Date:  Mon, 31 Jan 1994 10:59:05 CST

From:  Dennis Baron <debaron[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UIUC.EDU>

Subject: Re: Stereotyping of Accent on Film/TV



 Peter Trudgill <PeterJohn.Trudgill[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]angl.unil.ch> writes:



>    Of course it's true that the villain is often played by a Brit! I

>deduce that one connotation for American audiences of Upper Class English

>English accents is "sinister". The interesting question is "Why?"

>Typically, though, it is only in Dracula-type or science fiction American

>horror movies that the villain is played by a Brit, such as Peter Cushing.



And what about American accents as portrayed on British TV? (BTW, it

would be too easy to hire an American actor to do this.) The British

version of what Americans sound like is pretty jarring when shows

play in the US; but in addition, Americans tend not to be sympathetic

characters on these shows either. Even the French fare

better on British TV than Americans.



Dennis

debaron[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uiuc.edu          (\          217-333-2392

                  \'\       fax: 217-333-4321

Dennis Baron            \'\     ____________

Department of English        / '|    ()___________)

University of Illinois       \ '/    \ ~~~~~~~~~ \

608 South Wright St.         \      \ ~~~~~~~~~ \

Urbana, IL 61801           ==).     \ __________\

                   (__)      ()___________)