Making the most of MEDEA
How you embody a new accent depends on your individual learning style. Many actors prefer to listen and copy. Some find phonetics a useful tool in analysing the detail, whilst others might focus on mouth shape and physical placement. And if you have time, you might want to explore a dialects evolution- the contribution of history, environment, climate, the influence of geopolitics. Whatever your preference, successful acquisition begins with understanding your own dialect (the sounds that already belong to you) which of those will automatically transfer across to the new dialect and then determining sounds that will need ‘re-placing’ – perhaps substituting an f / v for a ‘th’, a dark L for a clear L, a rolled R for a tapped R. Then there’s the energy of accents and dialects to consider- how pitch, intonation and rhythm shape the signature tune and how placement – where the accent physically ‘sits’ in the mouth – might contribute to both vocal quality and your character’s physicality. The Links section on the homepage recommends a number of excellent books, sites and resources that will help explain this in more detail.
Most dialect/accent samples on MEDEA comprise four segments:
- A snapshot analysis by an experienced dialect coach highlighting key sound shifts to listen out for
- ‘Test sentences’ to help you identify differences in pronunciation (click here for test sentences)
- A short monologue from the play ‘Medea’ by Liz Lochhead (click here for monologue text)
- @2-3 minutes of free flow speech where the speaker chats about their accent, allowing you to hear their rhythm and tune in more detail.
Each ‘test sentence’ (which recounts the Greek legend of MEDEA) focuses on the repetition of a particular consonant or vowel (highlighted in bold in the accompanying text) to help you identify which sounds might be different from your own.
- Play each sentence several times. Copy and say the sentence along with the recording. Once you’ve tried this several times, you should be able to hear and feel which vowel or consonant varies in pronunciation from your own speech.
- Note how your mouth feels – is the point of tension shifting? Does your mouth feel wider/ the jaw longer? Perhaps there is a sense of things shifting towards the front of the mouth, up into the nose or towards the back of the throat?
- How is the breath being used? Are you having to speak more quickly/slowly?
‘Dialects in Performance’is also designed to aid embodiment – the text is attached to each recording so you can try the monologues for yourself. Observe the mouth shape of each actor – how might it differ from your own? and note the time each monologue takes (timings are visible on each clip for reference). Every dialect and accent has its own innate energy and speed – Scouse, for example, can be really fast – so consider recording the monologue in your own dialect first and then comparing it with the original. If you are slower or faster than the sample, consider adjusting your speed to match the flow and energy of the new accent.
RP or not RP? That is the question …
Actors are often asked to speak using RP or Standard Southern English (known as SSE). There is fierce debate about what the spoken (as opposed to written) Standard English actually is and this section offers various samples of Standard English speech which may also be useful to speakers of English as a second language (ESL).