Fantasy books and films are a massive hit with both readers and spectators. Although the tales occur in a fictional realm, the characters always speak with British accents instead of American accents. Why is this the case? MDC (Minimum Deposit Casinos) invites you to investigate the reasons behind this with us.
Received Pronunciation - (RP)
As the name suggests, RP, or Received Pronunciation, is distinctively a British accent. Since all RP speakers use Standard English, it is considered an accent rather than a dialect.
In other words, they ignore regional dialects' non-standard grammatical constructs and vocabulary. There are no geographic hints in the RP, which means that it is non-regionally specific as well. An individual's social or educational background may be learned from this information.
Sense of Dominance in British Accents
Britain conquered places during the 16th to 18th century, including the American continents, South Africa, and Honduras. As a consequence, they have been regarded among the few and superior nations with worldwide dominion. Furthermore, this reputation of superiority derived from the fact that they were the culprits of the devastating repercussions of colonialism. British imperialism has had disastrous results, yet the superiority mentality it fostered endures to this day.
Game of Thrones, for example, takes place in a fictional realm; as a result, why do the characters all have a thick British accent? In an imaginary kingdom called Westeros, this is a story of family conflict and royal intrigue. Even though Game of Thrones is intended for American audiences and was developed by American author George RR Martin, the British accents predominate. There are also British accents from all around the British Isles that American fans may hear of Game of Thrones. English and Scottish accents are particularly common among those from the northern regions of the fictional realm.
Besides, in most fantasy film renditions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the characters sound British since Middle Earth is based on England. It isn't out of the question that characters sounded like they originate from the nation that strongly affected Middle Earth's environments.
Compared to the American accent, the British accent is unusual enough to transfer the spectator to a different universe. For fantasy and foreign-set movies, the British accent would be exotic and familiar to American audiences. In a way, it's familiar enough that we don't feel lost or have to try too hard to understand what's going on in the picture. The Game of Thrones depicts that a British accent isn't only reserved for baddies and upper-class characters in historical dramas for the first time in a long time.
On the contrary, in movies like Star Wars, the British accent is reserved for those who hold superior positions. Although the US-dominated entertainment business standard is to speak with a neutral American accent, it creates a "splash of cultural superiority" when paired with a British English accent.
Sense of Elegance in British Accent
The British accent on "Les Misérables" a film about France's history, is a mystery. Consequently, British regional accents have dominated the film business, resulting from a mix of a person's character and Britain's indomitable history. Using the term "dominant" signifies that British accents are so prevalent in cinema that they have become the norm.
History is thrown out the window in favor of a British accent. There are many examples, such as Tim Burton's film "Corpse Bride." Even though it's based on an old Russian-Jewish folk story, all of the voices of British actors in this video are in their accents.
One of the numerous consequences of the British accent's popularity is this unnoticed phenomenon. The Queen's or aristocratic British accent, to be precise, has gained appeal with a broad spectrum of listeners. According to surveys, people of all ages, colors, and genders have considered British English accents to be "attractive," according to surveys. Various British accents are often associated with elegance or "coolness." Because of a "positive bias," many people find British casts and accents to be pleasant. Notably, English speaking people are more "positively prejudiced" toward British accents since they "have been subconsciously and deliberately conditioned to believe a specific accent."
It is human nature to categorize individuals according to their views. As soon as they hear a specific British accent, they're going to assume that the speaker is intelligent, affluent, and kind-hearted. Classification is the reason why British accents are used in films. The sophisticated accent is designated for the wealthy, educated, and upper class, which makes people respect it even more than most British accents, unlike the American accents by American actors. The majority of people's perspectives are shaped by various factors, including their education, socioeconomic background, ethnicity, and so on.
Language Development
Classification and perception heavily influence people's views of accents, but the most fundamental part of accents is language development. When a person is only a few months old, they learn language by mimicking what they see and hear around them. At least each language and its cultural and phonetic features are required for persons to be considered fluent. However, even though each undergoes language development, the results might be vastly different.
Some people's views of themes may change depending on their upbringing in languages like Korean or Japanese. As a person grows, these variances become more pronounced, making it impossible for them to comprehend anyone else languages or accents other than their own.
Because most moviegoers are English speakers, it follows that the British native accent is used because it is the most familiar to them, instead of some midwestern accent or Appalachian accent. The concept of studying a variety of languages as a child assists us in comprehending what others are saying. English speakers may have a more challenging time picking up on accents and noises than those who have had greater exposure to certain other languages, such as American accents.
Final Words
British history significantly impacts how prestigious a film is, regardless of how well recognized British dominance is. If a film's characters talk with an affluent British accent, viewers are more likely to hold the movie in high regard. The domination of British and other contemporary accents within the film business is influenced by psychology and Britain's history as one of the most prominent conquerors.