Does anyone know of any good Internet resources for accents and dialects? I'm auditioning for a local production of MFL next month, and I'm having a hard time with the cockney and "proper" English accents. Thanks!

I don't have specific Internet sources for you, but you might try Google or Dogpile for 'cockney accent' or 'British accent'.

I would also recommend the mini-series 'The Story of English', which you should be able to borrow through your library system. There's an excellent episode about Cockney and its close relative, Australian, entitled 'The Muvver Tongue'.

Other film sources - any British film made from the 1930's on, esp. 'Stairway to Heaven' (aka 'A Matter of Life and Death') and the original 1969 version of 'The Italian Job'. If you can get hold of the Lord Peter Wimsey adaptations with Ian Carmichael, that would provide you with a good example of upper-class accent. I wouldn't rely too much on the film version of MFL, but Stanley Holloway is always worth a listen.

In print, I would recommend the 'Toff' detective novels by John Creasey. There are several regular Cockney characters like Bill Ebbut and his wife, and their dialogue is written out in dialect (I think/I fink; his mother/'is muvver; and so on), so that you can get a feel for it.

You might also try the drama department of your local college. There are accent-study recordings that can help you.

I hope this helps.

It's strange; most Southern England accents have always com easily to me. Right now I'm embarking on a quest to speak with a Yorkshire accent.

Megan, once again I recommend 'The Story of English'. Even though the segments on Northern English accents are brief, the speakers are everyday people, not actors. For a good representation of the Yorkshire 'variety' of English, I heartily recommend the 'All Creatures Great and Small' series. Not only do they take place in the Yorkshire Dales, but they are all true stories - some sad, some hilarious. The Farnon/Herriott veterinary surgery still stands in Thirsk (called Darrowby in the books), and is now a museum dedicated to them.

Have fun!!

I don't know if it has what you need for this show, but http://www.ku.edu/~idea/ is a pretty good one for listening to people speak with different accents/dialects.

Thanks for posting this, Hershey!! I've already added it to my Favorites, and I look forward to exploring it.

Have a great day!!

The 1970s BBC-TV show "The Duchess of Duke Street" is another good resource. The lead character Louisa (Leyton) Trotter, played by Gemma Jones, spoke very broad Cockney, and was never afraid to use it to anyone! I don't think she hever got hinto the 'abit hof hadding haitches where they don't belong!

Whatever you do don't use Mary Poppins (the film) as a guide. I know someone who does this... Its terrible. I also need help with the cockney accent.

What I do is go on iTunes and find a Brittish (or whatever accent) podcast, and listen to it over and over.

If you are trying to work on dialects for this show, there are a few very good sources.

You can listen to native speakers at the International Dialects of English Archive: http://web.ku.edu/idea/

If you're looking for something that actually teaches accents, check out http://www.accenthelp.com --There you'll find downloads that teach you how to speak with accents and there are recordings of natives included.

You can also order dialect CDs from http://www.dialectresource.com which will include instruction and examples.

(Full disclosure: I'm a dialect coach and contributor to both IDEA and AccentHelp.)

Usually it is very hard to audition properly for a show that requires a dialect without actually doing the dialect. Being able to do the accent will always put you a step above anyone who is not able to pull it off. These sources should serve you well for both auditions and in production.

Good luck!

make your vowels horrible and contrasting with the posh accent. if your director is really picky they'll want them very exact, but as long as there is a HUGE contrast between the 2 ends of the scale, you should be great!

I am having trouble opening the Mp3 files I downloaded from AccentHelp. Their F&Q doesn't respond to my problem; I'm Windows XP with a Fios connection. Can anybody help? Thanks! Sue Tafel