In the learn-accent blog, David Alan Stern writes about accents, accent learning, and accent modification for actors and others. You can read more about his training audios and private distance lessons on the LearnAccent Website.
Dr. Anthony Fauci: Medical Hero | Model New York Accent
During the current “shelter-in-place” crisis, I’m spending lots of time staring at television, computer, and phone screens. First, I’ve been binge-watching many of the TV shows I missed during my 25 UCONN-faculty years. Second, I’m consuming more cable news about this pandemic than is good for my mental health. The latter, however, has provided one…
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DIALECT and ACCENT: The Same or Different?
“What is the difference, if any, between a dialect and an accent?” That is one of the questions I’m asked frequently during media interviews, classes, and coaching sessions. You’d think it would have a straight forward answer. No—for two reasons. First, many people, even we who teach dialects (or is it accents?), often ignore official…
DAVID ALAN STERN: The Making of an Accent/Dialect Coach
I vividly recall my first radio interview during the twelve years I was a Hollywood-based speech and accent trainer. The opening question was, “How does someone end up as a dialect coach?” I blurted out, “I thought every four-year-old in Brooklyn wanted to grow up to teach movie stars to talk with accents.” Well, that’s…
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Top 8 Things NOT TO DO when Acting with Accents/Dialects
1. WHEN ACTING, DON’T MAKE YOUR ACCENT HARD TO UNDERSTAND. When acting with accents on stage or screen, it doesn’t matter how authentic you sound if you can’t be understood. Yes, I know that some real-world accent speakers are in fact difficult for many to understand. That doesn’t make it acceptable to for audience members…
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