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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation
Can you tell me the accent of Julie Andrews?
I have come through a range of Hollywood films. And I found many of actors and actresses speak British English with quite different accent than Receive Pronunciation that has been spoken in BBC news.
The example is Julie Andrew in the films: 'the Sound of Music', 'Mary Poppins', and 'the Princess Diaries' as a grandma. And many actors but I can't remember, most of them take a role as a ruling class person. The accent is very clear and easy to comprehend. The RP in BBC is still clearer to me, but the accent gives me a sense of prestige and sound posh.
I wonder whether it is London or Estuary accent or neither, even though I had been in London for a year but cannot tell small differences in accents. I very rarely heard it in TV in British, BBC news, BBC Entertainment channel (International version), and BBC radio online. But It appears quite often in Hollywood films especially films in historical setting of British or European.
Help from a native would be appreciated.
The example is Julie Andrew in the films: 'the Sound of Music', 'Mary Poppins', and 'the Princess Diaries' as a grandma. And many actors but I can't remember, most of them take a role as a ruling class person. The accent is very clear and easy to comprehend. The RP in BBC is still clearer to me, but the accent gives me a sense of prestige and sound posh.
I wonder whether it is London or Estuary accent or neither, even though I had been in London for a year but cannot tell small differences in accents. I very rarely heard it in TV in British, BBC news, BBC Entertainment channel (International version), and BBC radio online. But It appears quite often in Hollywood films especially films in historical setting of British or European.
Help from a native would be appreciated.
Top answer
I would say Julie Andrews has a classic RP accent. Not many newscasters these days use RP.
- I would say Julie Andrews has a classic RP accent.
- Not many newscasters these days use RP.
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6 Answers
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I would say Julie Andrews has a classic RP accent.
Not many newscasters these days use RP.
Not many newscasters these days use RP.
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Thank you.
Your answer clear all my doubt. I notice that many actresses in Hollywood films that are over 50 years old always use this accent, classic RP, which I find unfamiliar to my ears. I used to thought that BBC news reporters' accent is the only correct RP. Perhaps, I should listen to some of the British Queen and Tony Blair speeches (They are RP speakers But I never heard them talk
Your answer clear all my doubt. I notice that many actresses in Hollywood films that are over 50 years old always use this accent, classic RP, which I find unfamiliar to my ears. I used to thought that BBC news reporters' accent is the only correct RP. Perhaps, I should listen to some of the British Queen and Tony Blair speeches (They are RP speakers But I never heard them talk
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Haha.. 
I thought I'd answer you question regarding Julie Andrews.. I know Julie personally, and she speakes perfect!..I tell you. he
I thought I'd answer you question regarding Julie Andrews.. I know Julie personally, and she speakes perfect!..I tell you. he00
Julie Andrews speaks with a 'cut glass' accent. That is to say, it represents the 'Received Pronunciation' in its purest form, not often heard today. It is not a regional accent, it is a very upper-class accent, and so belongs to a class of people who are in the habit of travelling around. You might hear it from the white settlers in India and Kenya in the time of the British Empire.
As a
As a
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I have a question about Julie Andrews' accent also. As previously mentioned, she was born in Walton and came from relatively modest roots, therefore I imagine her original accent was more along the lines of Estuary English. When and why did it change to RP?
Anyone?
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I heard her say in an interview , some time ago, that she originally had a very different accent and had to study and adopt what she referred to as a BBC accent. I guess she meant RP--but most people wouldn't know what RP was.
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