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Accents in the 1500's

topic posted Sat, May 10, 2008 - 1:24 AM by  Unsubscribed
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I am curious as to what accents were heard in this time period.

I have a video set on the English language, and it states that the accent that Shakeseare would have been performed in is similar to what they now sound like in places like Somerset, or in the South West of England. Not Cornish, but maybe Bristol or thereabouts. I could just go get the tapes, but it's late and I thought I'd ask on here. :D

Kind of how Hagrid talks? I wish I could type the way it sounds, but I'm rubbish at it. it sounds countryfied now, next to the posh London accent.

Any ideas/knowledge? Can anyone be sure on this subject in the first place?
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  • Groo...
    Groomporter
    offline 9

    Re: Accents in the 1500's

    Sat, May 10, 2008 - 6:05 AM
    I've always wondered if this would be something worth contacting the Plimouth Plantation living history museum. I've read someplace that their interpreters supposedly used slightly different accents to reflect the origins of historic persons that they portray
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    • Joe
      Joe
      offline 50

      Re: Accents in the 1500's

      Sat, May 10, 2008 - 6:58 AM
      >I've always wondered if this would be something worth contacting the Plimouth Plantation living history museum.<

      I have known some interpreters at Plimouth Plantation and they do individualize the accents. It would be well worth your time to contact them.

      www.plimoth.org/

      Some American accents are not too far from those spoken by the original settlers.

      Traditional Down East Maine, Nantucket,Plymouth,Cape Cod and West Virginia accents were isolated for many years so did not change much from what their ancestors spoke.

      I have relatives in Prince Edward Island who sound very much like Highland Scotts.

      Unfortunately much of this is being lost now to the homogenizing effect of mass media. On the good side that same mass media has allowed us to preserve these accents for future generations.
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      • Rebecca
        Rebecca
        online 34

        Re: Accents in the 1500's

        Sat, May 10, 2008 - 8:18 AM
        Just a caution about the truism that isolated dialects do not change. They may not be affected by other dialects, but they do change - in fact, they may change more, as they do not have to be understood by neighbors. This is how dialects come about in the first place.
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        • Re: Accents in the 1500's

          Sat, May 10, 2008 - 9:26 AM
          Re the intial query, this subject has been covered, in depth, on two different (and at times intersecting) threads on Tribes. I think it was is Snobs, but maybe in St. George. If you search within Tribes by "pronouncing Shakespeare" or "gullah" most of my posts (and I posted a lot) will come up and link you to the larger thread. People really got into it.

          And Rebecca is absolutely right. Isolation makes things get weirder and weirder (or more idiosyncratic at least). Think of island species of animals. Works for people and languages too. The other parallel is/are the secret languages which develop between twins.....
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          • Beth
            Beth
            offline 7

            Re: Accents in the 1500's

            Sun, May 11, 2008 - 11:30 AM
            There is a thread that leads to other threads on Snobs. This one has a lot of information on it and I have found it helpful.

            tribes.tribe.net/renfaireh...fd6218c940


            Also on RF Acting there are a couple of threads.
            tribes.tribe.net/renfairea...be53701abd

            There is another where some CD’s are mentioned but I can’t find it. I have the CD. I’ll pull it out of my care and give you the name. It was only about $25. I am enjoying using it.
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            • Beth
              Beth
              offline 7

              Re: Accents in the 1500's

              Sun, May 11, 2008 - 11:56 AM
              This was recommended by another person but I can’t put my finger on the tread. I want to say it was Cassie? She plays Comedia.

              Acting with an Accent, British North Country. By David Alan Stern.

              I got it off the internet.
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              • Re: Accents in the 1500's

                Sun, May 11, 2008 - 12:07 PM
                I wouldn't consider our Basic Faire Accent to British North Country. As someone said earlier, it's more Somerset and Devon, otherwise known as West Country.
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                • Re: Accents in the 1500's

                  Sun, May 11, 2008 - 3:16 PM
                  Beth, you've shamed me into getting on my lazy butt.

                  The thread was "On Authentic Speech" in Snobs.

                  Here's the link to that thread:

                  tribes.tribe.net/renfaireh...b27d8d4c76
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                  • This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
                    Beth
                    Beth
                    offline 7

                    Re: Accents in the 1500's

                    Sun, May 11, 2008 - 7:27 PM
                    Oohhhh! Thanks Noel!

                    I hadn’t found this thread before. Gives me more to work and think on.

                    Maggie you are most likely right in that this is a little heavier an accent than I usually hear at fair. However it’s good for making the actor think about where they are allowing the voice to resonate in the mouth. Also it gives specific examples of Londoner and North County Accent mixed with the typical American speech.

                    Having just listened to the Shakespeare Speaks that Noel posted I would say that the North Country is much more clipped and pronounced forward in the mouth. I don’t know which is correct. However I do know that both sound decidedly not American and there fore should lend an air of reality to the fair.
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