Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

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GlytchMeister
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Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by GlytchMeister »

Anybody else wonder how Euryale, whose mythical origins date back over 8000 years ago, has a modern southern accent? She couldn't have possibly picked it up from learning English from a southern teacher, seeing as she is a well-educated, and ancient, being. She'd probably have learned English when it became the lingua franca of the scientific/academic community in old Europe, when it displaced Latin. Or possibly earlier. I mean, Leonardo da Vinci (I'm drawing from memory here, so forgive me if I'm wrong) wrote backwards English when most academics were told to use Latin.

Is she choosing it? Consciously forcing herself to have such a thick southern accent? I know some southern businessmen will lay the southern drawl on heavy to disarm and lull their competition into a false sense of security during negotiations, as the Southern accent has some connections to simple-mindedness (dumb rednecks), kindness (southern hospitality), etc. maybe she's acting Southern so people aren't as intimidated as her?

Anybody else have any ideas? And what sort of accent do you think other ancient beings have? Phix? Bia? Charon? Nudge?
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Mark N
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Mark N »

My guess is that it is a survival adaption for a long lived being that is hiding in plain site of a human population. You choose your background for this lifetime and part of that is the accent and inflection that is expected of the character you are being at that time. :geek:

By the way, we already know from Paul that Phix has a British accent and sounds like actress Alex Kingston.
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by GlytchMeister »

Mark N wrote:My guess is that it is a survival adaption for a long lived being that is hiding in plain site of a human population. You choose your background for this lifetime and part of that is the accent and inflection that is expected of the character you are being at that time. :geek:

By the way, we already know from Paul that Phix has a British accent and sounds like actress Alex Kingston.
Wouldn't want to run into the same issue as Captain America. Insurance companies don't really care how healthy you are when you have a 90 year old social security number.

Also: now that I know Phix sounds like her, I hope Paul knows he has made many people want him to write a joke involving Phix saying "Spoilers!" At some point. Including myself.

Took me ages to find that link. Hope it was worth it.
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Catawampus
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Catawampus »

As far as we know, Euryale is the only long-lived character so far who has spent a long term living among humans in human society in the ways that a human would interact. And even though she's apparently quite strong (she can pick up and hold Monica at eye level with her arms fully extended) and has some powers that humans lack, she's still probably on the relatively "soft and squishy" side of paranormal toughness, unlike sphinxes or golems. She'll have had to adopt different strategies for getting through life than those that the others we've seen have. She'll have been needing to fit in more, rather than just go her own way with her own mannerisms.
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by jwhouk »

Catawampus wrote:As far as we know, Euryale is the only long-lived character so far who has spent a long term living among humans in human society in the ways that a human would interact.
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by GlytchMeister »

jwhouk wrote:
Catawampus wrote:As far as we know, Euryale is the only long-lived character so far who has spent a long term living among humans in human society in the ways that a human would interact.
Jin subtly says hi.
So does... Oh, crap. What's her name again? Anasazi vampire? Uhhhh...
(Looks it up)
Lily! Grandma Lily Pratt! There we go!
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Catawampus »

Jin spent most of the time being a golem with no self-will, or flitting about being a global manipulator and going nuts. Not exactly living like a regular person.

We don't know anything about what Lily's been up to the past six thousand years, but given the traditional diet of vampires and the apparent limitations that they have in the Wapsi universe, it's questionable how much she's been part of society.

That was my thinking, anyway.
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by AnotherFairportfan »

GlytchMeister wrote:
Mark N wrote:My guess is that it is a survival adaption for a long lived being that is hiding in plain site of a human population. You choose your background for this lifetime and part of that is the accent and inflection that is expected of the character you are being at that time. :geek:

By the way, we already know from Paul that Phix has a British accent and sounds like actress Alex Kingston.
Wouldn't want to run into the same issue as Captain America. Insurance companies don't really care how healthy you are when you have a 90 year old social security number.

Also: now that I know Phix sounds like her, I hope Paul knows he has made many people want him to write a joke involving Phix saying "Spoilers!" At some point. Including myself.

