Test Project: Readers Accent Table

gypsygirl · Post by **gypsygirl** » June 3rd, 2015, 8:41 am

karlkuzmich wrote:Would you please add me to the table:
Reader : karlkuzmich (Mark Chulsky), https://librivox.org/reader/8086
Location : US, MA
Accent: EN > Russian; RU > Moscow

Sure thing.

tovarisch · Post by **tovarisch** » June 3rd, 2015, 9:04 am

Everybody's getting into that table, and I thought I wanted to be mentioned there too...

I don't want to appear coy, but I am not sure what accent[s] I have. I mean, by this time even when speaking Russian, I may not sound a Muscovite any longer (I did, I am sure when I lived there). I can definitely sound Russian when speaking English (although I prefer not to). I'd like to think I can fake some well known accents when speaking English (and even Russian), it's just a matter of a little effort...

Does this make any sense or am I just babbling?

Post by **RuthieG** » June 3rd, 2015, 10:02 am

I don't want to appear coy, but I am not sure what accent[s] I have.

I have to listen very carefully to work out that your accent (in English) is Russian. Just the occasional word here and there gives me a clue (e.g. the ell sound in 'allied'). It is clear from the purity of the vowel sounds that there is some faint European-ish accent, but I find it quite hard to guess which. British English, though! I hear no hint whatsoever of American English.

Ruth

tovarisch · Post by **tovarisch** » June 3rd, 2015, 10:32 am

Thanks, Ruth, appreciate your input.

I am certain that with practice I can probably do American English better or more stably. In fact, I already tried it when recording for Tom Sawyer (Dramatic) in which I read a small part, and also in Options and The Verge (as "Harry"). And in The Heart's Kingdom I even tried to imitate Appalachian (Tennessee, Kentucky) accent...

Only one piece of feedback I got, about Options. I think it's because we don't discriminate by, which often translates to "not care about", accents. My early work in Return of the Native (as "Timothy Fairway") should probably not count at all...

Now if somebody could also classify my Russian accent correctly, we could move to adding me to the table

tovarisch · Post by **tovarisch** » June 3rd, 2015, 1:41 pm

Soon after I moved to the States, I was asked a couple of times whether I was German and another couple of times whether I was French.

At that time regular folks for some reason never heard Russian in my speech

Post by **Lynnet** » June 4th, 2015, 8:04 am

tovarisch wrote:Soon after I moved to the States, I was asked a couple of times whether I was German and another couple of times whether I was French. At that time regular folks for some reason never heard Russian in my speech

I am always being asked if I am from Australia or New Zealand (no one can tell which

). After living in Oregon for 20 years, I think I sound like a native Portlander

Post by **RuthieG** » June 4th, 2015, 9:50 am

You still sound like a native Brit to me

.

Ruth

tovarisch · Post by **tovarisch** » June 4th, 2015, 11:59 am

I think that paint is dry and the grass has grown...

Please add me to the table.

Reader: tovarisch (tovarisch), http://librivox.org/reader/8169
Location: US, NH
Accents: When speaking Russian : Moscow (native); When speaking English : UK/RP (most comfortable), Russian
Other Info: Can fake some other accents when speaking English or Russian, which to a casual listener will likely be sufficient. Can read French, Italian, and even German (but probably will sound awful to a native speaker).

smike · Post by **smike** » June 4th, 2015, 2:09 pm

RuthieG wrote:You still sound like a native Brit to me .

Ruth

My thoughts exactly, Ruth.

gypsygirl · Post by **gypsygirl** » June 5th, 2015, 3:45 am

tovarisch wrote:I think that paint is dry and the grass has grown...

Please add me to the table.

Reader: tovarisch (tovarisch), http://librivox.org/reader/8169
Location: US, NH
Accents: When speaking Russian : Moscow (native); When speaking English : UK/RP (most comfortable), Russian
Other Info: Can fake some other accents when speaking English or Russian, which to a casual listener will likely be sufficient. Can read French, Italian, and even German (but probably will sound awful to a native speaker).

Added.

SonOfTheExiles · Post by **SonOfTheExiles** » June 5th, 2015, 10:09 pm

Would love to hear your take on an Australian accent, tovarisch. So many people overseas never quite manage to nail it - they tend to make us sound like Cockneys.

An elderly Ukrainian intellectual lady I knew some years ago took it into her head to teach me a smattering of Russian. I remember her describing my accent as "weaponised".

tovarisch · Post by **tovarisch** » June 6th, 2015, 5:41 am

SonOfTheExiles wrote:Would love to hear your take on an Australian accent, tovarisch. So many people overseas never quite manage to nail it - they tend to make us sound like Cockneys...

I bet it would take some practice... I thought about joining the project with a couple lost in Australian wilderness just for the sake of trying speaking Australian, but then I checked myself with my solos lagging and too little practice...

Elizabby · Post by **Elizabby** » November 3rd, 2015, 1:30 am

Can you add me too please? I'm Australian (Melbourne, Victoria). Like many of us, I can do the full range from educated East Coast Australian to broad Aussie, Aussie, Aussie (Oi, Oi, Oi!)

I'm also working on my RP British English accent, but I don't think I'm quite there yet. I can read French and Greek (both very slowly and not very fluently.) Useless Trivia: I can also sing in Vietnamese but I can't speak or read it very well.

I've discovered through trial and error (mostly error) that I can't fake an American accent at all - but strangely enough my 5yo daughter can! (Does that mean she watches too much TV?

)

J_N · Post by **J_N** » November 3rd, 2015, 4:13 am

Elizabby wrote:I've discovered through trial and error (mostly error) that I can't fake an American accent at all - but strangely enough my 5yo daughter can! (Does that mean she watches too much TV? )

Don't worry... children pick stuff like that up very easily... I used to sound full-blown German every year after being on family vacation (usually mostly German kids around to play with) - drove my mom nuts...

as we get older we seem to lose that ability...

gypsygirl · Post by **gypsygirl** » November 6th, 2015, 4:18 am

Elizabby wrote:Can you add me too please? I'm Australian (Melbourne, Victoria). Like many of us, I can do the full range from educated East Coast Australian to broad Aussie, Aussie, Aussie (Oi, Oi, Oi!)

I'm also working on my RP British English accent, but I don't think I'm quite there yet. I can read French and Greek (both very slowly and not very fluently.) Useless Trivia: I can also sing in Vietnamese but I can't speak or read it very well.

I've discovered through trial and error (mostly error) that I can't fake an American accent at all - but strangely enough my 5yo daughter can! (Does that mean she watches too much TV? )

I've added you.