fake American dialects (Society Listserv?)

[Laurence Horn]

At 9:57 AM -0400 6/22/08, David Donnell wrote:
>Was listening to Brit actor Hugh Laurie in his lead role on the TV
>series "House"... Was wondering if his fake American accent is as
>solid as it seems, or if it's just that his voice is compelling;

I've never noticed a slip in his accent.  Accents must be easier for
actors to master than syntax/lexicon is for authors--even the best
British writers seem to slip up on occasion.  Or else Hugh Laurie is
just very good.

LH

>  I
>don't pick up anything regional when he speaks, as I often do with my
>fellow Americans, no sense of place to it.
>
>Also, South African Charlize Theron seems quite good at her assumed
>American accent, although there's something I can't put my finger on
>that bugs me about it. (Not that I've spent tons of time listening to
>her.) In any case, unlike the "House" guy, Theron's U.S. dialect
>isn't just for a role, she apparently uses it in real life...
>stateside at least.
>
>Thoughts?
>
>Any other favorite fake U.S. accents? (Whether competent or
>entertaining; Monty Python used to crack me up with their screwy
>American accents.)
>
>David
>Missourian @ NYC
>
>___________________________________________________
>
>Wikipedia on Hugh Laurie's American accent:
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Laurie
>
>For his portrayal, Laurie assumes an American accent.[1] Laurie was
>in Namibia filming Flight of the Phoenix and recorded the audition
>tape for the show in the bathroom of the hotel, the only place he
>could get enough light.[8] His US accent was so convincing that
>executive producer Bryan Singer, who was unaware at the time that
>Laurie is English, pointed to him as an example of just the kind of
>compelling American actor he had been looking for. Laurie also adopts
>the voice between takes on the set of House, as well as during script
>read-throughs.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org