I planned to create an accent/dialect for my current WIP.
I know that this is kind of a difficult task but for me it is something I'd really enjoy doing and I wouldn't mind spending quite a lot of time for research and everything. I am also aware that I should not write like a dissertation on phonetics in my story so I know that a big part of this will mainly be made for myself, but I still want to do it. I mean, Tolkien developed languages for Lord of the Rings, not that I dare to compare myself to him, but it is possibly the same motivation and a little accent should be allowed without people tapping their forehead at me
I've studied linguistics and phonetics and I'm quite familiar with the topic in general - just not for the English language and this is why I hope for some help.
The background: My made up world (fictional but based on our reality, all our languages and cultures exist in it) has a place that could be compared with a "failed state". It has been discovered around 100 years before the story starts, has until then not been inhabitated by anyone and thus does have no original native people, language or culture. The area is ungovernable, descended into anarchy and chaos long years ago, but actually there is some raw materials and stuff that makes people interested in the place. Yet the living conditions there are so bad (mountains and desert, extreme tempereatures, sand storms) no one would volunteer to live there and this is why it is mainly a hideout for criminals, pirates and people like that who have reasons to hide from the rest of the world. It is more or less ruled by gangs and clans and whatever.
So this "country", if you can call it so, is a quite international place, the failed state citizens will speak English to each other due to the fact most of their parents&grandparents have different native languages.
Now I wanted the mentioned place to have developed an own accent. It should sound difficult to understand for the normal* English speaker but in a way a dialect is (like Scottish is difficult for some US Americans) and not like e.g. a French accent that is difficult to understand because the person is not uset to speak English. I think you get the idea.
I thought about kind of sloppy speaking, slurring words, mumbling, more of a soft sound (the opposite of how they pronounce t, p, k etc very strong in parts of Britain). I also wanted the tone to go a bit up and down to give "normal" listeners a bit the impression of a melodic singing sound. I do also not want it to sound too similar to Southern USA accents, especially not this stretching of vowels and pronouncing "r" the way as if you try to swallow your tongue...
So, now: Does anyone know any real life accents that you think could be inspiring or does anyone know some good literature, webpages etc on accents and phonetics that provide more than the usual USA+UK stuff?
Movies or something?
Or has anyone ever done this (invented an accent, I mean)?
Can some of you recommend some books where I can find accents/dialects written down (I don't want to do too much of that as I know it can be terribly annoying, but nevertheless looking at it might help I thought...)?
Or is there some good material on Pidgin English? I have been looking around but didn't really find much so far.
(*I hope no one will feel offended, I am aware that there is no normal English, but what I see as the standart language is what you hear in Television, news broadcast, movies...)
I know that this is kind of a difficult task but for me it is something I'd really enjoy doing and I wouldn't mind spending quite a lot of time for research and everything. I am also aware that I should not write like a dissertation on phonetics in my story so I know that a big part of this will mainly be made for myself, but I still want to do it. I mean, Tolkien developed languages for Lord of the Rings, not that I dare to compare myself to him, but it is possibly the same motivation and a little accent should be allowed without people tapping their forehead at me
I've studied linguistics and phonetics and I'm quite familiar with the topic in general - just not for the English language and this is why I hope for some help.
The background: My made up world (fictional but based on our reality, all our languages and cultures exist in it) has a place that could be compared with a "failed state". It has been discovered around 100 years before the story starts, has until then not been inhabitated by anyone and thus does have no original native people, language or culture. The area is ungovernable, descended into anarchy and chaos long years ago, but actually there is some raw materials and stuff that makes people interested in the place. Yet the living conditions there are so bad (mountains and desert, extreme tempereatures, sand storms) no one would volunteer to live there and this is why it is mainly a hideout for criminals, pirates and people like that who have reasons to hide from the rest of the world. It is more or less ruled by gangs and clans and whatever.
So this "country", if you can call it so, is a quite international place, the failed state citizens will speak English to each other due to the fact most of their parents&grandparents have different native languages.
Now I wanted the mentioned place to have developed an own accent. It should sound difficult to understand for the normal* English speaker but in a way a dialect is (like Scottish is difficult for some US Americans) and not like e.g. a French accent that is difficult to understand because the person is not uset to speak English. I think you get the idea.
I thought about kind of sloppy speaking, slurring words, mumbling, more of a soft sound (the opposite of how they pronounce t, p, k etc very strong in parts of Britain). I also wanted the tone to go a bit up and down to give "normal" listeners a bit the impression of a melodic singing sound. I do also not want it to sound too similar to Southern USA accents, especially not this stretching of vowels and pronouncing "r" the way as if you try to swallow your tongue...
So, now: Does anyone know any real life accents that you think could be inspiring or does anyone know some good literature, webpages etc on accents and phonetics that provide more than the usual USA+UK stuff?
Movies or something?
Or has anyone ever done this (invented an accent, I mean)?
Can some of you recommend some books where I can find accents/dialects written down (I don't want to do too much of that as I know it can be terribly annoying, but nevertheless looking at it might help I thought...)?
Or is there some good material on Pidgin English? I have been looking around but didn't really find much so far.
(*I hope no one will feel offended, I am aware that there is no normal English, but what I see as the standart language is what you hear in Television, news broadcast, movies...)
