How To Do Accents - Jan Haydn Rowles

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Speaking with an accent is a skill just like any other: it can be learned and developed, and it is our aim with this book to provide you with the tools to do just that.

      Actors sometimes get the feeling that before they can approach an accent they must understand the phonetic alphabet. Although this approach provides some people with a sense of security, it deals with only a small part of what makes up an accent. Moreover, the vast majority of actors find this approach at best alienating and at worst simply boring. Unfortunately this can lead them to ignore the essential structure inherent in accents, believing this leaves them free to learn on a more intuitive level. The results are accents that are extremely hit and miss to begin with, and once the actor’s emotions kick in the accent flies out of the window. It simply isn’t in their muscle memory, and how can it be? Intuition is essential, but so is structure. The very word ‘structure’ may be causing you to glaze over, but, if you think about it, it is hardly an alien concept to actors. They use it every day in their craft. They learn the structure of lines, of moves, even the structure of emotions. The structure of accents can be part of this: it simply needs to be accessible.

      What is desperately needed is a simple, reassuring system for both learning and teaching accents: a system that allows the actor to use their gift for intuition in tandem with their ability to retain structure; a system that liberates the nervous while developing the skills of the keen; a system that teaches actors not just one accent, but the underlying structure inherent in all accents. This book provides such a system.

      Using solid technical know-how, clear practical steps, real-life examples, and the occasional dose of humour, the Haydn/Sharpe System brings to the surface the underlying structure of accents, sharing the processes that we, as specialist dialect coaches, have developed, to give you the insight, tools and confidence to work with any accent.

      This is not a linguistic or phonetic textbook, but it is completely compatible with them. We have taken the language of the linguist and translated it into the language of the actor. We have distilled the very detailed work of phoneticians and extracted the elements relevant to the specific goals of the actor at work.

      So who’s this book for?

● The drama student
● The actor working with accents and dialect coaches
● The voice and dialect teacher
● The drama teacher
● Anyone who’s ever wondered How to Do Accents!

1 Get started (page 19)
This chapter covers the preparation needed in order to build your new accent successfully:
● Knowing your equipment.
● Making and using a resource recording.
● Establishing the cultural context of an accent.
2 The Foundations (page 27)
This chapter takes you through the four essential elements needed for a solid accent foundation:
● The Setting – The setting of the muscles of the face and mouth.
● The Zone – Where the sound is placed.
● The Tone – The resonant quality of the accent.
● The Direction – The direction in which the voice is sent.
3 The Two Planets (Rhotic vs. Non-Rhotic) (page 39)
In this chapter you will discover that when it comes to accents the world divides into two planets:
● Planet Rhotic, where people say an R whenever it is written.
● Planet Non-Rhotic, where people only say an R if there is a vowel sound spoken after it.
More significantly you’ll discover which planet you’re on, and how to pass as a local on the other!
4 The Bite (page 55)
Consonants break the flow of the voice into Bite-size pieces. In this chapter we will lead you through:
● 5 Major Players – that have the power to make or break your accent.
● 3 Major Issues – that can affect any consonant and change the quality of an accent.
● Springing Consonants – consonants in vowel’s clothing.
● ‘YOO’ – a small detail just waiting to catch you out!
5 The Shapes (page

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