To all you Non American English speaking people out there

[Daffy F]

I'm a bad judge of accents to be honest. Even though I've lived in England, Australia, and the Netherlands, I just don't really know how to judge it.

I can't say I've heard Australian accents go wrong all that much, because, well, not many people try to fake them. I don't think I've ever seen a film where a person with an Australian accent wasn't actually Australian.

Though I will note that the most common depictions of Australian accents outside of Australia aren't accents that you actually come across all that often.


Meanwhile, English accents are another matter entirely. What I notice in American films is that they tend to pick accents which are, again, quite a bit less common than you'd think.

I live in the southwest of england, at the moment, and actually one of the biggest things here is that the accent I hear most in day-to-day conversation is one that you almost never hear in fiction (British TV being an exception, for obvious reasons).

I guess it's just the most boring of accents, since it's neither representative of any of the regional accents associated mostly with working class people from particular areas (scousers, cockney, Liverpudlian, and so on), nor with 'the queens english' (aka Recieved pronunciation, which tends to be associated mostly with the upper classes.

(I personally know all of one person that speaks with an RP accent, and that's because he went to a private boarding school quite a while ago.)

I've seen people mistaking Aussie accents for British accents before. I got annoyed when watching a Gears of War 3 video on youtube, the person narrating it said something along the lines of "I'm playing as the British chick", when the character he is referring to (Samantha Byrne) CLEARLY has an Aussie accent. I suppose he was an American, but I don't think that should be an excuse for not knowing the difference between other English speaking nations accents.

 

[imagremlin]

Basically any movie where the latin american accent is generelized to just mexican accent.
Aparently colombians, peruvian or any other latin american, speak with a mexican accent.
I dont't find it offensive, just pretty ridiculos specially in movies that try to be serious and have that stuff.

This.

Spanish used to be terrible in old movies, when it was played by non-latin actors. It got better as latin actors starting to do the parts, but the particular variation is off quite often. I've also seen the error made the other way around, purported Colombians with heavy Spain accent. To us, its like night and day and utterly ridiculous.

I would give props to the only non-latin actor I remember nailing not only the language, but the location accent perfectly. That would be Al Pacino in Scarface speaking cuban accented spanish.

 

[WhiteShadow2401]

Being mexican, in videogames I haven't seen nor heard any true mexican characters... ever. For example, the "mexicans" in Red Dead Redemption were simply awful: we do not speak like that nor did the people back then. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter failed miserably too; and so did many others. Not only the guy speaking like a mexican is not from Mexico, and I imagine has never been here, but the dialogue is incorrect too; makes me think they use google translators or something like that.

It doesn't offend me, but it doesn't surprise me either. We are commonly ignored or forgotten in these kind of things; sadly, you don't see us that often in videogames or movies (And when you do, we are the bad guys or the comic relief). But... having an appearance, even if badly portrayed, every now and then is nice... better that having no appearance at all XD.

 

[Orange12345]

I'd like to say that we Canadians have been misrepresented in games.... but for the life of me I cant remember any game that has a Canadian in it

 

[Kirtap]

Can't really think of a swedish character whos had an accent in any game or movie. But i doubt i would be offended, heavily annoyed maybe. If someone heard the accent and would think something along the lines of "Well thats just how it is", that would probaby offend me.

 

[Athol]

Also, the next time some ignorant Yank says to you, "Oh you're from Canada, eh? What're you talking aboot?", you have written permission to punch them in the head. Please. Because all Americans think that that's the funniest joke that they've ever heard, and they use it every time you talk to them. To all Americans; We don't talk like that, it's not funny, now cut it out.

I agree, ones that do that need to be hit.

FYI To All Americans:
It is because of annoying crap like that, we relased the likes of Justin Beiber and Celine Dion...keep those jokes up and it'll just get worse >

 

[manaman]

I hate it when people think we Canadians say "ey" all the time (which we don't). and that we say "aboot", instead of "about", which is what we really use.

Oh you BC'ers sure as hell do say "ey" all the time and I hear aboot more then I hear about. I've given enough of you rides, and worked with enough of you. Not even counting the time I have spent in Victoria and Vancouver.

Yeah, The country has several different accents and at least one dialect I know about. Once I went just north of Vancouver and heard a somewhat French accent, the only place in Canada I went where the people were incredibly rude. They figured out pretty quickly at the restaurant I went to that I was from the US and decided it would be nice to talk in French as much as possible. I will tell you three years of French lessons did jack all to help me understand what they where saying.

 

[Queen Michael]

Movie?Oh, and Barbara in Batman and Robin, although considering how bad that movie was, we should be grateful it wasn't worse.

She had an accent? I didn't notice any accent. What accent was she supposed to have?

English, I think.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Movie?Oh, and Barbara in Batman and Robin, although considering how bad that movie was, we should be grateful it wasn't worse.

She had an accent? I didn't notice any accent. What accent was she supposed to have?

English, I think.

Really? 'Cause it just sounded like Alicia Silverstone's normal voice to me. I guess that means she REALLY sucks at English accents.

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

I was wondering what were some of the most inaccurate accents/dialects that you have ever heard in a game or a movie? Do they offend you in any way? If they don't, then why not?

I was wondering because I am pretty sure the demoman's Scottish dialect is REALLY off, but I don't find it particularly offensive because all of the characters are intentional cartoonish representation or their respective regions.

I don't think that the Scout's is exaggerated at all. I know several people who talk exactly like him.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

I hate any and all accents that are faked, half-assed or not even there.

 

[Nieroshai]

Dick Van Dyke trying to do Cockney in Mary Poppins takes the cake, then rapes it.

Yes, but that was whimsical and charming... and birdseed is only tuppence a bag!

OT: This is cheating since I'm American, but not really. You probably won't ever find a Texan that actually sounds like John Marston.

 

[Nieroshai]

Also, the next time some ignorant Yank says to you, "Oh you're from Canada, eh? What're you talking aboot?", you have written permission to punch them in the head. Please. Because all Americans think that that's the funniest joke that they've ever heard, and they use it every time you talk to them. To all Americans; We don't talk like that, it's not funny, now cut it out.

I agree, ones that do that need to be hit.

FYI To All Americans:
It is because of annoying crap like that, we relased the likes of Justin Beiber and Celine Dion...keep those jokes up and it'll just get worse >

Aww... because my neighbers from Canada actually do talk like that. And so do the friends that visit them on holidays.

Also, ALL? To say that in an anti-stereotyping thread is just silly and ironic. Thanks for being the butt of our joke.

 

[darron13]

Well I have yet to hear anyone in a game/movie speak in a Trinidadian accent (well except Russel Peters who has a shockingly accurate one despite being Canadian as seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXe8BLZb5H8 though that's stand up so doesn't count), but I can say for sure that Little Jacob and Badman in GTAIV had authentic Jamaican accents.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

snip

You are, of course, right about pretty much everything in that post, especially about the Derry accent (although, I'll be fair, my accent's not too dissimilar). I probably should have mentioned something about varying accents within cities, I simply just didn't think of it when writing the post.

 

[BlackStar42]

Movie?Oh, and Barbara in Batman and Robin, although considering how bad that movie was, we should be grateful it wasn't worse.

She had an accent? I didn't notice any accent. What accent was she supposed to have?

It's supposed to be an attempt at the stereotypical British accent, but it's almost as bad as Dick Van Dye's attempt in Mary Poppins.