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dc.rights.licenseCC-BY-NC-ND
dc.contributor.advisorSebregts, Koen
dc.contributor.authorBakermans, M.A.
dc.date.accessioned2016-06-28T17:00:32Z
dc.date.available2016-06-28T17:00:32Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.identifier.urihttps://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/22490
dc.description.abstractIn the last few decades an increasing number of Dutch actors were featured in English-language films. This phenomenon appears to go hand in hand with an increase in how native-like these actors sound speaking English. This study investigates whether the level of success at producing a native-like English accent by the Dutch actors influences their success in the English-language American film world. Literary research suggests that natives have negative attitudes towards foreign-accented English. The correlation between the success in the English-language film world and the attainment of a native-like English has been calculated for seven Dutch actors with varying levels of success in the English-language film world and varying degrees of attainment of an English target accent. To do so a survey was sent to 49 American respondents, who were requested to evaluate the accents of nine speakers. Seven of these were the Dutch actors and two were native speakers of a non-standard variety, added as a control group. The survey contained audio clips of each actor and a question about if he sounded native and if not, the respondent had to indicate on a 8-point-Likert scale how obvious and how annoying that was to him. Two hierarchies were made of the results and a comparison between the two showed a slight similarity in the order of which actors were the most successful in the English-language film world and in producing a native-like accent, with clusters at the top, middle and bottom of both hierarchies, pointing out that accent might influence success.
dc.description.sponsorshipUtrecht University
dc.format.extent528292
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.titleThe Art of Acting in Accents
dc.type.contentBachelor Thesis
dc.rights.accessrightsOpen Access
dc.subject.keywordsAccent, succes, film, foreign-accented English, English, Dutch, actors, English-language film, native-like
dc.subject.courseuuLiberal Arts and Sciences


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