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Post by pitbulllady on Apr 22, 2006 12:04:31 GMT -5
This was a sort of interesting little topic that I'd thought of: the accents of various characters, and how they might provide a clue as to where those characters(especially the IFs)were originally from.
I guess that of the main characters, Eduardo has the most obvious accent. It's NOT Mexican, though, since I teach several Mexican students. I have had students from Central America, though, and their accents, and especially their PARENTS' accents, DID sound a lot like Ed! Interestingly enough, the family I knew that was from Hondurus were all absolutely terrified of spiders, scorpions, bees, snakes and pretty much anything that had either more than four legs or less than two! As the mom explained to me, where they were from, most such animals could kill you, and they were EVERYWHERE, and medical help was often very far away, so people had a very good reason to fear "creepy-crawlies".
As for my fave, Wilt sounds a bit like he's from New Orleans, especially with the way he pronounces words ending in "er"-he tends to pronounce that ending sound as "uh", as in "rivuh" instead of "river" or "Fostuh" instead of "Foster". I had the great pleasure of visiting that city several years ago, before Katrina changed its face forever and scattered its residents, and most of the people there sound a LOT like Wilt, although some may have a more noticeable accent than he does(he's probably been away from home for a long, long time, though). Listen to the Suncom commercials with New Orleans native Harry Connick, Jr., and pay close attention to the way he pronounces words, and then listen to Wilt talk. I keep waiting for Wilt to greet someone with the ubiquitous "Where'yat?" or to refer to the highway median as "neutral ground", and that will settle it for me! Wilt also embodies the "Big Easy" spirit that the city was famous for, that I saw so often during my visit, before Katrina. Something else I encountered in New Orleans was a tendency of people to disagree by saying "I'm sorry"-as in "I'm sorry, but you WRONG 'bout those directions; Tipitinas is riverside, NOT lakeside". Even when arguing a point, the natives did not wish to offend, so they apogized ahead of time!
pitbulllady
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Post by antgirl1 on Apr 23, 2006 14:03:06 GMT -5
This might be a stupid thing to say but I think that IF Wilt was from New Orleans, it could be part of the reason for saying "sorry" so much. But other than that his "sorry"s could a be a catchphrase, or he's afraid if he doesn't, it might hurt him, get thrown outta Foster's, etc. You know where I'm goin' with this.  |
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Post by Fomalhaut on Apr 23, 2006 14:59:11 GMT -5
I read that Duchess has a Hungarian accent. I, as a Hungarian, used to think she doesn't - but, listening to her in English... well, a bit... yes, she does!
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Post by Cassini90125 on Apr 23, 2006 15:19:06 GMT -5
If you'd like to adopt her, I'm sure no one would object... ;D
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Post by pitbulllady on Apr 23, 2006 16:02:26 GMT -5
This might be a stupid thing to say but I think that IF Wilt was from New Orleans, it could be part of the reason for saying "sorry" so much. But other than that his "sorry"s could a be a catchphrase, or he's afraid if he doesn't, it might hurt him, get thrown outta Foster's, etc. You know where I'm goin' with this. Yeah, it certainly could be why he says that, but I HAVE noticed that many people in the South tend to say "I'm sorry" when they aren't really apologizing for anything, especially while disagreeing with someone. Wilt does this, too; he will say something like, "I'm sorry, but that's not muscle, Ed; it's all fur!" like he does in "Room With a Feud". I do have to wonder why he says "sorry" so much, and is so willing to take the blame for things he didn't do, though. THAT seems to indicate that there's something not quite right, like he's compensating for something he's done(or THINKS he's done), or that he is, as you said, afraid that by NOT seeming so contrite, he will thrown out or something. pitbulllady |
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princefala
Settling In
"Yes, I'm a natural blue."
