AMERICAN ENGLISH DIALECT AND ACCENT TRAINING
INTRODUCTION TO THE WORKSHOP:
It’s time for some real talk, y’all. This intensive workshop breaks it all down, from identifying the nuances between U.S.-based dialects to the authentic reproduction of regional American accents. Actors, models, comedians, singers, public speakers, students and anyone else interested in improving his or her American English are welcome. And if you think you’ve already got a good American accent, you still probably need to take this workshop!
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
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Improve your pronunciation in American English.
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Learn about the mainstream and regional accents and dialects in the United States, including General American, Southern, Country, New York, Valleyspeak, Transatlantic and African-American English Vernacular.
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Determine which American accents are best suited to you and how to perfect them for acting and voice work.
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Learn techniques for capturing the rhythm and intonation of American English.
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Learn the difference between authentic reproduction and mockery, and how to avoid the latter.
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Learn the cultural nuances of American English and the proper use of slang and colloquial language.
With: ERNEST WHITE II
Born and bred in the USA, Ernest is our first international voice talent signee. A journalist and educator who has taught English language and literature courses in Colombia, Brazil and now South Africa, Ernest currently serves as editor-in-chief of American men’s magazine Abernathy, and has been published or featured in Time Out London, Time Out São Paulo, USA Today, Ebony, Matador Network, TripAdvisor, Viator, National Geographic Traveler’s Brazil guidebook and TravelChannel.com. He has also appeared on the Travel Channel television series Destination Showdown and Jamaica: Bared, as well as in the 2013 documentary film Gringo Trails, about the dangers of mass tourism.
Ernest is a language and culture geek, mixing history, culture and comedy in the American English dialect workshops he offers at Venturescape. He speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese, is pedantic about grammar and splits his time between Cape Town and Miami.