Took me ages to find that link. Hope it was worth it.
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Catawampus
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Catawampus »

Given Euryale's personality, though, I suspect that the most likely reason for her talking as she does is that she just enjoys it. She does seem to have a slight silly and exuberant side to herself.
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Sgt. Howard »

I do speak an extra couple of languages and more than a few dialects- and as such, I have passed myself off as a German to Austrians and Germans, a Southerner to Southerners, a Jew to Jews... same with Irish, Scot, Limey and Aussie. It is a matter of hearing what is being said and learning it. Some have the gift and pick it up quickly- others never do. I HAVE noticed that those who can pick up a dialect accurately often can also SING beautifully. I am not sure what (if any) connection exists between the two, but there it is.

It has been pointed out to me that when I am nervous I drop into Appalachian Tennessee (my Mother's family)- I also use it to calm people down. When I am frustrated, I OATH in German or Yiddish. Sometimes Russian. When talking automotive mechanics, I slip into upper-middle-class Brit... not sure why... and when I get drunk (which hasn't happened since December 28th, 2002- I am a recovering alcoholic) I develop a broad Texas panhandle drawl.
If you listen to me long enough, you are likely to hear a great many dialects- unless I am listening to a SPECIFIC dialect, that is- and usually I am unaware that I am doing it.

Not sure if this helps, but there it is
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by GlytchMeister »

I think the whole singing-accent talent connection has something to do with whatever the opposite of being tone-deaf is.

As for the British automotive mechanics... Are you a fan of Top Gear? Because I sometimes have to stop myself from saying "boot" instead of "trunk".

I've never been one for producing music, just never really was important to me. But I have been told I can replicate Godsmack and one of the vocalists in the Trans Siberian Orchestra (the one who plays Beethoven in Beethoven's Last Night) freakishly well.

And I've also been told I can pull off an Ezio impression and do some accents very well. But that only happens if I listen and pay attention for a long time.
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Sgt. Howard »

GlytchMeister wrote:I think the whole singing-accent talent connection has something to do with whatever the opposite of being tone-deaf is.

As for the British automotive mechanics... Are you a fan of Top Gear? Because I sometimes have to stop myself from saying "boot" instead of "trunk".

I've never been one for producing music, just never really was important to me. But I have been told I can replicate Godsmack and one of the vocalists in the Trans Siberian Orchestra (the one who plays Beethoven in Beethoven's Last Night) freakishly well.

And I've also been told I can pull off an Ezio impression and do some accents very well. But that only happens if I listen and pay attention for a long time.
Actually, I can trace the Brit accent to the guy who taught me to work on Jags now that I think about it. Top Gear? I don't watch TV. I first became interested in singing for church service at an early age- it turned out I was (and still am) good at it. Then when I discovered girls, I ALSO discovered I was not appealing to them. A good buddy of mine pointed out that if you play a guitar and croon pretty words, they melt... well, I could ALREADY croon pretty words, AND I CAN DAMN WELL LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR!!!

... three divorces later, I realize it works TOO well...
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by GlytchMeister »

Sgt. Howard wrote:Actually, I can trace the Brit accent to the guy who taught me to work on Jags now that I think about it. Top Gear? I don't watch TV. I first became interested in singing for church service at an early age- it turned out I was (and still am) good at it. Then when I discovered girls, I ALSO discovered I was not appealing to them. A good buddy of mine pointed out that if you play a guitar and croon pretty words, they melt... well, I could ALREADY croon pretty words, AND I CAN DAMN WELL LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR!!!

... three divorces later, I realize it works TOO well...
Seriously? The whole "girls love guitar players" is a real thing? I always thought it was just a trope with no basis in reality.

Dammit! I shoulda taken that guy up on his offer for free lessons...
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Julie »

I'm of the opinion that there's no reason why she couldn't have picked it up. After all, accents are adaptable (intentionally or otherwise). I have a fairly neutral American accent, but send me to spend enough time with my relatives or my in-laws and I'll either come home sounding like a redneck Texan or a character from Fargo. :)
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Sgt. Howard »

GlytchMeister wrote:
Sgt. Howard wrote:Actually, I can trace the Brit accent to the guy who taught me to work on Jags now that I think about it. Top Gear? I don't watch TV. I first became interested in singing for church service at an early age- it turned out I was (and still am) good at it. Then when I discovered girls, I ALSO discovered I was not appealing to them. A good buddy of mine pointed out that if you play a guitar and croon pretty words, they melt... well, I could ALREADY croon pretty words, AND I CAN DAMN WELL LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR!!!

