35 replies to this topic

[A Damp Crannogman]

Really enjoyed reading the BBC reporter's topic about the British accents in the TV series so I thought I'd start a thead asking people what accents they'd like to hear from new characters.

The Reeds, should they have a Northern English accent like the adult Northmen or a Southern accent like the younger Starks or should they have a different accent altogether? I think a twee Irish accent would work quite well.

The Dornish, will they try and add a bit of West Country English or could this be the time for an American accent to enter the show. On the other thread people were saying that American accents wouldn't work which I agree with in general but some of the Southern accents out there might fit in. They are said in the books to have a drawl after all.

Mance Rayder- Mancunian like Ygritte and Osha, Irish, Scottish, other Northern accents?

Ramsay Snow- will he be quite posh like his father's character or more Northern?

Shireen- The young actress playing her is from Berkshire so presumably she is fairly posh.

The Tully's a new accent or just get actors from different parts of the UK to speak Queen's English with strange results?

Feel free to talk about all possible new characters and their accents.

[Lord commander_Snow]

I actually like the accents that they have
but I think the the northern should talk like Scottish people or around there, the southerners should talk like noble Englishmen(only the high born)

[Caris]

It's times like these when my useless American self feels left out. I can tell they're different but I lack the cultural knowledge to identify them and any possible connotations. Is there some kind of cheat sheet I could read? Also, Crannogman, could you post a link to this article, by any chance?

[Sword of the Morning Wood]

I thought it would have been better to give the wildlings Scottish accents. As it is, most of them sound the same as northeners. I imagine, they'll continue to have broadly Yorskshire/Northern English accents.

I think Irish accents would be cool for the crannogmen. They're both bog-trotters.

I think some kind of Southern English accent (West country, Devon, Corwnwall etc) or American would be absolutely ludicrous for the Dornish. I'd have them with a bit more of a foreign accent (some kind of Spanish language type twang) although obviously not too accented and the highborns would most likely stay with 'accentless British'.

I tend to think of the Riverlands and the Neck as like Ireland so Irish accents would be OK for them.

[Red Stark]

Here is the BBC article mentioned in the 1st post.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...gazine-17554816

For me the the Dornish should be speaking with some sort of Mediterranean accent as that is what their culture has always reminded me of.  

Would be amusing to hear an Australian accent slipped in somewhere as it is an amalgamation of the many British accents of the first settlers (convicts )

[Lord Wadsworth]

American accents need to just stay out of the show. It'd pretty much ruin it, especially for the Dornish.

What we have to remember for the Dornish though is that there are three kind of Dornishmen.

Salty: Beach people, dark olive skin and black hair. Very Mediterranean.
Sandy: More brown mixed in, live in the deserts. Likely more arab-esque.
Stony: Fair skinned, much like the rest of Westeros, live in the mountains.

[Which Tyler]

Caris, on 06 June 2012 - 09:29 PM, said:

It's times like these when my useless American self feels left out. I can tell they're different but I lack the cultural knowledge to identify them and any possible connotations. Is there some kind of cheat sheet I could read? Also, Crannogman, could you post a link to this article, by any chance?

Ytu this
http://www.bbc.co.uk...ngs/index.shtml
it's kinda an interactive map of british accents

Edited by Which Tyler, 07 June 2012 - 04:06 AM.

[A Damp Crannogman]

Sorry for not posting those links and thanks to those who did.

I think giving a non-native speaker accent to the Dornish would imply that they are completely separate and not partially separate region so for me a meditteranean accent would be a mistake. They already used a kind of meditteranean accent for Syrio Forel of Bravos and to a lesser extent for Jaqen H'ghar both of whom (one assumes) are not Common Tongue native speakers. In the books the Dornish are supposed to have a drawl but not to sound foreign hence why I think one of the drawlier English accents (West Country/Southern US) would be an interesting choice. I agree though that in the end they will probably have a generic posh accent.

[Ferrum Aeternum]

*blasted double post*

Edited by Ferrum Aeternum, 07 June 2012 - 08:08 AM.

[Ferrum Aeternum]

A Damp Crannogman, on 07 June 2012 - 06:07 AM, said:

In the books the Dornish are supposed to have a drawl but not to sound foreign hence why I think one of the drawlier English accents (West Country/Southern US) would be an interesting choice. I agree though that in the end they will probably have a generic posh accent.

As someone who speaks rather heavily accented Southern US, I can only say please gods no.   Such an accent has no place in Westeros.  

[Wyman's Man]

I'm fairly sure they are going to cast British Asians (In British English this means Indians/Pakistanis) for the Dornish roles, so I would expect them to have English accents. Dorne is not "foreign" in the Westeros context so even though their culture may seem Mediterranean that should be what Braavos and the Free Cities are. If Illyrio doesn't have a foreign accent why should native Westerosi? The Dornish will probably have a home counties accent since most Indians live near London.

[Cregan Quagg]

I always pictured the Dornishmen with a South African accent. It works with the "drawl", I think, and it's still plausibly British-like. They wouldn't sound that foreign, just suitably different. Plus, as Damp Crannogman said, it's a native accent.

Edited by Cregan Quagg, 07 June 2012 - 10:56 AM.

[Harrad]

Lord Wadsworth, on 07 June 2012 - 12:43 AM, said:

American accents need to just stay out of the show. It'd pretty much ruin it,

I am passing this comment on to AFTRA. But seriously folks, get over your fawning over British accents. You were probably glued to your TV sets watching Piers Morgan gush over the Queen's jubilee. HBO just cast Hemmingway and Gellhorn (two American icons) as a Brit and an Aussie, respectively. That was clearly more authentic. Rome with British accents, Russians with Scottish accents (Sean Connery in Red October) is taking things too far. GoT is a fictional world, written by an American with an American production company. How about a little love for the one American in the cast and how about adding a few more.

[Westvista]

Peter Dinklage does an amazing job on his accent, but I feel it should be British actors playing the parts.  What do I know. I know nothing.

[mind robber]

If the Dornish would have a Bristol/Devon or Cornish accent then it would have to be quite mild, otherwise it could come across as to Humourous.

[Harrad]

I would go with Valyrians having upper-class twit accents, Pentosians sounding like Cockney's, and White Dead-Horse Rider Walkers recapitulating Mr. Gumby.

[Gallant]

All kinds of strange and badly spoken accents as the Thenns, Hornfoots, Night Runners, Ice River Clans and Salt Sea Sailors in de wildling camp.

[CrypticWeirwood]

What in the world is a “Mediterranean” accent?

Portuguese? Spanish?  Italian?  French?  Greek? Turkish? Israeli? Arabic?

Those are all going to mess things up.   There is no such thing as a Mediterranean accent absent some particular non-English language. And those will all of them be a problem.

We’ll probably get subcontinentals from the former British Raj cast as Dornish, which means they’ll all sound like Apu Nahasapeemapetilon from the Quik-E-Mart in the Simpsons.

I can’t wait!

Edited by CrypticWeirwood, 07 June 2012 - 12:57 PM.

[CrypticWeirwood]

Betcha anything that Tormund is going to sound Scandihoovian.

[Who the hell is Ros]

for Dorne I would have thought an arabic sounding accent would be the best, however south african would also work if they don't want them to sound too different from the rest of westeros...