The Off Topic Topic

[Valmy]

though the reverse seems much harder.

Doing a generic American/Canadian Accent is pretty easy and you can mess up and nobody really cares. I am not sure that such a thing like a generic accent exists for the British and they are so damn particular about it.

Now trying to do regional American accents now that can get dicey, even for American actors.

Brits often seem to do Southern US accents quite well. 

I have noticed they tend to gravitate to those, I think because there are some similarities.

Except the dreaded Louisiana accent of course.

[Sheilbh]

I think Boston and proper New York are seen as quite difficult to get right.

[Valmy]

I think Boston and proper New York are seen as quite difficult to get right.

I don't know if I have ever seen an actor nail Boston without actually being from Boston. But we have some really freaking strange accents and ones, like Oklahoma and Nebraska, that are difficult to hear the difference from standard midwest but people from those areas sure can and will be annoyed by it.

[merithyn]

I think Boston and proper New York are seen as quite difficult to get right.

As an empathetic Midwesterner, it's my habit to take on the accents of those with whom I'm speaking. It's not intentional, and I rarely notice I'm doing it until someone points it out. This means that I'm a pretty good mimic... except for the East Coast accent, which is really bizarre given that my mom, raised in Connecticut, had a thick Eastern accent her entire life. Still, I can't do it easily. Certain words, yes, but the cadence and accent as a whole? Nope!

[derspiess]

I think Boston and proper New York are seen as quite difficult to get right.

I'd imagine Great Lakes accent(s) might be a challenge as well.

[merithyn]

I think Boston and proper New York are seen as quite difficult to get right.

I don't know if I have ever seen an actor nail Boston without actually being from Boston. But we have some really freaking strange accents and ones, like Oklahoma and Nebraska, that are difficult to hear the difference from standard midwest but people from those areas sure can and will be annoyed by it.

The Nebraska accent isn't really a Nebraska accent. It's a "farmer/country" accent. My dad's family, very much white trash Midwestern, also have that same accent. I fall into it whenever I'm talking to my dad's family today. My dad didn't speak like that, but his younger siblings who were raised by a former Iowa farmer do.

[Valmy]

I think Boston and proper New York are seen as quite difficult to get right.

As an empathetic Midwesterner, it's my habit to take on the accents of those with whom I'm speaking. It's not intentional, and I rarely notice I'm doing it until someone points it out. This means that I'm a pretty good mimic... except for the East Coast accent, which is really bizarre given that my mom, raised in Connecticut, had a thick Eastern accent her entire life. Still, I can't do it easily. Certain words, yes, but the cadence and accent as a whole? Nope!

My wife does this big time when she talks to her father's family in North Carolina. I just want to rip my ears off it is the most annoyin' axsunt aye have evuh hud...though I know as a Texan I have little room to talk.

[merithyn]

I think Boston and proper New York are seen as quite difficult to get right.

As an empathetic Midwesterner, it's my habit to take on the accents of those with whom I'm speaking. It's not intentional, and I rarely notice I'm doing it until someone points it out. This means that I'm a pretty good mimic... except for the East Coast accent, which is really bizarre given that my mom, raised in Connecticut, had a thick Eastern accent her entire life. Still, I can't do it easily. Certain words, yes, but the cadence and accent as a whole? Nope!

My wife does this big time when she talks to her father's family in North Carolina. I just want to rip my ears off it is the most annoyin' axsunt aye have evuh hud...though I know as a Texan I have little room to talk.

You don't really have much of a heavy Texas accent that I remember. Mostly benign.

It annoyed Riley to no end when I talked to my cousin from Louisiana. I didn't think I dropped too heavily into the accent, but she said that I may as well have been from there.

[Josquius]

On double roundabouts.... I think the tide is turning against them. A particularly infamous one in Newcastle has been done away with lately.
They're just too confusing and cause accidents.

On roundabouts just yesterday I read about the right wing teeth gnashing at the UK's first Dutch roundabout. The Sun screaming it was A CYCLIST KILLING ZONE.

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/gallery/dutch-roundabout-cambridge-new-photos-18732279

[img]https://i2-prod.cambridge-news.co.uk/incoming/article18732255.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/1_100644758-1.jpg]

That thing cost 2.4 million? 

There are a lot of road markings, I can see how what would be confusing people.

It's the UK. Private sector has to take its cut which boosts up the cost of everything.

[celedhring]

Yeah, casting a non-bostonian to do a Boston accent always seems a recipe for failure.

Also, many respectable actors have been devoured by the Moloch of the Irish brogue.

[DGuller]

According to the Lithuanian Foreign Minister:

Tried to reach Svetlana #Tikhanovskaya for several hours. Her whereabouts not known even to her staff. Concerned about her safety. #Belarus

Which is worrying.

Wow. You don't think Lukashenko would go so far as to take her out would you?

It's always perilous to try to analyze the actions of politicians in modern day Byzantine Empire, but if there is ever a situation where taking out an opposition politician makes no logical sense, this would be it.  His opponent is literally a placeholder, she freely admitted to be as such herself.  Her only promise upon being elected is to organize real elections for real politicians.  It's not like she's a once-in-a-generation political star whose assassination would legitimately set back a movement.  Lukashenko will get all of the negatives and none of the positives from taking her out.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah, casting a non-bostonian to do a Boston accent always seems a recipe for failure.

Also, many respectable actors have been devoured by the Moloch of the Irish brogue.

There's that thing doing the rounds on twitter about you can drive for two hours in England and you'll go through 5 different accents and now bread rolls have a different name.

That's true of Ireland x100. There is no Irish accent, sort of similar to their being no English accent, but Ireland is even more regional.

The English girl in Normal People () did very well.

[Eddie Teach]

That seems unfair to the Germans.

[Sheilbh]

This is scary - hopefully everything will be fine:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-10/swarm-of-earthquakes-shakes-salton-sea-area-raising-worry-about-the-san-andreas

[PDH]

This is scary - hopefully everything will be fine:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-10/swarm-of-earthquakes-shakes-salton-sea-area-raising-worry-about-the-san-andreas

It's 2020, this is probably going to trigger the Yellowstone Caldera.