EPISODE 2.22 - Around the World in a Bunch of Accents (Seth Explains - European Stage Accents)

Heyyy, welcome to the GNAPcast--your source of geekly entertainment!

It's been in the works since Season 1, and it's finally here--a Swedish polka episode!

...okay, maybe not. The booking didn't exactly work out on that one.

Instead, how about another "explains" episode? This time, Seth takes the plunge and workshops David through several different stage accents! (If you've already listened through the GNAPcast's Improvapalooza episode, you'll know that this may not end well...) 

Come along with Seth and David as they explain, attempt, and laugh their way through four different stage accents (while also apologizing profusely for the sheer amount of exaggeration).

 

 

Fun Facts & Extra Stuff! - Seth

As it turns out, neither one of the "spoilers" I found for Infinity War turned out to be accurate...I mean, people have been saying that Cap or Tony would die since Age of Ultron, but nobody talks about Tony Stark losing an arm, so I thought it might actually be accurate. Shows what I know. 

Received Pronunciation (RP) - Though less common in actual society than it used to be (considering that this accent sort of assumes that the middle class doesn't exist), RP is still one of the quintessential stage accents. It's notable for strong 'T's and an overall sense of precision, as if every sound is carefully chosen beforehand. One must put up a good face for one's people, after all.

Cockney - Interestingly, the modern London accent has a lot of overlap with Cockney, though a bit less pronounced. For an excellent example of both strong Cockney and RP accents, watch the film "My Fair Lady." Cockney is also notable for its extremely long vowel sounds and its impressive lilt, or pitch fluctuations. 

Italian - One of the most impressive Italian accents I've ever heard from a non-native is Roger Craig Smith's portrayal of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, from the Assassin's Creed games. For a long time, I didn't even realize he wasn't Italian because the accent sounded so natural. Two of the defining characteristics of this accent are its rate of speed and its vocal bounciness. Even in a more subtle Italian accent, the sound seems to go up and down more, if that makes sense. 

Irish - The Irish accent has this strange mixture of softness, energy, and musicality. Different speakers and different roles may choose to emphasize one more than the other, but all three are there in some capacity. Liam Neeson is one of the most prominent Irish actors nowadays, but he doesn't use his native accent all that much... except in The Phantom Menace, for some reason.