Monthly Archives: December 2013

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Ben

Disney’s 1964 Mary Poppins adaptation has been in the news lately, in light of both film’s 50th anniversary and Saving Mr. Banks, a new film about the contentious relationship between Walt Disney and Anglo-Australian “Poppins” creator P. L. Travers. Of … Continue reading →

Posted in British English | Tagged celebrity accents, Cockney, dialects in film | 26 Comments

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Ben

Ubiquitous on the radio recently has been “Royals,” a minimalist anti-consumerist (I think) anthem by 16-year-old New Zealand singer Lorde (real name Ella Yelich-O’Connor). She been busy on the American interview circuit, revealing her non-singing, New Zealand-accented voice: Something that struck me about … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous Accents and Dialects, Uncategorized | Tagged australian accents, new zealand accents | 9 Comments

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Ben

I had tonsillitis last week. Throat maladies tend to endow one with a strange temporary “accent,” and this one was no different; the illness rendered my voice unusually nasal in this case. Such an affliction contrasts with typical head cold … Continue reading →

Posted in English Phonetics | Tagged phonetics | 3 Comments

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Ben

“‘Nauseous‘ doesn’t refer to being sick,” my 9th-grade English teacher told his class. “It refers to something that makes you sick.” He sounded more apologetic than commanding; he didn’t seem to believe this “rule” any more than we did. Yet … Continue reading →

Posted in American English | Tagged words | 16 Comments