Foreign Dialects: A Manual for Actors, Directors, and Writers

by Lewis Herman, Marquerite Shalett Herman

Most actors and directors have struggled with the problem of needing to imitate foreign dialects. Marguerite and Lewis Herman have created an essential tool for actors, directors and writers aiming toward the most authentic performances possible.
Foreign Dialects contains an extensive repertoire of dialects that will assist the actor in the preparation for the most difficult foreign roles. Now in paperback, this classic text offers the director or producer a quick, convenient aid for correcting actors and evaluating applicants for authenticity and dialect ability. In addition, it guides those writing fiction as well as radio, movie, and television scripts. Thirty foreign dialects are provided, with character studies, speech peculiarities, and examples of the dialects in easy-to-read phonetic monologues--including Cockney, British, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Polish, Greek and Yiddish.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Writing, Language

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1979

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first stumbled on this around 1967. Intended for actors, it uses its own phonetic system which back then I found easier than IPA or something more current. I found the chapter on Australian and Cockney dialects especially interesting. Many of the accents are broad stage versions rather than attempts at serious linguistic/phonetic analysis, but it's a very good choice for beginning acting students. Readers/students should be aware that nothing gets outdated quicker than slang and considering the age of this book, those attempting British accents will sound more like David Niven than Harry Potter.

[Robert Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned my first dialect from this book: Irish for Playboy of the Western World.