Strange But Necessary Request

[thailen]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 2:31am

I need on-line sources for ethnic and character dialects. A few lines of dialogue from Broadway plays - ex. cockney from Eliza in My Fair Lady. The types of dialogue are endless: Southern redneck, Irish, British, Scottish, Indian(India), German, French, Swedish, old man, etc.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 6:08am

I'm sorry: there's an "old man" dialect? Really?


Other than that, you could work on dialect from ANY bit of dialogue for the most part and wouldn't actually need anything special.

That being said, most professional theater is copy write protected and not easily accessible online. (Some of it is of course) It's called research. And work.


Lastly, I have to admit, I'm may not clearly understand what you are actually looking for or how you want us to help.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 8:19am

Here's a very useful site for all manner of British accents and dialects.

Also, it's just fun.

http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 12:35pm

Very cool website, growl. I just bookmarked it.

"It's called research. And work."

If I were looking to learn something theatrically-related, a source like this board seems to me a very sensible place to start. I'll agree that the OP's request is a little nebulous, which makes it difficult to assist. Is s/he looking for examples of dialect (like Big River, Porgy and Bess, almost any Tennessee Williams play?), or help learning accents?

Whaddya say, OP? Help us help you. What's the purpose behind your question?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 12:49pm

Ol' man di'lect,
Dat ol' man di'lect
Someone must know it
But no one show it
He jes'keeps speaking
He keeps on speakin', he old

He don' talk English,
He don't talk Southern,
He don't talk breathy
Like Liz McGovern
But ol'man di'lect
He jes keeps talkin' so old

You an'me, we ask for source
Help us learn de di'lect for de online course
Click dat link
Hear dem words
After we get finished
We gon watch De Birds

Ah gits weary
Sick of linguistics
If I don't pass this
I's sellin' biscuits
But ol' man di'lect,
He jes'keeps speakin' so long

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 12:52pm

I'm sorry: there's an "old man" dialect? Really?

Have you never seen a play or film in which a younger actor plays an older character? There are definitely some distinct vocal inflections that seem to be used when doing so. Right now, I'm thinking specifically of a show like DESSA ROSE, in which LaChanze and Rachel York played both the young (16-20) and old (ca. 80) versions of their character, and convey the change mostly through posture and vocal inflection. "Dialect" might not be the correct word, but I think I know what the OP is trying to get across.

Updated On: 1/7/12 at 12:52 PM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 12:57pm

BRAVO, phyl, bravo!

Showboat, of course. Beauty and the Beast (Babette, French - Mrs Potts, English). War Horse (most characters English, several German and French). Titanic, A New Musical (various). Assassins (various). People in the Picture (German/Jewish).

ETA because of AC's post: People in the Picture also offers examples of "older woman "dialect" ", for lack of a better term, as Murphy switches from her younger to older self.

Updated On: 1/7/12 at 12:57 PM

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 12:59pm

Thank you, Phyllis. One of my favorite song parodies here so far.

Now I'm going to talk to myself for awhile to see if I can hear the "old man dialect".

(Yes, I know what the OP meant.)

Updated On: 1/7/12 at 12:59 PM

[thailen]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 6:11pm

I do voice-overs and am a very good mimic. I know most classic Broadway shows(not the recent ones),so I know the voices of the characters. I can't prepare an audition script unless I have the actual dialogue. Words to the songs wo't work, because this is not a singing audition, but a talking one. I'd be doing commercials and narration. I'm not an amateur, because I've done this before. I'm just not in the U.S., so access to libraries is not possible. I have to rely on the internet and forums.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 1/7/12 at 10:05pm

This sort of reminds me of the last time I asked a question on these boards, which was over 5 years ago lol:
https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=914531#2570987

Anyway, you can probably find lots of screenplays online and hear examples by youtubing scenes from said films.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/8/12 at 10:58am

I'm not sure why you mean by online but my suggestion would be to scour netflix and yuotube. I know for instance that you can see Wendy Hiller's Eliza in Pygmalion on netflix; Peter Sellar's Indian doctor in The Millionaress there or on youtube, Liv Ullman dubbing herself in Bergman's Face to Face on youtube (perhaps you can find her, Garbo or Richardson in Anna Christie if you need a Broadway show), Caron and Jourdan in Gigi (although that might be Hollywood French dialect), don't have a Broadway example for you offhand, but you get the idea, etc., Sean Connery and Zoe Caldwell in Macbeth, etc.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 4:06pm

Peter Seller's accents

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 5:28pm

Here's something useful...

http://web.ku.edu/~idea/

Updated On: 1/9/12 at 05:28 PM

[thailen]

Posted: 1/10/12 at 2:30am

This is what I'm looking for: text that reads like this:

Oi kinna unnerstan' yew, becuz ur bloody stoo-pid! Get off ur arse n' get crackin naow!
That would be my attempt at Cockney - distorting the words to fit the accent. It's just an example; I'm not a Cockney expert, obviously, but yu get my drift. I need one or two sentences like this across a variety of groups...

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 1/10/12 at 2:41am

there's a book called "accents: a manual for actors" which, imho, is completely indispensible.

they carry it at the drama bookshop, and, of course, you can buy it online.

i have used it for dialects and accents for some of the biggest projects a broadway actor can aspire to, with great success.

the bbc also has a great website that demonstrates dialects. can't remember the address offhand, but it's not hard to find.

good luck!

[Starcarolina]

Posted: 1/10/12 at 4:18am

Paul Meier Dialect Services. His book Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen, (350 pages, 24 dialects, 12 accompanying CDs) is a leading textbook in theatre departments and convservatories around the world.

[MatineeLover]

Posted: 1/10/12 at 8:50am

hahah well done Phyllis