American Jellies, when you hear a black person from Britain speak, does it throw you for a loop?
They have pure Brittish accents with none of the inflection and speech patterns we associate with American black folks.
If you aren’t looking at the TV you’d have no idea they were black. It’s discombumerating!
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Not at all. We grew up with Seal and other performers so it’s not remarkable.
No…not any more than it throws me to hear an American Black speak standard American English, meaning pretty much what you hear on national newscasts. Regional accents and dialects are found all over the country. Those who speak what sounds like standard American English are born to it or they learn it, no matter what color they are. I’d say the same would be true of British actors.
What surprises me more is when (again and again) a British actor is cast as an American in an American production. That seems just as silly as hiring an American to play a Brit in a British production. Why?
Well it came as a huge surprise to me to learn tat Hugh Laurie (House) was British. He didn’t have even a hint of a British accent.
Then there was Abba. They were Swedish but you’d never guess it from their songs.
No. I realize there are black people from different countries and that they speak with accents just like everyone else.
The legacy of world empire I suppose. But re: your remark on American and Brit actors switching off I know what you mean. But while some “Yanks” can do a passable English accent, example Charlton Heston in the old epic “Khartoum” where he portrayed British General General Charles “Chinese” Gordon, I am more impressed by Brit actors who can play convincing Americans. Peter Sellers as the President in Doctor Strangelove is a great example.
Hugh Laurie and the members of ABBA: the blackest five people, of whom four are Swedish, you’ll meet today!
Doesn’t throw me off at all. What actually throws me off is hearing toddlers with cockney accents
Hugh Laurie and Abba are white. I was referring to @Jeruba when she said she couldn’t understand why British actors would be hired for American roles and vise versa @rebbel.
Ahhh, now I see it….., I apologise.
Note to self: don’t Fluther while half asleep.
Nope, no more than when a white person does. It isn’t extremely commonplace around me. They might have black skin, but that doesn’t tell me anything about them. That they have a British accent opens up more curiosity about their country than anything else.
British black people in general have the same accent as British white people. That gives me the impression that black and white people in Britain live more harmoniously than those in the USA. Dose that throw me through a loop? No.
No more so than when I hear an English accent in the states. I often think it sounds cooler than an American accent. I don’t hear it often, but I’ve watched English shows for years on and off, and I’ve gotten use to hearing it from all types. Regé-Jean Page from Bridgerton speaks beautifully. His annunciation is spot on or it could be that and a combo of his good looks. But seriously, his voice is strong and soothing at the same time. I feel the English accent fits him extremely well.
I’ve also met Black people talking French and a host of other languages. Now if I went to France and met a Black person talking Russian, then that may throw me for a second only because I don’t know if Black people live in Russia, and in France, I would’ve expected him to speak French before Russian. So it would make me curious.
The English colonized a great many countries and had English installed as the main language. Same for French and Spaniards.
When Idris Elba speaks, the only “loop” is my heart spinning and dancing.
Discovering British hip-hop and rap the past decade or so has been quite the experience.
In America it’s like “Ayo girl gimme ya numba.”
In British rap it’s “Listen up, ladies…just put my numba in ya mobile phone.”
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