Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Accents developed through singing and listening to music
I would like to know if anyone else has began to speak with a different accent based on their music or if anyone else is naturally inclined to sing certain songs with an accent.
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
No, but I've certainly come across the phenomenon of someone developing an accent from the country of the traditional music they play - quite an odd thing to hear!
Then again, there are people who subconsciously pick up different accents very readily - and I'm sure many or indeed most people will subconsciously pick up little speech inflections - I guess it's just a matter of the extent of this.
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
What about those guys you see out ploughing the fields & shovelling sh*t all day out in the wilds of Donegal or Mayo. Then they go home, shower, & get dressed up in their best cowbow outfits & head down to the pub for a night of singing Country songs with a broad US drawl! Yeee Haaa
It does sound a bit odd when someone sings with exactly the accent of the person they learned the song from, usually from a record.
When that happens I suspect they haven't been singing it long enough to make the song their own. If they had, I believe they would sing it with their own accent.
Funny thing but some folks go away for two weeks holiday & come back with an accent & others go & live in a country for many years & still manage to hold on to their own natural accent.
Must admit, I'd hate to loose mine.
I attended a Comhaltas Committee meeting many years ago at which we were all told we should attend as many of the new years classes including Dancing, Language & Music ones, cause of course we all wanted to be good Irish folk. Fraid I stood up & said I was a Scot & proud of it & had no intention of becoming Irish.
Just because I had a passion for ITM didn't mean I wanted to become an Irish Nationalist.
After all, I'd been born & lived in Scotland for many years but had no affinity with the Scottish Nationalists party either.
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
If I listen to someone talk for a long time who has an accent, I have to be careful I don't begin to mimic them. I don't do it on purpose, it's all very subconcious. So, unfortunately, if I did move to Ireland, I doubt I'd keep the Irish accent when I went back home.
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
The only time I consciously fake an accent is when I’m singing one of those doleful Appalachian murder ballads. They just don’t sound right without the Inbred Jed accent, spread thick as possible, please. It’s not really much of a fake, though, since I grew up in a “pre-Appalachia” foothills area, my last family reunion was in Kentucky where most of my cousins live. I’ve lived away from there for years, and when I go home I’m always amazed at their accent! Where the hell did THAT come from? I don’t remember it being there when I was growing up! Odd thing is, my sister’s accent is thicker than any of my brothers.
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
It's something I've consciously tried to avoid in my singing of Irish/Scots/English songs, but that said, it's not always easy. There are just some occasions where a phrase, a word, simply has to remain in its own idiom rather than be "translated" into a different culture. For instance, there's a wonderful Jacobite song, "Welcome Royal Charlie," with the chorus: "Oh, ye've been lang a-comin', lang, lang, lang a-comin.'" To sing that in my native 'Merican accent, "Oh, you've been LONG a-coming, LONG, LONG, LONG a-coming..." not only sounds unnatural and ridiculous, it takes away the emotion -- however subtle -- expressed in that line.
Most of the time, I go for what's called the "Mid-Atlantic" accent, which is more or less halfway between a UK/Irish and neutral American voice. It enables you to stretch a little bit to get those occasional "Grah Macree"s or "Mah hinney"s without sounding too forced. (But if you're singing "The Ball of Kerriemuir," you might as well just do the fake Scots accent as best you can)
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Fortunately my accent sort of goes with the songs I sing and I don't have to think about the scots or the Irish ones. I do have the odd problem with the Lancashire and Yorkshire work songs. I have abandoned songs which I think don't sound right with my accent but I don't try and change it, probably because I am not good at mimicry at all. I have been known to de-anglicise songs that I have heard elsewhere and even stick the odd scots word in that sounds right even if its not a scots song.
I do have problems singing the blues with my accent but I really just need to find the right songs.
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Maybe folks should only sing songs from their own country, then their accent would always sound right. But wait! - what about an Edinburgh dude trying to sing a Glasgow song, or a Doric Bothy Ballad ................... No, guess I'll have to come up with a better idea
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
All singers play with the sounds of the vowels and the consonants to some extent to make the words fit the song. I sometimes tend to soften my vowels somewhat when I sing songs from across the pond, especially those with a bit of gaelic or a turn of phrase that would sound odd with a New England accent. But I try to avoid putting on an accent that isn't mine--starts sounding fake and stagey.
