean connery and billy connoly for a REAL good laugh. theres some good ones for irish accents out there too...

good luck

[Abigail Fairbottom]

While I have not had time to thoroughly read this page...
http://www.kcrenfest.com/Performer/Apprentices.htm
it looks like a great resource, with movies, websites, etc.

[Will Knot]

Y'know, PARF has some online tutorials for cast and vendors. I wonder if they're open to all?

I'll try to remember to ask-- it's really top-notch stuff.

They Do? All they gave the blackfryers was the Krazy Katie CD's.

[Will Knot]

One thing I've been wondering about...how easy do you ladies find it, in general, to learn to speak with the proper accent at faire? I tried a bit of it at AZRF, but it comes out sounding like this strange mix of English, Irish, and Scottish (some sounds and pronunciations just come more naturally to me...) I guess my biggest thing is that I'm afraid of sounding stupid for saying stuff wrong. The times I did briefly interact with vendors and such seemed to go well, and were fun.

Of course, this is coming from someone who's mother is a linguist at UC Berkeley (she's fluent in Welsh, can get by in Gaelic, and also specializes in other languages, incuding Chumash.)
--M

Well speaking in accent is never easy. I know many who never get past BFA (for those who might not know thats Basic Faire accent) and are quite happy. For those who want to learn more there are many diffrent ways to learn it. For some listrening to a cd is enough (this is what the Pa Semiprocast members aka Blackfryers do). Others find watching British shows are easiest (I learned Irish accent by watching "BallyKissangel"). Some need both. If you have the spare money to buy a course I would suggest heading to www.renstore.com and get a copy of "Trippingly off the Tounge." This course is good only for English.

[KissMeKate]

I know many who never get past BFA (for those who might not know thats Basic Faire accent) and are quite happy.

Also known as Bad Faire Accent!

[Aramis]

call it a gift, talent, whatever, but I can manage a passble take on almost any accent or dialect in the world, from the lowest British Cockney, to the thickest Scottish brogue. Hell, I can even do Jamaican mon. Well, except the Asian accents, can't do them too well.

[Ysobelle]

Y'know, PARF has some online tutorials for cast and vendors. I wonder if they're open to all?

I'll try to remember to ask-- it's really top-notch stuff.

They Do? All they gave the blackfryers was the Krazy Katie CD's.


Is that the one with Kate Ramsey and everyone else? Wow. Dialect classes used to be pretty intense from what I remember. Not that I had to take them myself, though I did later have a PARF alum as my roommate in Florida. He taught the cast down there, and did very well. (Anyone remember Matt Richardson/Jacky Tappet?)

[Will Knot]

Krazy Katie was part of the orgnial cast members when everything was handled by a outside Ren faire group. This was long before Kate joined the cast.

We are drilled in dialect but mostly its at rehersal where the entire day is spent speaking in Dialect amd Dialect classes run by Kate Ramsey.

[ShawnMarie]

I had a funny thing happen at Fling that will show you how bad you can be and still be OK - at least at PARF.

I was adopting out baby dragons with Mistress Kim and doing my usual awful BFA. Really, it is bad. I should not speak at all but THAT won't happen. :wink:

I mentioned to a couple interested in adopting dragons that my daughter owns two baby dragons and that she was in London at the moment. In an interested way they asked me, "Oh when are you going back home or do you stay in the United States for the whole summer?"

I thought about lying, but ending up telling the truth. I told them I was from PA, about 40 miles away and that I had never been to England, my daughter was only visiting on a student exchange trip. They told me they never would have guessed and that I had a wonderful accent.

So it is quite easy to fool most of the people most of the time, even with mediocre BFA only.

Make it fun and they'll never notice. :lol:

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

The average run of the mill patron is the type of person whose idea of a British accent is either Dick Van Dyke's chimney sweep or Keven Costner's Robin Hood, so it really doesn't take much to be convincing to most of the people most of the time. :)

[Fiona Freckl'dbottom]

Basically for years since I was little I would watch Monty Python, Black Adder and Red Dwarf on PBS and somehow that's how I picked up the accent...

Today, my rogue laughs at me and thinks it's amusing that I'll watch something on BBC America, such as Changing Rooms, and after it's over it's all I can do to drop the accent. I really have to *work* at forming words the way I normally speak them...

My chamelonic nature has caused me to do that with Croc Hunter episodes as well :oops:

But Nikki's advice is really what you want to do if you want to "learn" the accent is to start out speaking clearly and succinctly, which is one of the valuable lessons I learned at EMMF. Those of you who know Phil know that his "accent" is not all that good but because he did things like cut out contractions he was able to make it work at EMMF.

Don't get discouraged if you can't sound like Patrick Stewart or Helena Bonham Carter, what matters most is that you have fun with it as you "learn".