Dialect and Performance
Mittwoch, 03.12.2025
Why does the bad guy always have an RP accent? How come non-US artists have American accents when they sing? Are toddlers around the world really acquiring British English from watching Peppa Pig? In this seminar we critically discuss methodological and theoretical sociolinguistic questions surrounding performance of dialect in modern entertainment media, such as the above. Drawing on primarily variationist sociolinguistic literature, we will focus on various genres of media, exploring the ways in which dialects are approximated, avoided, and/or commodified by the entertainment industry. Entertainment media genres will include film, television, vlogs, commercials, popular music, theatrical productions, podcasts, and video games from across the Anglophone world. Amongst other topics, we will examine the degree to which a) scripted reality shows such as Geordie Shore and Made in Chelsea accurately reflect ongoing linguistic change in their respective dialects, b) video game characters' vocal performances support a player's sociomoral orientation, and c) musicians vary their speech in performance to align with the linguistic norms of a particular music genre. In addition, we will go behind the scenes in two special sessions: a) we examine the role and methodology of accent training in a guest talk by a professional dialect coach, and b) we shine a spotlight on the Transatlantic accent, aka American Stage Speech - the English variety that blurs the line between performance (of a role) and reality, affectation and authenticity. Required Reading: All weekly texts/media will be uploaded to ILIAS
| Veranstaltungsart: | Vorlesung/Seminar |
|---|---|
| Dozierende(r): | Dr. Danielle Natasha Tod, Dr. Hannah Joy Black Hedegard |
| 03.12.2025: | 12:15 - 14:00 |
| Ort: |
Unitobler Lerchenweg 36 3012 Bern EG, F 006 |
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