... three divorces later, I realize it works TOO well...
Seriously? The whole "girls love guitar players" is a real thing? I always thought it was just a trope with no basis in reality.

Dammit! I shoulda taken that guy up on his offer for free lessons...


... the only issue is that the girls who fall for the guitar man usually aren't keepers- My first wife, I told her "Me or your cocain" - she chose her cocain. My second wife, I objected to her boyfriend moving in (mother-in-law owned the land and set the ROE). Third wife- honest-to-GOD certafiably insane. Two 5150s (involuntary incarcerations). We had seperate bedrooms- for MY safety.

Annie never heard me sing or play an instrument until AFTER she moved in. We've been together since 2006... still act like newlyweds.
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by GlytchMeister »

Sgt. Howard wrote:... the only issue is that the girls who fall for the guitar man usually aren't keepers- My first wife, I told her "Me or your cocain" - she chose her cocain. My second wife, I objected to her boyfriend moving in (mother-in-law owned the land and set the ROE). Third wife- honest-to-GOD certafiably insane. Two 5150s (involuntary incarcerations). We had seperate bedrooms- for MY safety.

Annie never heard me sing or play an instrument until AFTER she moved in. We've been together since 2006... still act like newlyweds.
Jeeze. Your love life sounds like one of Christopher Titus's stand-up acts. Now I'm glad I didn't get those lessons. I don't need that kind of crap. I'm much happier being the perpetually single guy than... that.
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by GlytchMeister »

Julie wrote:I'm of the opinion that there's no reason why she couldn't have picked it up. After all, accents are adaptable (intentionally or otherwise). I have a fairly neutral American accent, but send me to spend enough time with my relatives or my in-laws and I'll either come home sounding like a redneck Texan or a character from Fargo. :)
I know my mom has a very southern-ifiable accent. We used to live in Tennessee, and she also lived in Kentucky for a while before she and dad got together. Whenever she is exposed to southern accents, her Illinois instantly starts to slip south. It happens so fast it's funny. We'll be walking in a crowd and some southern people walk by, and if mom hears the drawl, I can immediately hear her vowels lengthen and her voice twang a bit more.

For me, I've never spent enough time outside Illinois to get my accent morphed. Even when I lived in Tennessee, I somehow preserved my Illinois accent. I just have a talent for consciously replicating them, but it doesn't happen by accident.
He's mister GlytchMeister, he's mister code
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They call me GlytchMeister, whatever I touch
Starts to glitch in my clutch!
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by TazManiac »

Two thoughts:

- Language and Speech

I've always had an 'ear' as to languages and dialects. I think at one point someone recently mentioned 'those who can sing also do well with multiple languages' or something to the effect... I think there is something to that because while I'm never going to apply to 'American Idol' or anything, I do recognize I have 'an ear' and can most of the time do a decent vocal effort, untrained as I am.

One thing to add; a lot of the folks I grew up with (Northern California) were 1st or second gen immigrants, either from Louisiana or more likely Texas. A lot of the slang and inflection I seem to default back to sounds very Texican. Go figgure...


- Guitar

I have (had for awhile now) a 3/4 or so cut down Student guitar. Bought it from IKEA, of all places, on a whim.
IKEA, I say,
the Children's' Section to boot.

I let it sit around gathering dust ("I know how to play, in my head, but my fingers have forgotten...") so it's been mostly ornamental for awhile now. I even went and bought a set of new strings for it, and truth is it took a bad tumble at least one time and needs some slight re-gluing at the bottom edge, nonetheless it has a really, really good sound to it.

it's unexplainable. Since I started paying it more attention, it had come to my attention, that it needed some attention. So, come payday, I'm ordering a new set of 3/3 Classical Guitar Tuning Machines. (What the heck do you mean Taz?...)

Something like this:

Image

That said, I've been picking it up everyday and spending a little more time with it...
(I suppose I can post a pic in a little while, or at least a link, but it should prob be in a Guitar thread.)
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Dave
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Dave »

That's just a lovely little piece of mechanism there... and the fact that it makes a musical instrument sing purty, makes it all the more excellent!
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Re: Contemporary Accents, Ancient Beings

Post by Jabberwonky »

There's also the factor that many of our Greek Mythology based peoples are long lived and have to, I assume, change identities. Why wouldn't you adopt accents to help back up the new personality?
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