An ADS evaluation of dialects in movies?

[Aaron Drews]

On Thu, 18 Nov 1999, Larry Rosenwald wrote:
}        So I had this fantasy that some ADS group would devise an accent
}rating system for film - four stars for Christopher Plummer, two and a
}half for Colm Feore, one and a half for Michael Gambon, whatever.  Anyone
}interested?
}        I'm putting this comically, but I actually think there are important
}matters lurking here.

Sounds like fun.

How would one classify caricatures as opposed to imitation/attempts?  The
reason I ask is because there's an Irish actor (don't know his name,
played in _First Knight_ with Connery and Greere)  who plays an American
in a BBC mini-series about a photograph collection.  He has most of the
phonology down pat (being rhotic helps a lot), and he convinced most of
the people I know here.  But, to me, it sounds like he learned his
American from the "Charlie Sheen, Navy Seal School of English".  I found
it to be a not-quite-on-target caricature because of that.

Speaking of Charlie Sheen, I'd give Cary Elywes three and a half stars
for his various American roles (Hot Shots, Twister, the other army one
with Kelsy Grammer)

I'd give Gweneth Paltrow at least fours stars for _Shakespeare in Love_
(I've heard "she's American???!!!???" countless times).

Mel Gibson, two stars for William Wallace.

And Kevin Costner.... nil

--Aaron



 =======================================================================
Aaron E. Drews                               The University of Edinburgh
aaron at ling.ed.ac.uk                  Departments of English Language and
http://www.ling.ed.ac.uk/~aaron       Theoretical & Applied  Linguistics

"MERE ACCUMULATION OF OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE IS NOT PROOF"
        --Death