Fake Accents

[elfs]

So, I finished the first semester of Japanese and started in on the second set. And oh, goddess, can I tell that the voice actress in the second set of CDs sucks. All of the voices have changed: the instructor and both voice actors, and neither actor sounds like a native. I've watched enough anime, Japanese Broadcast News, J-pop video and miscellaneous japanese television to have a clue about at least standard media accents and the actress just does not have it. She over-pronounces several of the common plosives, has excessive pauses when separating time statements from the rest of the sentence, and doesn't do the Tokyo accent rise and falls properly.

I want to do the second semester, but I'm worried that my accent will get all messed up. I guess I'll just have to trust my own instincts. And try copying the dialogue on my favorite shows. Yeah, people don't really talk like that, but at least their accents will more or less be correct.

Comments

Could be worse...

[kenshardik]

...you could stutter like Laurie Anderson.

Re: Could be worse...

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Li... Li... Listen... Li... Listen... to my... my heartbeat.

Great stuff.

Might be a southern thang...

[mouser.livejournal.com]

When I was stationed in Japan, I tried to learn the language. Failed badley - didn't have the time.

One of the things my instructor told me was that there are STRONG dialect differences in Japan - some so strong that people in the rural north can't understand folk in Tokyo - or farther south.

Also, I seem to recall most to the popular media is based around Tokyo.

[darkbishonen.livejournal.com]

I dunno, the actress could be from a region of Japan that doesn't speak standard Japanese. I talk to this woman from Okinawa and she speaks weird Japanese. So now I not only speak Japanese incompetantly, but I also have a slight Okinawa accent.