This practical reference manual, with its precise, authentic instructions on how to speak in more than 100 dialects, has established itself as the most useful and comprehensive guide to accents available, now increased by a third in this revised printing. As before, the accents range from regional U.S. and British dialects to European accents that include, among others, the Germanic, Slavic and Romance Languages. Completing his around-the-world journey, the author then covers the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Includes two CDs.
Accents: A Manual for Actors- Revised and Expanded Edition
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
161 of 163 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A comprehensive and invaluable tool for actors,
This review is from: Accents: A Manual for Actors (Paperback)
The range and usefulness of this book is quite astonishing. Not only does the text provide important sounds, stress and pitch and mouth/tongue positions for more than 80 accents of English as spoken all over the globe, but the author illustrates them with great versatility on the accompanying CD. I learned the difference between several Irish accents, heard a Cockney Yiddish and the same phrase spoken in several regions of the American South. It is an invaluable book for the actor or anyone who finds accents intriguing. A vibrant plus is the erudite and highly readable introductory essays to each language group which give a history of the country and its language, and include many examples of recordings and films in which you can hear fine examples of English spoken with that accent. I now understand why my Swedish daughter-in-law and Southern husband speak as they do,and am looking forward to perfecting my Dublin accent. A gift for anyone in theater or film, or anyone who is fascinated by the many ways our language can be spoken.
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very very useful!!!,
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Accents: A Manual for Actors (Paperback)
Robert Blumenfeld has made a reference for almost every conceivable accent the modern actor may be called upon to employ. British RP and Irish accents are listed here, as are French and Italian. However, Blumenfeld also includes Lithuanian, Basque, Gullah, and a host of others. This is a bold attempt for a 320 page book. Blumenfeld has moved away from the standard practice of using monologues or pages and pages of sentences written down in a bastardized phonetic structure to teach these accents. Such approaches do have their place, but a work of Blumenfeld's scope would be need to become a series of several volumes in order to employ such methods. There are small number of phonetic representations, usually several sentences per accent. Blumenfeld's focus, however, rests upon correct placement of the vocal apparatus and detailed descriptions of how the accent will change any text into which it comes in contact. This is perhaps the most important feature of the book. It describes a process of understanding and working with your brain and vocal instrument instead of simply memorizing how to say words differently. However, I must stress that this is a practical book, not an academic book on accent theory. Blumenfeld provides this information with an end result in mind. This book will teach you how to employ your desired accent. You can apply its principals to any monologue or scene, even improvise, and it will work. The CD is also very useful. While the it does not have examples of every accent the book covers, it does have a fair amount. All of accent work is done by Blumenfeld himself, and therefore you can see how one person's voice can change dramatically through this process.
47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
INCREDIBLE,
This review is from: Accents: A Manual for Actors (Paperback)
Wow, when I went looking for a book to help me learn how to do accents I had no idea I'd find this. It seems to cover just about every American accent you could want. The CD that is included with it is invaluable. Within just a few days I was speaking like an English Gentleman. I have been trying to get that accent down for years. I work in a popular cafe here in Hollywood. We get many customers from London. I can even fool them. They ask me what part I'm from. They are amazed when I turn the accent off. Then, just for kicks, I'll start talking like I'm from Kentucky or the Bronx. This book is great for everyone who wants to add spice to their personalities, not just actors. Did I mention I get more dates when I use the accents I learned from this book?
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
(learn more)
possible pitch pattern, correct general position, diphthong shifts, phonetic pronunciation, lightly trilled, consonants arc, upper gum ridge, intermediate vowel, final voiced consonants, one trill, accent pronounce, lighter accent, vowels exist, stage diction, lengthened vowel, usual substitution, heavier accent, rhotic accents, vocal cavity, vocal apparatus, very heavy accent, upper pitch, dialectical features, pitch patterns, accents native Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
General American, Quick Reference, New York, County Cork, United States, Inner Dublin, General Dublin, Stress Stress, The Most Important Sounds, Puerto Rican, American English, North German, Middle West, Pitch Pitch, West Africa, British English, World War Two, Standard Italian, New Zealand, New Orleans, North Carolina, East Africa, South Africa, Scottish Standard English, Middle East Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
possible pitch pattern, correct general position, diphthong shifts, phonetic pronunciation, lightly trilled, consonants arc, upper gum ridge, intermediate vowel, final voiced consonants, one trill, accent pronounce, lighter accent, vowels exist, stage diction, lengthened vowel, usual substitution, heavier accent, rhotic accents, vocal cavity, vocal apparatus, very heavy accent, upper pitch, dialectical features, pitch patterns, accents native Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
General American, Quick Reference, New York, County Cork, United States, Inner Dublin, General Dublin, Stress Stress, The Most Important Sounds, Puerto Rican, American English, North German, Middle West, Pitch Pitch, West Africa, British English, World War Two, Standard Italian, New Zealand, New Orleans, North Carolina, East Africa, South Africa, Scottish Standard English, Middle East Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
4
books
cite this book:
- The Improvisation Playbook by Tristan MacAvery on page 193
- How To Be A Working Actor: The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs in Theater, Film, and Television by Mari Lyn Henry in Back Matter
- Break a Leg!: The Kid's Guide to Acting and Stagecraft by Lise Friedman in Back Matter
- Tools and Techniques for Character Interpretation: A Handbook of Psychology for Actors, Writers, and Directors by Robert Blumenfeld in Back Matter
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
