Originally used by upper-class white people to display their class, the Transatlantic accent later moved onto the stage and the big screen. Presidents such as Truman even used this accent sometimes during speeches to appear more high-and-mighty. This lead to the rise of the accent in popular culture and new media. According to Rita Moreno, star of West Side Story and a broadway adaption of Singin In the Rain, it was also used to encapsulate an accent that the viewer can't quite place. It was also used by Katherine Hepburn in "The Philadelphia Story", such as when she turns her "ohs" into "oohs". The accent also turns consonant sounds that are normally skipped over into sharp "t" sounds.
Katherine Hepburn consciously used this accent to portray how wealthy she was, despite growing up extremely poor and fleeing from Nazi Netherlands. Acting coaches also did this with other stars that were playing a character that was of high status.
I found it very interesting how many people used this accent. I also found it intriguing that Katherine Hepburn was someone who was specifically known for using this accent in her work. My question is how this accent was adopted? What caused the accent to be associated with the upper class?
ReplyDeleteIt is cool that the acting community adopted such a particular accent that came to be so well known. It's interesting that they chose to make it a combination of American and British speaking voices. It is also interesting that those who came from a poorer background would often learn to speak with this accent to portray a sense of wealth and membership to the upper-class.
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