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Post by princefala on Apr 25, 2006 3:27:14 GMT -5
Oooo, accents! It seems as if every fandom I enter into requires my writing a rant on accent abuse (it is pronouncedly hideous in Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction, and don't even get me started on Chicken Run. Yes, I have read Chicken Run fanfiction. Sod off  In any case, not being familiar with the regions in the US, I can't really contribute much toward the Yanks, but I can definitely put in a little insight with regards to the continentals of the cast. Mr. Herriman, to me, reminds me very much of the college advisor we had in upper school. He was every bit as pompous, having attended school at Oxbridge (poshy academics, people). So yes, I think Mr. Herriman's accent is an Oxford or Cambridge one, very crisp and lofty and generally free of filthy slang. And obnoxiously stuffy . . . Which makes me wonder where Madame Foster was originally from. For all intents and purposes, she seems like an all purpose American biddy, but her voice does occasionally lend itself to a bit of a continental inflection. Actually, her manner of speaking is a bit like my uber-Scottish grandmother's. Not the accent so much as the cadence, though. Perhaps these are vestiges of an old brogue, and Madame Foster is actually an immigrant? Why else would she create an imaginary friend with such a pronounced accent. Moving right along, let's have a look at the British bluey, Ringo Rango. Don't get me wrong, I love the bloke to pieces, but dashed if he doesn't confound me. I'm guessing that since he shares a name with a Beatle and is obviously English, we're supposed to treat him as a Liverpudlian. The trouble is, he doesn't have a souse accent. I suppose it could be close, buuuut I'm picky. He sounds more Londony to me. Not quite coarse enough for hardcore East Ender, mind you, but definitely closer to that than anything else. And speaking of indecisive accents . . . Eurotrish. Hoo boy. Who could even begin to guess with her? I'm guessing she's supposed to be Italian, but she often dips into Spanish and French . . . When I RP as her, I RP her as French but that's just because it is a language I am familiar with and can use at will. Besides, if I tried to mishmash her like they do in the episode, I'd garner a fantastic headache. No good at multitasking In any case, I hope that was helpful. Kudos to pitbulllady for starting up this topic, and also for agreeing with me that Eduardo does not sound in the least bit Mexican. For the record, I write him as being from Ecuador, but that was a totally random choice. Incidentally, he does sound quite a bit like my Venezuelan classmate, but not a thing like my Columbian and Brazillian classmates. Go figure. |
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Post by pitbulllady on Apr 25, 2006 8:13:04 GMT -5
Ringo Rango sounds a lot like a sobered-up, non-cussing version of Ozzy Osbourne, who is originally from Birmingham(that's in England, for us Americans, NOT the one in Alabama). I guess Eurotrish is supposed to sound like a combination of different European accents, just as her clothes reflect different countries.
I know that the surname "Foster" has both Scottish and Irish origins, like many names of Gaelic roots. Given her age, it would not surprise me if Madame Foster DID immigrate to the US with her family as a small child, or her parents could have come over and met after they got here. She certainly has plenty of Celtic "spit 'n vinegar" about here, that's for sure! My paternal grandmother's parents were both from Ireland, and she had a lot of quirky little phrases and beliefs that were different from the ones I was used to hearing here in the South, and would tell stories to scare me as a kid about "Rawhide and Bloody Bones" and Banshees and such, and it was not until I became an adult that I realized that these were traditional Irish folktales, being passed down here in America as they'd been for countless ages. I had always thought that many of her siblings(she was one of like, 14 kids)had odd names, like "Noonie" and "Emmar", but I later learned that these were also traditional Irish Gaelic names.
On a side note, I heard part of a tv interview last night on the news with singer Aaron Neville, of the Neville Brothers, who is a New Orleans native, discussing how musicians and entertainers were helping to rebuild his city. I was struck at how much he sounded like Wilt; if I hadn't been actually watching him, but hearing that voice(and he has the most amazing singing voice)from a different room, I'd have just about sworn it was the Tall Red One speaking!
pitbulllady
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princefala
Settling In
"Yes, I'm a natural blue."
