When did movies stop using the transatlantic accent?
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When did movies stop using the transatlantic accent?
The Trans-Atlantic Accent (or the Mid-Atlantic Accent) was a style of speech taught in affluent schools along the East Coast and in Hollywood Film Studios from the late nineteen tens until the mid-forties.
Why did the Mid-Atlantic accent disappear?
However, by 1950, following and presumably due to the Second World War, the accent’s influence had largely ended. Wealthy or highly educated Americans known for being lifelong speakers of the Mid-Atlantic accent include William F….
| Example | Mid-Atlantic | |
|---|---|---|
| innovative | -ative | [ətɪv ~ ˌeɪtɪv] |
Why did everyone sound the same in old movies?
A video from BrainStuff explains why the people in old movies might have an accent or dialect you just can’t seem to place. BrainStuff explains that the plummy, upper-crust accent is reminiscent of British aristocracy and was actually the style of speaking taught to students in New England boarding schools.
What happened to the American English accent?
People back in England noted the quirky new ways Americans were speaking English within a generation of the colonists’ arrival. Over time, the changes went beyond accent to include different words and grammatical structures, adding up to a new dialect. Dialects have two main causes.
What kind of accent does Audrey Hepburn have?
Audrey Hepburn had to develop a Cockney accent after she was cast in ‘My Fair Lady’ My Fair Lady fans will recall that the film follows poor Cockney flower seller, Eliza Doolittle, who receives phonetics lessons from Professor Henry Higgins.
Why did actors talk weird in old movies?
This type of pronunciation is called the Transatlantic, or Mid-Atlantic, accent. And it isn’t like most other accents – instead of naturally evolving, the Transatlantic accent was acquired. This means that people in the United States were taught to speak in this voice.
Why did people have an accent in the 50s?
I’d guess that the “50’s accent” you hear had much to do with the technology of AM and shortwave radio. Precise diction and a somewhat clipped style for words and phrases helped to overcome the crackle and hiss of static in radio reception.