Pronunciation, Enunciation, and Accents

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 5:56pm

Ever noticed a performer who pronounces certain words or letters strangely or enunciates in an unusual way?

I decided to post this thread after listening to Drew Sarich as Jean Valjean. He has the most AMERICAN accent I have ever heard from a singer. Now, I'm American, and I don't usually notice American accents, but his 'r's and other consonants are so hard. (Granted, I like his voice, but I prefer to listen to him in German because the accent isn't so jarring). Lea Salonga and Neil Patrick Harris are other singers who really overenunciate. Lea Salonga particularly likes the letter 't' and her long 'e's.

On the other hand, there are some performers who sing with a very strong English accent-- Hayden Tee and Lee Mead are good examples of this. I actually feel it's a bit distracting to their overall performance when I hear them singing, even though I appreciate them as singers (as I do everyone else I've mentioned so far).

Then there are performers where you can't really tell where they're from. For example, I never would have thought Philip Quast was Australian. My favourite performers are Terrence Mann and Michael Ball, and though Terry's American and Michael's British, they sing with pretty much the same accent (halfway between the two). In fact, I thought Terrence Mann was British for years, and I was surprised when I found out he was born in Kentucky! Speaking of Terrence Mann, he pronounces his 'o's funny-- he says "naawww" instead of 'no' and so on.

Anyone else have an example of unusual pronunciation in musical theatre?

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:00pm

Diphthongs!!!!!

[Weez]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:04pm

My mother simply can't abide listening to Glenn Close in 'Sunset Boulevard', because she simply HATES the bit that goes "with one look... I'll BEH MEH!". I mean, if you over-enunciate your 'ee' sound, it's no good, but you don't have to go completely in the opposite direction and not pronounce it as an 'ee' sound at all. XD

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:10pm

Patti:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLuGqkUjcEE

The first thing I noticed about Lea Salonga's singing was her impeccable enunciation.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:13pm

Wicked_beast-- When I hear the word 'diphthong,' the word that immediately springs to mind is "MICHAEL BALL."

"One step out of tie-eeeem!"

"Tomorrow, you'll be worlds a-waaaay-eeee!"

Oh, and he sings "Sunset BOOOO-levard," not "BULL-evard."

[Weez]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:16pm

Lea Salonga isn't English-as-a-first-language, is she? First time I saw the 'Les Mis' 10th anniversary concert DVD, I was struck by her emphatic mouth shapes, and that was the explanation my mother offered me. If English isn't her first language, that'll explain her enunciation. She learnt it all properly without picking up bad habits at her mother's knee, like all us English native speakers. XD

Updated On: 10/3/08 at 06:16 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:21pm

I'm pretty sure English is her first language. And she can take on a BBC one whenever she wants. (Remember the part in the Making of Miss Saigon vid when she asked CMS for his autograph?)

And FYI, Schmerg, Hayden Tee grew up in New Zealand.

Updated On: 10/3/08 at 06:21 PM

[Weez]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:24pm

You mean my mother lied to me? ;_;

... I totally never saw that video either...

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:25pm

:) Oh, see, I don't know the first thing about him. I've only heard him sing... I don't even know what he looks like! So thanks for the info! (I've always wondered what a New Zealand accent sounds like...)

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:29pm

http://accent.gmu.edu/

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 6:37pm

That is the most wonderful website I've seen since I discovered BroadwayWorld. Now my parents are wondering who this Stella is and why so many people need to call her.

[musicaltheater1]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 8:37pm

Weez - Lea Salonga's first language was actually both English and Tagalog (Filipino native tongue). Primarily English because of her schooling. As far as her ennunciation, I'm sure it's training from Repertory Philippines and her British vocal teacher.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 8:46pm

correction: Tagalog is only one of the native languages in the Philippines. it's one of the official languages, but there are other native tongues.

[Paul W. Thompson]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 8:50pm

So, since enunciation is different than diction, then what's the difference between diction and pronunciation?

Hmmmmmmmmm.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 9:03pm

Paul W. Thompson... blowing minds all across BWW...

bwaylvsong, I just watched that video you posted, and I snickered all the way through it. I was weirdly distracted by the veins sticking out of Patti's neck and the demented things her eyelids and lips were doing during the song, though... it's like they had a life of their own...

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 9:09pm

When I hear the word diphthong Julie Reiber comes to mind.

Also Stephanie J. Block with her strong diction. I thought she was British for the longest time and then I read she was from California.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 9:18pm

My mother simply can't abide listening to Glenn Close in 'Sunset Boulevard', because she simply HATES the bit that goes "with one look... I'll BEH MEH!". I mean, if you over-enunciate your 'ee' sound, it's no good, but you don't have to go completely in the opposite direction and not pronounce it as an 'ee' sound at all. XD

Have you heard Elaine Paige sing "With One Look" she does the BEH MEH! thing way worse than Glenn Close.

Another good pronunciation lesson is the Gypsy recordings. It's all just vocal technique. I noticed Bernadette singing "For me and for yooou" and Patti says "for YO". Also Bernadette does "For meeeee" and Patti "For MAY".

[musicaltheater1]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 9:54pm

givesmevoice - I'm sure they all know that Tagalog is a native Filipino tongue and not English. That's why I wrote the description next to tagalog and not meant to describe both.

[jo]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 11:19pm

From someone here in the Philippines --

Pilipino ( based on Tagalog) is our official national language even if there are other regional dialects.

Many of us are bilingual because English is the medium of instruction and our daily lives interact with most things English ( print media, tv, films, internet, corporate business, etc). But our native tongue is Pilipino ( or maybe even some of the other dialects). I think Lea is well-versed in English because of this background that is true for many of us here. Plus she started being involved in the theatre early on ( my earliest recollection was that of her singing "TOMORROW" in the local production of ANNIE).

I am fan of Michael Ball, too, and love his expressive way with words, not just his pronunciation,enunciaton,and accent. When he did the concert version of SUNSET BOULEVARD with Petula Clark, he did lapse out of his put-on Joe Gillis American accent back to his native excellent British accent ( he did spend part of his youth in South Africa for a few years, where his father had an expatriate executive assignment).

Have you heard Michael deal with the difficulty of doing a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta? I saw him in PATIENCE at the New York State Theatre ( Lincoln Center) and he almost put to shame his American co-stars in the New York City Opera production! Such an excellent interpretation of the tongue-twisting words of Gilbert and Sullivan. Of course, he was discovered by Trevor Nunn and Cameron Mackintosh while singing the role of Frederick in PIRATES OF PENZANCE...and brought to London to create the role of Marius in LES MISERABLES!

His accent as Edna in the current London production of HAIRSPRAY isn't bad either






Updated On: 10/4/08 at 11:19 PM