[HPFGU-Movie] Accents

[rvotaw at i-55.com]

Nicholas:

> Britain has a huge variety of regional accents, and also something called<BR>
> Received Pronunciation, or RP, which is usually accepted as<BR>
> regional-accentless English. The BBC used only to employ RP-speakers, I<BR>
> suppose on the principle that an accentless voice is understandable to 
all.<BR>
> Here's a quick list of the HP characters and their accents:-<BR>

<snip>

Oh, goody.  This is fascinating.  A few questions here.  I can see obviously 
with the adults, such as Maggie Smith, how they would shift their accents from 
one production to another.  The kids, however, would seem to (based on 
interviews)talk as they normally do.  Therefore, what would explain, for 
example, Daniel's accent being RP but lapsing into a London accent?  Schooling 
versus home?  I'm thinking of my students in southern Louisiana, where I teach 
them to speak one way, but unless I'm standing over them they slip back into 
their "home venacular."  

I do, of course, understand that in areas near each other people can still 
speak with very different accent.  For instance, I live less than forty miles 
north of New Orleans.  While people in New Orleans would say that "Nawlins" 
or "New Awlins" I say "New Orlens" with a short e sound. Others elsewhere will 
say it different still, such as "New Orleens" with a long e sound.  That aside, 
what would account for the difference in, say, Rupert Grint and Daniel 
Radcliffe's accents?  Regional?  Schooling?  

As for Tom Felton's frequent lower class London accent, what would be 
considered upper class accent?  London as in Rupert Grint or RP?

Yes, I'm full of questions!

Richelle

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