Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen Deluxe Streaming Edition

This is an amazing resource for any actor who has to learn an accent. Meier's explanations of how do technically accomplish the accents are detailed, specific and very clear. The sound files that accompany the book, accessible through a web site connected to the book, are invaluable. I'm very impressed with the level of the author's expertise. He is so familiar with regional speech sounds that he can suggest how actors who grew up in a particular part of the US or the UK might have more difficulty pronouncing certain sounds in another accent or dialect because of their own native pronunciation. Or, another example of his expertise, he suggests how a character from Germany might pronounce words differently in English depending upon whether they were taught by a British or a North American teacher. This book is going to be invaluable to me in terms of learning new accents or improving the ones I've studied before.

There is a depth to this resource that will take years to unpack. For that reason, my view is superficial. Having given it a cursory view to ensure I could access the online sources, which I could, I am ready to dive in, and my impression is that I will get as much out of the material as I'm willing to put into it. At this point, I only have one role, and likely one accent, that will require its help. Call me in ten years and I'll give you a full review of its usefulness.

Used this for a class. It was great. Meier is really THE dialect guy. If you're an actor and can't afford a dialect coach, I'd say this book is good enough to get you through the door. Example: I picked it up last week to learn how to do an Australian accent to annoy my friends and I can do a pretty good one now. It's good stuff. I will say, you do need to learn IPA to use this properly, but even without it there's a lot of value.

Would be more helpful if whole chapter were read in the accentGreat for beginners of ipa but could be way more helpfulIt has a large list but it hard to know what you’re missing from the words not included

Review by Krista Scott:Paul Meier has once again improved dialect and accent study by ADDING MORE DIALECTS to his popular training book AND providing the ability to STREAM THE AUDIO FILES on any internet connected device, instead of the bulky CDs of the earlier editions. So, if you’re like me and you prefer a real book to an eBook but don’t own a boombox anymore (who does?) this Deluxe Edition delivers twenty-seven of the most often performed dialects and accents in the easiest way yet to master a dialect or accent—at VERY ECONOMICAL PRICE.This IPA based instructional system uses the helpful lexical sets developed by John Wells as a key for the phonetic “signature sounds” prior to the sentence drills. The specific phonemic adjustments are adroitly described and modeled by Meier; “coordination exercises” and sample dramatic texts include full IPA transcriptions and references to the sound change lessons. The International Phonetic Association's official charts are also included, as well as a very comprehensive glossary of terms and diacritics.Meier provides all the audio instruction and modeling himself, but he also stresses that listening to authentic speakers on the related IDEA (International Dialects of English Archive) website is “central to the study,” and provides concise descriptions of pertinent characteristics of the online samples. This combination of real-life sources and phonetic drilling promotes authenticity and precision in pronunciation for actors and instructors and increases awareness of the specific articulation adjustment needed for accuracy.The length of each lesson is well constructed, with ample pause time to mimic the sentence drills, coordination exercises and monologue lines. The sequence of twenty-seven dialects and accents is particularly comprehensive in its survey of Anglo-European dialects of English, with the addition of Birmingham and Estuary to the UK dialects (Jamaican was added to the eBook edition in 2017 and is included), which compliment an amazingly comprehensive list of foreign language accents.Having utilized Meier's system as the main training tool for my undergraduate dialects course for the last fifteen years, I couldn’t be happier with the impact it has made on the students’ comprehension and accuracy. This updated, highly practical training method delivers a lot of bang for your buck and receives an enthusiastic two thumbs up!

Paul Meier's Accents & Dialects for Stage & Screen (Deluxe Edition, with streaming audio) is an EXTRAORDINARY resource for anyone looking for a Dialect Book! As a teacher in an MFA actor training program, I can tell you first-hand what an exceptional tool for dialect training this book truly is! My students gain so much from the clarity, thoroughness and multi-dimensional approach this book offers. First, the "signature sounds" of the dialect are demonstrated by Paul Meier with streaming audio links which corresponds exactly with the book's written materials - so whether an actor learns most effectively from visual written materials or is an aural learner, or both, this book with its superlative and super easy to use streaming audio links hits the mark. Next, sentences containing the same sound shifts are demonstrated, followed by more complex practice sentences, and finally 2 monologues in the particular dialect or accent. Additionally, there is a section linking you up to the IDEA website (International Dialects of English Archive) where you can listen to native speakers of the dialect. Outside of the classroom, I have used this book with Equity actors (even with those that don't know IPA, and many of them went on to purchase the book for themselves), and as an ongoing resource for my own research as a dialect coach in the professional theatre. A FANTASTIC Book!

This is a wonderful, clear and well-written resource for learning and playing with other accents and dialects.All the exercises contained herein can be streamed directly from Paul Meier’s website (password protected), and his renditions are truly exemplary. So they should be - he has an impressive CV, including both stage and film.For each dialect or accent Paul talks you through its unique phonetic characteristics, or “signature sounds”, before putting them into the context of actual sentences.He then moves on to sentences that make use of combinations of signature sounds, and finally demonstrates some full monologues, with ample time for repetition.There are also useful notes on rhythm, stress, intonation and tone, as well as additional miscellaneous features.Native-speaker recordings from IDEA (dialect archive) are cited, and the example sentences and monologues are accompanied by International Phonetic Alphabet spellings.These comprise Paul’s “seven-step method”, and this methodical and simple approach works wonders. Within just half an hour of practice I was mimicking a passable Scottish accent.The sound files are easily accessible. I had no problem at all with the password, although there is a help link available should you encounter issues.This deluxe streaming edition contains: Afrikaans, Australian, French, German, Jamaican, Indian, Irish, Italian, Northern Irish, Russian, Scottish, Spanish, Welsh, and Yiddish; these American dialects: Mid-South, Deep South, New England, New York, South Boston, and generic American; and these English dialects: Brummie, Cockney, Estuary, Hampshire, Scouse, Yorkshire, and Received Pronunciation.I’m studying the book for fun and roleplaying games, but it is surely essential reading/listening for any budding or established stage, screen or voice actor.