I admit to picking up an odd word or turn of phrase from hanging about in pubs. Sometimes when I post to this board, I will unconciously copy the spelling of others, and drop a u in after an o or replace a z with an s. And when I lived in Virginia for 7 years, I did pick up a bit of a drawl that is now gone thanks to my escape back north. But I always find that those who attempt to adopt something that isn't theirs sound fake. Kind of like when someone sees your Red Sox cap and starts talking to you about baseball, and soon into the conversation you find that they don't really know the game much at all. You can only carry a bluff so far.
There was another thread on this topic in the recent past, but unlike some, I do not have the skill to dredge it up and put a link here.
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Isn’t it odd that we have these concerns about fake accents in trad singing, and yet who complains about all the white rock stars from all over the English speaking world who imitate the African-American accent? I can’t say I’ve ever been bothered by Brit singers trying to sound like my neighbors, but I would feel foolish standing on stage trying to mimic a British accent. Is it because the first phase of that phenomenon involved American white boys mimicking black boys?
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Like showaddydadito, I have no accent. But I bet my no accent and his no accent sound different. Just another sign that we live in a world without moral absolutes, I guess....
Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Accents developed through singing and listening to music
I would like to know if anyone else has began to speak with a different accent based on their music or if anyone else is naturally inclined to sing certain songs with an accent.
# Posted on October 2nd 2005 by silence
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
No, but I've certainly come across the phenomenon of someone developing an accent from the country of the traditional music they play - quite an odd thing to hear!
Then again, there are people who subconsciously pick up different accents very readily - and I'm sure many or indeed most people will subconsciously pick up little speech inflections - I guess it's just a matter of the extent of this.
# Posted on October 2nd 2005 by Ron P
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
What about those guys you see out ploughing the fields & shovelling sh*t all day out in the wilds of Donegal or Mayo. Then they go home, shower, & get dressed up in their best cowbow outfits & head down to the pub for a night of singing Country songs with a broad US drawl! Yeee Haaa
It does sound a bit odd when someone sings with exactly the accent of the person they learned the song from, usually from a record.
When that happens I suspect they haven't been singing it long enough to make the song their own. If they had, I believe they would sing it with their own accent.
Funny thing but some folks go away for two weeks holiday & come back with an accent & others go & live in a country for many years & still manage to hold on to their own natural accent.
Must admit, I'd hate to loose mine.
I attended a Comhaltas Committee meeting many years ago at which we were all told we should attend as many of the new years classes including Dancing, Language & Music ones, cause of course we all wanted to be good Irish folk. Fraid I stood up & said I was a Scot & proud of it & had no intention of becoming Irish.
Just because I had a passion for ITM didn't mean I wanted to become an Irish Nationalist.
After all, I'd been born & lived in Scotland for many years but had no affinity with the Scottish Nationalists party either.
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by Ptarmigan
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
If I listen to someone talk for a long time who has an accent, I have to be careful I don't begin to mimic them. I don't do it on purpose, it's all very subconcious. So, unfortunately, if I did move to Ireland, I doubt I'd keep the Irish accent when I went back home.
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by TJ
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
It's crap. Don't do it. I find it disrespectful and fake.
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by Mark Stone
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
The only time I consciously fake an accent is when I’m singing one of those doleful Appalachian murder ballads. They just don’t sound right without the Inbred Jed accent, spread thick as possible, please. It’s not really much of a fake, though, since I grew up in a “pre-Appalachia” foothills area, my last family reunion was in Kentucky where most of my cousins live. I’ve lived away from there for years, and when I go home I’m always amazed at their accent! Where the hell did THAT come from? I don’t remember it being there when I was growing up! Odd thing is, my sister’s accent is thicker than any of my brothers.
