Nov 2017
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Nov 2017
Nov 2017
Rhombik
Nov '17

Don't, whatever you do, copy British dialect from popular movies and TV series. Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley and the like have pretty posh accents.

There is Received Pronunciation which is probably easier to get your head around than some of the other various dialects but even this can vary massively. I wouldn't go for an accent like Mancunian or Scouse because, from bitter experience, people can't get the subtleties of the speech and mangle it.

And when you search, I'd recommend making sure your search includes the name of the specific dialect. Because of the great variation, another huge give away to anybody who's spent a lot of time around Brits is mixing dialects.

anim8or2000
Nov '17
Rhombik

ha, maybe its because I work in an office with people from all over the world
incidentally, I wonder if it would help the OP to know where about in GB wed are from? I am from the Black Country ( example of the accent are the TV shows Peaky blinders )

Rhombik
Nov '17

It might do. I'm from East Anglia which is famous for nothing.

melindemari
Nov '17

Also check if writing "different accents" remember some words spelling changes.

For Example; the "-or" or "-our" conflict:
Color - Colour / Flavor - Flavour / Behavior - Behaviour / Harbor - Harbour
Honor - Honour / Humor - Humour / Labor - Labour / Neighbor - Neighbour

And also the "-er" or "-re" trouble:
Caliber - Calibre / Center - Centre / Fiber - Fibre / Goiter - Goitre / Liter - Litre
Luster - Lustre / Manoever - Manoeuvre / Meager - Meagre / Meter - Metre

And we shall not foregt about the "-se" or "-ce" either!
Defense - Defence / Offense - Offence / Pretense - Pretence

Check out this link for some ideas and further explanations (gotta love Wikipedia!):


I'm South African and our English course is taught in British format; so while my English Teachers always 'x' everything I did (cause used American spelling for example "color" as everywhere I post my stories my "British spelled words were lined red) I searched for a way to reason with them!!! Hence got to learn this huge means to how certain words end. (the above 3 aren't the only ones!!!!

anim8or2000
Nov '17
Rhombik

!

get out of town! I live in Cambridgeshire these days!

anim8or2000
Nov '17
melindemari

oh and dont forget that date structure is different than american dates. we would say 7th November (7/11/17) as opposed to November 7th (11/7/17)

Sorry OP if this is a bit of an information overload!

scythe
Nov '17

Well, many of my characters are British, and for almost everything I don't write the words any different than if they were any other English speaker. What I do do however is mix in some British mannerisms and slang. Depending where they're from, British can talk quite differently than other English speakers. I also have a Scottish character, who talks differently again, so I use different slang, and do sparingly use apostrophes where appropriate. For example, havin' instead of having. But overall, whether you're writing a comic or a novel, you probably just have to accept that there can be practical limitations to portraying accents. In general, people aren't interested in strange, phonetic spelling.

Here's a scene I did with two Brits and a Scottish guy:

XzynderVexymous
Nov '17
1

I have and this has helped me. Listen to British actors, read British books, etc.
Use a Brit’s dictionary or word guide from Google.

joe_galindez
Nov '17

Too much work. I just set my word processor to "UK spelling."

No, seriously, I've done that for every fantasy book.
XzynderVexymous
Nov '17
1

XD that does work too. Brits have a way of speaking though. Their style is different than America’s so keep that in mind.

Devika
Nov '17

Highly personal opinion in this post, but I'm not fond of "faking" so-called British English. Not only does it often turn into a sort of blanket stereotype, but imagine being British and reading sum feeked acc'nt when you literally have a common language, but with distinct spelling, vocabulary, and grammar. I'd suggest using that instead of othering the British readers by making them talk a bastardized version of their own language.

It's also weird to read a "British accent" when you're not from author's country of origin in general (let's assume US for now). I mean, think of it. I first of all need to assume everyone is speaking American English by default and then paste the accent on top of that default.

The exception, I think, is if your character has an accent that is distinct enough that a native Brit would write it differently - think Hagrid (apparently it's West Country English).

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that an accent is relative. It's default to the speaker, and only an accent to a foreigner. When you modify sumthin' it's making an assumption about the reader's default language. Look at it from both sides instead!

Just my take on keeping it international.

(I'm sorry if this comes of as a bit negative, that's not my intention.)

joe_galindez
Nov '17

Those we're all fantasy races, so I had a bit of wiggle room. I avoid idioms and other figures of speech when I write, so it's really a sort of Standard English with a lacquering of Britishness.

punkarsenic
Nov '17
modrawmanga

okay, posh accents, theyre honestly not that different from american textually - just very formal, and no americanisms. maybe get a british person to proofread your dialogue?

punkarsenic
Nov '17
Devika

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat, i was sure he was northern. man, whys jkr so obsessed w the west country

IdiotWithPencil
Nov '17

try making a thick Yorkshire dialect accent nobody will understand him and you could literally write gibberish and it would make sense XD

in all seriously accents are a bit tricky to convey when they all speak basically the same language so look for what different things the others say, examples like bum and fanny or biscuit and cakes, also you could try writing them in the different orthographic styles a classic example is color and colour

Louistrations
Nov '17

It’s difficult to convey a British accent purely in written word. So many British books have been adapted into American movies with the location changed to America using American actors and you wouldn’t know the difference. The character’s mannerisms would probably be more telling, but I don’t even know where to begin with that!

Wumbl
Nov '17

Depends highly on which part of the UK they are from obviously...
Certain vocabulary would clue in a lot, such as slang words. Different slang is used in different parts of the country...
E.g. I'm from the south where we are descended from sailors and farmers, and we call people "love" to be flattering, say stuff like "innit" and use hard "r" sounds.
My friend is from the north where many are descended from miners. He uses words like "pal" and his "r" sounds are soft. Think John Constantine - he's from the north.
Funnily enough there's a few slang terms we share. It's weird.

I'd recommend looking up some footage or audio of people speaking different dialects. Once you decide on one then try using a lot of the slang you hear from those particular people. It's really hard to do it if you're not from here, as I can just talk to friends or watch TV and hear them all.
Research is the key, basically.

rantscomics
Nov '17

You should check out the comic Giant Days. They do a pretty good job of this.

Vanesalisa
Nov '17
1

Lana Drake her accent is British and I had to listen and read about it , I'm trying hard to learn the accents and scottish by watching Dr.who and sherlock