Accent Quickie: North Country England

Host Introduction

• Host: Kelly Ruttle
• Profession: Actor and speech coach
• Location: New York City
• Audience: Actors, dialect enthusiasts, and Beatles cover band musicians.

Overview of North Country English

• Definition: Refers to dialects associated with Northern England, including:
  • Lancashire
  • Yorkshire
  • Newcastle
  • Manchester
  • Liverpool
• Dialect Variation: Changes may exist to varying degrees across regions. Audition preparation may require specific research based on story setting.

Key Phonetic Changes

1. Uh to Uh

• Description: The uh sound changes in words.
• Example Sound Change:
  • standard: up, butt, sun
  • Northern: op, bot, son
• Key Practice Words:
  • cop, under, nothing, suddenly, does, love, dog, loves, trouble, bogs, stong

2. Shortening the A Diphthong

• Description: Diphthong in words like late, stay, tailor modifies. The first part is elongated and the second is dropped.
• Example Sound Change:
  • standard: late, stay, tailor
  • Northern: late, stay, tailor
• Key Practice Words:
  • they play, made, parade, behave

3. Shortening the I Diphthong

• Description: The I diphthong gets shortened by eliminating the second part.
• Example Sound Change:
  • standard: by, sky, combine
  • Northern: by, sky, combine
• Key Practice Words:
  • spine, pie, chime, ride, nice, horizon

4. Shortening the O Diphthong

• Description: The O diphthong is simplified by dropping the second part.
• Example Sound Change:
  • standard: coat, hope, mobile
  • Northern: court, hope, mobile

Additional Notes

• Non-Rhotic Dialect:
  • Explanation: R's are not pronounced in certain places.
  • Further details can be found in another video on standard British dialects.
• Further Learning:
  • For additional phonetic changes, resources available at speakthespeech.net

Conclusion

• Final thoughts: Understanding these phonetic changes is important for mastering North Country English.
• Encouragement: Reach out for any questions or further study needs.
• Closing: Thanks for participating and good luck!