Paul’s guest for November 2019 is eminent linguist David Crystal. Paul and David discuss the history of Received Pronunciation (RP), also known as the Queen’s English, BBC English, and Standard British English. They also discuss the newer dialect often referred to as Estuary.
Paul’s guest this month is David Crystal, one of the world’s most famous linguists and the leader of the modern movement we call OP: Original Pronunciation of Shakespeare’s works. David explains the fascinating linguistic subfield called Pragmatics, which he defines as the “study of the choices that you make when you use language, the reasons for those choices, and the effects that the choices convey.” See David’s websites: http://originalpronunciation.com/, www.davidcrystal.com, and https://www.shakespeareswords.com/.
"We've been using your book here for years. I am buying copies for members of our AEA resident acting company to have for their own collections. Will likely buy more in the future. Love your work and thanks for putting together such an incredible resource. It's been immensely helpful to our actors and our students."
Richard Rose // Artistic Director of Barter Theatre // Abingdon, VA www.bartertheatre.com/
Paul Meier Dialect Services
2017-08-23T19:20:32+00:00
Richard Rose // Artistic Director of Barter Theatre // Abingdon, VA www.bartertheatre.com/
"We've been using your book here for years. I am buying copies for members of our AEA resident acting company to have for their own collections. Will likely buy more in the future. Love your work and thanks for putting together such an incredible resource. It's been immensely helpful to our actors and our students."
"Paul Meier’s app — titled 'The Interactive IPA' [search your iTunes app store] — is an easy way to take a reliable IPA resource with you everywhere. The app features all current official phonetic charts, as well as diphthong charts for standard American and British RP, which were developed by Mr. Meier. The user-friendly interactive aspect makes the app a kinesthetic and audiovisual learning aid. The user simply touches the symbol they wish to examine more closely. A detailed description of the symbol pops up and an option to play a sound file, so you can hear, touch, and see the symbol at the same time. The app makes a wonderful addition to classroom use for students in an introduction to speech or a stage-dialects course where the IPA is used."
"Paul Meier’s app — titled 'The Interactive IPA' [search your iTunes app store] — is an easy way to take a reliable IPA resource with you everywhere. The app features all current official phonetic charts, as well as diphthong charts for standard American and British RP, which were developed by Mr. Meier. The user-friendly interactive aspect makes the app a kinesthetic and audiovisual learning aid. The user simply touches the symbol they wish to examine more closely. A detailed description of the symbol pops up and an option to play a sound file, so you can hear, touch, and see the symbol at the same time. The app makes a wonderful addition to classroom use for students in an introduction to speech or a stage-dialects course where the IPA is used."
"I’ve just visited your Website [IDEA] for the first time, at the prompting of a casting director, Carol Dudley. (She was told about it by Tom Wilkinson.) This is a brief note to thank you for setting up such a scholarly, thorough, and incredibly useful service. I had to find Hungarian for a BBC Patrick Leigh Fermor Book at Bedtime. It was 11 p.m., I was due in the studio in ten hours, [and] I had had some Hungarian somewhere once but had lent it out years ago and it never returned. Anyway, you came to the rescue."
"I’ve just visited your Website [IDEA] for the first time, at the prompting of a casting director, Carol Dudley. (She was told about it by Tom Wilkinson.) This is a brief note to thank you for setting up such a scholarly, thorough, and incredibly useful service. I had to find Hungarian for a BBC Patrick Leigh Fermor Book at Bedtime. It was 11 p.m., I was due in the studio in ten hours, [and] I had had some Hungarian somewhere once but had lent it out years ago and it never returned. Anyway, you came to the rescue."
"Paul worked for us on 'Ride With The Devil' as dialect and dialogue coach, developing dialect tapes for all seventy speaking roles, coaching all the actors, and was invaluable in developing a cohesive vocal and dialect design for the U.S. region that was the setting for the film. Many critics praised the film for capturing the romanticism of the era through language, and Paul's contribution through speech, voice, and dialect was crucial."
Ang Lee, Director
Paul Meier Dialect Services
2017-10-21T15:33:51+00:00
Ang Lee, Director
"Paul worked for us on 'Ride With The Devil' as dialect and dialogue coach, developing dialect tapes for all seventy speaking roles, coaching all the actors, and was invaluable in developing a cohesive vocal and dialect design for the U.S. region that was the setting for the film. Many critics praised the film for capturing the romanticism of the era through language, and Paul's contribution through speech, voice, and dialect was crucial."
https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/11304/
"Your 'Accents & Dialects for Stage & Screen' is a fabulous resource for anyone involved in dialect training for actors — I know of no other contemporary work to compare with its scope and depth. It’s meticulous, exhaustive, and very well organized into a clear and rational step-by-step approach. Those of us with a background in International Phonetics can be grateful that you’ve done so much of the legwork for us. This is a book that won’t gather dust on my bookshelf — I shall be consulting it often."
"Your 'Accents & Dialects for Stage & Screen' is a fabulous resource for anyone involved in dialect training for actors — I know of no other contemporary work to compare with its scope and depth. It’s meticulous, exhaustive, and very well organized into a clear and rational step-by-step approach. Those of us with a background in International Phonetics can be grateful that you’ve done so much of the legwork for us. This is a book that won’t gather dust on my bookshelf — I shall be consulting it often."
https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/11305/
"Being a working actor can be a lonely business: the preparation, the hours of digging to find your character — his soul, his voice. But your comprehensive book linked to the resources on your Website and IDEA now make the job seem less isolated. Your meticulous and comprehensive study has given us an invaluable tool with which to tackle our craft. When I was presented with seven characters in 'Catch 22,' I was initially daunted. I am a Brit, and here were seven Americans to be presented in their own country. I was lost and overwhelmed, … and then I found your book, and through your calm and clear guidance, I found their voices. Thank you, Paul."
Richard Sheridan Willis, Actor, Toronto, Canada
Paul Meier Dialect Services
2017-10-21T15:38:21+00:00
Richard Sheridan Willis, Actor, Toronto, Canada
"Being a working actor can be a lonely business: the preparation, the hours of digging to find your character — his soul, his voice. But your comprehensive book linked to the resources on your Website and IDEA now make the job seem less isolated. Your meticulous and comprehensive study has given us an invaluable tool with which to tackle our craft. When I was presented with seven characters in 'Catch 22,' I was initially daunted. I am a Brit, and here were seven Americans to be presented in their own country. I was lost and overwhelmed, … and then I found your book, and through your calm and clear guidance, I found their voices. Thank you, Paul."
