ACCENT IN “TALKIES"

Hokitika Guardian, 23 May 1931, Page 2

ACCENT IN “TALKIES"

1 THE VALUE OF CORRECT iSPEECII. ‘I" Mr John Fuller lias addressed the fol- : lowing letter to Mr G. M, ■,Thompson, ■ M.L.C.. who lias, from his place in the Upper House, suggested that stops should be taken “to purge the vile American accent” from soae of the ' “talkies” that come to New Zealand : • i “I. see that you are asking whether the Governmcr t would -issue instrue '. t'ions to those charged with the cen--1 sorship of films to purge, as far as possible, the vile American accent. I would like to point out to you that the advent of the talkies ha s awakened English-speaking people, including Americans, to the importance of coi--1 rect speaking, and to the .fact that in the past the talkie machine itself lias over-accentuafed the American dialect with the result that the Americans themselves are using timer English today than was the case at the inception of the talkies. Owing to American capital and English genius, in England the British films are fast outpacing those of America. Dialects in talkies, whether they he Scotch, Irish, American, Lancashire, or the Oxford bleat, are not suitable to the talkies (except where characterisations demand it, and only true round sounding English is acceptable to the public. The public has demonstrated its preference, and the reform is being gradually brought about. “The talkies are a marvellous invention, yet, like all inventions, they got plenty of kicks at their inception, hut eventually their blessing became manifest, and I shall be very pleased when all schools of importance, especially universities, install talking reproducers for lectures and demonstrations of jmrigrccjl' operations by geniuses of the world. This procedure will more speedily advance students than the ordinary oral Kacture. of a p-ofes-sor resident in a smiill country and out of direct touch with the centres of advancing science. “Since the- advent of talkies the educational department lias taken matters up in Australia and by wireV-ss, also, manv lectures in respect to correct sneaking have been broadcast, and I feel that shortly we shall get great results. “ \n American professor coming over in the boat with my sister-in-law, asked the following question.: —‘What animal is it that roams the plains of America that Australians wash their hands and faces in? and the answer wn« a bison —• a slap back a-t the Australian twang. “We are fortunate in New Zealand with the mixed population oi English, Irish, and Scotch, tlmt euro English predominates m go'wol—that +ka American talkie dialect i< ; fast fading away. The talkie invention has served to accentuate to the general public and to politmiars the value of true and correct speaking.”