# Is this a thing and what is it called?



## Manok (Aug 29, 2011)

I remember years ago listening to an opera singer sing on TV, and then at some point there was a recording of her talking to the camera (or a live interview I don't remember), she sang with an incredibly noticeable English accent, though when she talked she had a very thick French accent. I'm just curious if people actually do sing with accents that are different than what they speak every day? I hope my question makes sense. I've always been curious if it were a normal thing with singers or if it was just this one singer who somehow mastered the English accent only while singing?


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

You'd be amazed at how much easier it is to sing than speak with a different accent. I've still got my Manchester accent (sorted, r' kid, etc) but I often sing Scottish songs with the kids at my Scottish school and do so with quite a convincing Scottish regional accent (so the kids tell me). My version of Donald Where's yer Troosers?' is always a hit.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I can only speak from a British point of view but many non-British people are taught English at school and although their command of the language may be superb, they would still retain their own accent.

However when they start learning to sing opera they will have a specialist voice coach who will assist them with accents. I know a Polish singer who has retained his accent when he speaks but when he sings in English, he definitely sounds English.


----------



## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

For some reason, people aren't being taught proper pronunciation at school unless they study the language at university level as a major or minor. (Accent is just pronunciation.)

Singers are kept to a higher standard and are apparently taught the relevant phonetics, I mean pronunciation in a very indepth and careful manner. A proper accent is a lot easier to learn when it's taught in such an indepth manner and the student puts enough effort into doing exercises.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I do believe that Netrebko only speaks Russian and English, the music she has to learn in other languages she does phonetic.


----------



## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Pugg said:


> I do believe that Netrebko only speaks Russian and English, the music she has to learn in other languages she does phonetic.


Hopefully she knows what she is singing and probably she have picked up some.


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Did you ever hear Corelli speak? Weren't you momentarily shocked? Wasn't it unexpected?

Speaking voices and singing voices have not necessarily got any correlation to one another.


----------



## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

One thing every language have their prosody and often people keep the prosody of their native language. In singing the prosody is obviously different therefore such accents are not noticed.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Did anyone hear Florez singing English on the proms last night? :lol:


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Pugg said:


> Did anyone hear Florez singing English on the proms last night? :lol:


Haha! Bless him, he tried his best and wasn't any worse than his French.

I love the audience reaction when they first catch sight of him and just adore the expression on his face! What a brilliant actor.


----------

