SoA Forums

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/17/technology-used-to-recreate-richard-iiis-voice-with-yorkshire-accent

I wonder what their evidence is for Richard having a Yorkshire accent?  He spent some time in Yorkshire as a teenager but in an aristocratic household but would that have shaped his accent?

Furthermore, do we really know how a Yorkshire accent sounded over five hundred years ago?  There might be evidence of dialect - ie vocabulary and grammar - but accent in terms of intonation and pronunciation?

neigh lad....

Quote from: Imperial Dave on November 18, 2024, 11:11:42 AMneigh lad....

You sound a little hoarse, Dave 

It is, I believe generally accepted that the accent of London/South East England is much 'newer' than the accents further North. Thus Shakespeare's plays would have been written within the context of a language sounding much more like a  modern Midland or Northern accent of today. Therefore  Rich III would definitely not sound like any modern royal.

Richard III was born and brought up in Northamptonshire, so a Midland accent is perhaps more probable.  However, modern posh people do not necessarily show any hint of the accent of where they grew up, so the possibility of a non-region specific accent should be considered. I'm sure there is a great corpus of work on what Middle English sounded like and the regional variations thereof out there in literary studies.

so, lots of 'ducks'

Quote from: Imperial Dave on November 18, 2024, 11:50:57 AMso, lots of 'ducks'

In Northants, it's "me duck" or "ducky" 

Quote from: Erpingham on November 18, 2024, 11:45:52 AMHowever, modern posh people do not necessarily show any hint of the accent of where they grew up, so the possibility of a non-region specific accent should be considered.

I once had the joy of working with a certain Scots infantry officer.  He went on to make it to general.  Anyway, in normal conversation he was pure cut glass RP, the product of a public school and Sandhurst in days of yore.  However, once he had sunk enough whisky, as I witnessed on at least two occasions, he reverted to pure Rab C Nesbitt... 

Quote from: DBS on November 18, 2024, 01:06:05 PM

Quote from: Erpingham on November 18, 2024, 11:45:52 AMHowever, modern posh people do not necessarily show any hint of the accent of where they grew up, so the possibility of a non-region specific accent should be considered.

I once had the joy of working with a certain Scots infantry officer.  He went on to make it to general.  Anyway, in normal conversation he was pure cut glass RP, the product of a public school and Sandhurst in days of yore.  However, once he had sunk enough whisky, as I witnessed on at least two occasions, he reverted to pure Rab C Nesbitt... 

My lady wife asserts that when I'm causing trouble my accent gets more Lancashire.

reet then....

On the Christmas market on Saturday, there was a stall selling garments with "northern" slogans (some Yorkshire, some more Lancashire or Manc).  Among these was "It'll be reyt" and "Reet good", showing variations in spelling.  They also had the classic Yorkshire greeting "Now then", though I think for Bradford I think it should be "Nah then".  It's a fun thing, trying to spell out regional favourites.  There is a blogger called "Yarkshiregamer".  Yarkshire presumably represents a South Yorks variant (think Sean Bean) - in West Yorks it would be Yurk-shuh.  Which of course makes you question which Yorkshire accent Richard III is supposed to have had. Wallis and Gromitt or Sharpe?

Compo?

Quote from: Erpingham on November 18, 2024, 12:10:06 PM

Quote from: Imperial Dave on November 18, 2024, 11:50:57 AMso, lots of 'ducks'

In Northants, it's "me duck" or "ducky" 

Quite appropriate if the supposed derivation from Dux (via Anglo-Saxon) is true.

Though I suspect this is down to some antiquarian Victorian.