Boston Dialect

[BensMom]

My daughter went to see Departed over the weekend. So now she is cutest 16 year old in Nebraska trying to mimic a Boston accent. What are some good movies to rent so we can hear more of the the Boston dialect?
Schools out - Mom's home from work. Family Values Rock!

[peekaloo]

1. Good Will Hunting. n/t

[Phillycat]

4. Yep, that's the one. nt

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

2. "A Perfect Storm"

It's based on a true story of a swordfishing boat from Glousta (Glouscester), MA that gets caught in the "perfect storm." It's a really good movie, starring Mark Walberg and George Clooney.

[MissMillie]

3. Mystic River

forget Love Story.... somehow they made a movie in Boston that didn't include the accent.

[Maine-ah]

5. see, here's the problem. Nobody ever gets

either the Boston accent or the Maine accent correct, and it always in every movie sounds so stupid. If she really wants to learn these particular accents, she should go there.

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. Couldn't agree more.

[mainegreen]

7. The Maine accent can't be faked.

Whenever I hear it in the movies I find it so distractingly bad I have a hard time focusing on the movie over the accent. That, and most out-of-staters don't seem to get that Maine has 3 distinct accents: the Down East accent, that weird accent they get up in the County and the accent found in the hills (especially mid to northern Oxford county where I'm from).

That and Tim Sample is from New Hampshire dammit! HE'S FAKING!

:sigh:

[Maine-ah]

8. roflmao

nobody gets it. And then there are those of us (like myself) who really don't have much of an accent at all other than the occasional missed "r".....

[kay1864]

10. How good/bad was Fred Gwynne's in Pet Sematary?

He seems like the sort of actor that would have utilized a good dialect coach.

[Gormy Cuss]

12. Then there are the variations within those accents, too.

If you ask most Mainers, they'll claim people in the Portland area don't have an accent. Of course, people from away hear it differently. ;-)

When I talk to another native in our 100 mile an hour, R free native accent my spouse has no "idear" what we're saying --comes in handy sometimes.


On a related note, Laura Linney in 'Mystic River' had such a painfully bad Boston accent that I was hoping someone would off her character and end the misery.

[TheBaldyMan]

13. even Mayor Quimby in the Simpsons ? n/t

[Kerrytravelers]

9. Once Around

[freethought]

11. Hard to fake a Boston or accent..

Matt Damon did it so well in "The Departed" because he's from Boston. "Good Will Hunting" is another good example of the Boston accent. "Pahk the cah in Hahvahd yahd" as it were.
There aren't too many movies which show that accent well. I thought "Mystic River" fell short on the accent part but that was OK. The characters, plot, and storyline held your attention and more than made up for what it lacked in a city accent.
If you want to see a great movie that shows an example of how NOT to speak in a Boston accent rent "13 Days" with Kevin Costner & Bruce Greenwood. It's about JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kevin Costner's attempt at a South Boston Irish accent was totally pathetic and he didn't even try to maintain it throughout the movie. Costner totally over did the accent. The movie was great though.
That's part of the problem, those who try the Boston accent lay it on too thick. Matt Damon's approach to laying the accent on lightly was perfect.
You said your daughter is 16? Seems as if she is approaching college application time. Have her apply to a Boston school an she will here the classic Boston dialect first hand!

[Radio_Lady]

14. It is very hard to learn any accent by just going to school in a place!

We lived in Boston for almost thirty years, and that accent still sounds very familiar. This month, I identified at least two people in Florida who had the Boston accent -- they sounded like my sister-in-law.

However, what governs a person's accent to a large degree is WHERE he/she was at age 3, while learning their native language. It is proven that his or her parents do have an influence.

If you're in the movie business, and doing a big budget film, there are dialect coaches who help actors achieve their accents.

[BensMom]

15. Thanks

Good Ideas and we are off to the video store.

It is said we have no accent in Nebraska - That is why so many telemarketing jobs have been in Omaha for years.

Girls just want to have fun!