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by fidkid
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
It's something I've consciously tried to avoid in my singing of Irish/Scots/English songs, but that said, it's not always easy. There are just some occasions where a phrase, a word, simply has to remain in its own idiom rather than be "translated" into a different culture. For instance, there's a wonderful Jacobite song, "Welcome Royal Charlie," with the chorus: "Oh, ye've been lang a-comin', lang, lang, lang a-comin.'" To sing that in my native 'Merican accent, "Oh, you've been LONG a-coming, LONG, LONG, LONG a-coming..." not only sounds unnatural and ridiculous, it takes away the emotion -- however subtle -- expressed in that line.
Most of the time, I go for what's called the "Mid-Atlantic" accent, which is more or less halfway between a UK/Irish and neutral American voice. It enables you to stretch a little bit to get those occasional "Grah Macree"s or "Mah hinney"s without sounding too forced. (But if you're singing "The Ball of Kerriemuir," you might as well just do the fake Scots accent as best you can)
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by sts
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Fortunately my accent sort of goes with the songs I sing and I don't have to think about the scots or the Irish ones. I do have the odd problem with the Lancashire and Yorkshire work songs. I have abandoned songs which I think don't sound right with my accent but I don't try and change it, probably because I am not good at mimicry at all. I have been known to de-anglicise songs that I have heard elsewhere and even stick the odd scots word in that sounds right even if its not a scots song.
I do have problems singing the blues with my accent but I really just need to find the right songs.
J
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by jfother
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Maybe folks should only sing songs from their own country, then their accent would always sound right. But wait! - what about an Edinburgh dude trying to sing a Glasgow song, or a Doric Bothy Ballad ................... No, guess I'll have to come up with a better idea
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by Ptarmigan
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Ah, but then I'd only ever sing songs about squires and milkmaids.
That's probably why I don't sing!
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by Mark Harmer
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
All singers play with the sounds of the vowels and the consonants to some extent to make the words fit the song. I sometimes tend to soften my vowels somewhat when I sing songs from across the pond, especially those with a bit of gaelic or a turn of phrase that would sound odd with a New England accent. But I try to avoid putting on an accent that isn't mine--starts sounding fake and stagey.
I admit to picking up an odd word or turn of phrase from hanging about in pubs. Sometimes when I post to this board, I will unconciously copy the spelling of others, and drop a u in after an o or replace a z with an s. And when I lived in Virginia for 7 years, I did pick up a bit of a drawl that is now gone thanks to my escape back north. But I always find that those who attempt to adopt something that isn't theirs sound fake. Kind of like when someone sees your Red Sox cap and starts talking to you about baseball, and soon into the conversation you find that they don't really know the game much at all. You can only carry a bluff so far.
There was another thread on this topic in the recent past, but unlike some, I do not have the skill to dredge it up and put a link here.
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by AlBrown
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
No sillier than the famous name who insists you cannot play ITM unless you have used a shovel.
As an ex-miner, I supose I am well qualified.
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by geoffwright
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Hey Mark, tell us more about those milkmaids - 'snigger'..............
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by Ptarmigan
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Isn’t it odd that we have these concerns about fake accents in trad singing, and yet who complains about all the white rock stars from all over the English speaking world who imitate the African-American accent? I can’t say I’ve ever been bothered by Brit singers trying to sound like my neighbors, but I would feel foolish standing on stage trying to mimic a British accent. Is it because the first phase of that phenomenon involved American white boys mimicking black boys?
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by Bob himself
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
I don't have an accent. Other people do.
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by showaddydadito
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Like showaddydadito, I have no accent. But I bet my no accent and his no accent sound different. Just another sign that we live in a world without moral absolutes, I guess....
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by AlBrown
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
This accent thing is a grave, acute problem.
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by maxF
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Pffpbpbp! Max!
Thank goodness we don't have those problems in English!
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by Emily Horne
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
I’m nôt şǒ sǖŕe ąbőǚt thåţ , Ēmĩĺŷ
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by maxF
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
How did you do that!?
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by Emily Horne
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Hey MaxF, I'd get that keyboard of yours checked out by the local Pest Control guy, if I were you. Looks like you have an infestation of some sort!
# Posted on October 3rd 2005 by Ptarmigan
Re: Accents developed through singing and listening to music
Or Something! Amphetamines, maybe. Do you thing acid could do that to a PC, Jim?
Maybe you're right about steroids...
# Posted on October 4th 2005 by Emily Horne