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Post by princefala on Apr 25, 2006 19:31:28 GMT -5
Ringo Rango sounds a lot like a sobered-up, non-cussing version of Ozzy Osbourne, who is originally from Birmingham(that's in England, for us Americans, NOT the one in Alabama). I guess Eurotrish is supposed to sound like a combination of different European accents, just as her clothes reflect different countries. A bit, yes. The Birmingham accent does make a few possible cameos in Master Ringo's speech ("my" becoming "moy" for example). The trouble is that Birmingham inflection (or "brummie") tends to pick a low note and stay there, while Ringo's accent has a definite "bounce" to it. It's not quite lazy enough to be Brummie. I had always thought that many of her siblings(she was one of like, 14 kids)had odd names, like "Noonie" and "Emmar", but I later learned that these were also traditional Irish Gaelic names. Ha ha, I know how it is. Two of my cousins are named Brina and Eeli. Even my name is considered unusual by most, but then again, my parents were hippies, so I'm not sure that counts On a side note, I heard part of a tv interview last night on the news with singer Aaron Neville, of the Neville Brothers, who is a New Orleans native, discussing how musicians and entertainers were helping to rebuild his city. I was struck at how much he sounded like Wilt; if I hadn't been actually watching him, but hearing that voice(and he has the most amazing singing voice)from a different room, I'd have just about sworn it was the Tall Red One speaking! I'm very interested in hearing this New Orleans accent you speak of . . . A classmate of mine is from there as well, but he definitely doesn't sound a thing like Wilt (then again, he's the sort who pronounces it "N'awlins") As someone who is fascinated by speech (and a fellow Wilt fan), I shall have to look into this a bit more ^_^ ~ The Prince |
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Duchess
At Home
why are you making that hideous face?
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Post by Duchess on Apr 25, 2006 22:14:25 GMT -5
Am I the only one that thinks Bendy sounds like a Bostonian or a New Yorker?
And Duchess . . . I can't for the life of me pick her accent . . . anyone know for sure what it is?
Also, Madame Foster probably just imagined Mr. Herriman as a typical stereotype, accent and all. If he retained the accent, and they were from Britian, I imagine she would still have it, too.
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Post by Sparky on Apr 25, 2006 23:04:13 GMT -5
I agree that someone can imagine someone with an accent unlike their own, or anyone they know personally. My own theory on Duchess' accent is that she was imagined by a child who was basically imagining an amalgamated foreign rich-type, without being specific. Like Eurotrish, who I believe was imagined to simply be a mishmash. Children are imagining these people...children who watch a lot of cartoons featuring characters with nonspecific accents!  |
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Post by Basil Sunshine on Jul 1, 2006 5:17:54 GMT -5
Hm...I don't think I've ever heard Ringo Rango speak before...Maybe one line or something, but could you tell me which episode he speaks more in? I'd like to hear his voice to see for myself.
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CG
Graphics Coordinator 
King of the Lurkers
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Post by CG on Jul 1, 2006 6:19:07 GMT -5
Hm...I don't think I've ever heard Ringo Rango speak before...Maybe one line or something, but could you tell me which episode he speaks more in? I'd like to hear his voice to see for myself. He speaks in 'Who let the dogs in' when Chewy licked his leg and he accused the friend sat next to him for doing it with a face slap and saying afterwards "Sumthing just liked moy leg!" And again in 'Cuckoo for Coco Cards' when he holds up Clambake's card and exclaims "Oi Clambake, it's yew!" |
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tonya
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Post by tonya on Jul 3, 2006 5:09:02 GMT -5
Cool, I've never thought about their accents before.And you know, I didin't even think about Wilt having an accent before either. For some reason ,matching with Bloo's personality, I could picture Bloo having a newyork kind of an accent. Just picture Bloo being all mischevious,cooking up a scheme, talking with a newyork accent. Well, mabe it would work if he was originally created that way.
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Post by emma on Jul 3, 2006 7:44:31 GMT -5
Cool, I've never thought about their accents before.And you know, I didin't even think about Wilt having an accent before either. For some reason ,matching with Bloo's personality, I could picture Bloo having a newyork kind of an accent. Just picture Bloo being all mischevious,cooking up a scheme, talking with a newyork accent. Well, mabe it would work if he was originally created that way. Considering I have a thing for urban accents, that's be pretty cool. But I just couldn't imagine Bloo with any other voice than his own. It's a perfect match. Go Keith! |
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Post by InsaneFan on Jul 3, 2006 15:53:23 GMT -5
Ya know, accents are yet another reason I love Foster's so. Accents are fun to listen to. And imitate. ^^
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