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You Say Potato: A Book About Accents
Some people say scohn, while others say schown.
He says bath, while she says bahth.
You say potayto. I say potahto
And-
-wait a second, no one says potahto. No one's ever said potahto.
Have they?
From reconstructing Shakespeare's accent to the rise and fall of Received Pronunciation, actor Ben Crystal and his linguist father David travel the world in search of the stories of spoken English.
Everyone has an accent, though many of us think we don't. We all have our likes and dislikes about the way other people speak, and everyone has something to say about 'correct' pronunciation. But how did all these accents come about, and why do people feel so strongly about them? Are regional accents dying out as English becomes a global language? And most importantly of all: what went wrong in Birmingham?
Witty, authoritative and jam-packed full of fascinating facts, You Say Potato is a celebration of the myriad ways in which the English language is spoken - and how our accents, in so many ways, speak louder than words.
He says bath, while she says bahth.
You say potayto. I say potahto
And-
-wait a second, no one says potahto. No one's ever said potahto.
Have they?
From reconstructing Shakespeare's accent to the rise and fall of Received Pronunciation, actor Ben Crystal and his linguist father David travel the world in search of the stories of spoken English.
Everyone has an accent, though many of us think we don't. We all have our likes and dislikes about the way other people speak, and everyone has something to say about 'correct' pronunciation. But how did all these accents come about, and why do people feel so strongly about them? Are regional accents dying out as English becomes a global language? And most importantly of all: what went wrong in Birmingham?
Witty, authoritative and jam-packed full of fascinating facts, You Say Potato is a celebration of the myriad ways in which the English language is spoken - and how our accents, in so many ways, speak louder than words.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published October 9, 2014
44 people are currently reading
854 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
November 4, 2017
The book was written by David Crystal and his son, a Shakespearean actor, Ben. I' listened to the book because why would I read print on a book on accents? I'm not sure whether I liked the Ben or David chapters best.
Despite the title the book also goes in to Welsh accents, mostly because David lived there and Ben was born there. North Wales has a very different accent from South Wales. Last year in the bookshop I had two older ladies come in from the cruise ship and they had accents very close to my own home one. I asked them if they could guess where I was from. One of them thought for a minute and then said Risca. That's a mile away from my village of Pentre-poeth!
Since the book was about UK accents it didn't answer a question I have had on my mind while I've been living in Florida (since 2 days before Irma). How come all the adverts on tv have the same female voice promoting everything, sort of rounded and warm and fake? How come all the women on CNN news programs have the same angry, challenging and somewhat strident voice? Is there a special school for broadcasting to learn one of these two voices?
_______
Notes on reading the book: This book, ladles and jellyspoons is very amusing. It's not just anecdotes but also social science. So far though it's more amusing than anything else. Ben Crystal is talking about how influential a particular radio programme, Educating Archie, in the 50s and 60s was on people's perceptions of the Brummie (Birmingham) accent. It was such a popular show it ran for decades and garnered a lot of awards. It was a show that featured on a ventiloquist and his puppet. Think about it. A ventriloquist. On the radio. :-D
*ladies and gentlemen of course.
Despite the title the book also goes in to Welsh accents, mostly because David lived there and Ben was born there. North Wales has a very different accent from South Wales. Last year in the bookshop I had two older ladies come in from the cruise ship and they had accents very close to my own home one. I asked them if they could guess where I was from. One of them thought for a minute and then said Risca. That's a mile away from my village of Pentre-poeth!
Since the book was about UK accents it didn't answer a question I have had on my mind while I've been living in Florida (since 2 days before Irma). How come all the adverts on tv have the same female voice promoting everything, sort of rounded and warm and fake? How come all the women on CNN news programs have the same angry, challenging and somewhat strident voice? Is there a special school for broadcasting to learn one of these two voices?
_______
Notes on reading the book: This book, ladles and jellyspoons is very amusing. It's not just anecdotes but also social science. So far though it's more amusing than anything else. Ben Crystal is talking about how influential a particular radio programme, Educating Archie, in the 50s and 60s was on people's perceptions of the Brummie (Birmingham) accent. It was such a popular show it ran for decades and garnered a lot of awards. It was a show that featured on a ventiloquist and his puppet. Think about it. A ventriloquist. On the radio. :-D
*ladies and gentlemen of course.
January 16, 2015
Great read (if you're interested in words and speech). Some of the more technical stuff would have been easier to grasp with sound but it still worked. This would make a great TV programme. In fact, with all the information about acting and Original Pronunciation, it could even be a series of TV programmes.
April 16, 2018
I'm already a long time fan of David Crystal's books about language. You Say Potato is an unusual book about accents of the English language, mostly British and North American. Some topics covered include what Shakespeare's English might have sounded like, how accents change over time as well as geography, and how accent "fashions" change over time. David Crystal contributes his vast expertise on the study of language and I learned a lot about accents in general, while Ben, his son, has an actor's point of view on the subject, also quite interesting. Both writers are good at accents, so listening to this book (via Audible) gives the material extra depth.
July 27, 2016
I enjoyed much of this - it was a light read, concerning the differences between accents within the UK as well as touching on other more global English accents - told with a good mix of humour and a decent amount of factual content. There were plenty of tidbits of information I'll take away with me, and a lot of the underlying reasons made a lot of sense. I bought this cheap from a pound shop, so was happy with my purchase, even though it only took me a couple of hours to read.
The only real criticisms I have feel slightly unfair. Firstly the nature of the book was always slightly problematic - there is only so much you can do with phonetically spelled-out examples, and as much as I sounded out various differences to myself, I'm sure I only 'got' three quarters of them.. my own accent masking some of the accuracy of the writers' points. Secondly there was a whole chapter on a project to put on Shakespeare plays in the 'original' pronunciation, not typical RP theatre style - and this was of no interest to me at all, and just felt like Ben Crystal promoting his pet project.
Nevertheless, a light, enjoyable, interesting and enlightening little book.
The only real criticisms I have feel slightly unfair. Firstly the nature of the book was always slightly problematic - there is only so much you can do with phonetically spelled-out examples, and as much as I sounded out various differences to myself, I'm sure I only 'got' three quarters of them.. my own accent masking some of the accuracy of the writers' points. Secondly there was a whole chapter on a project to put on Shakespeare plays in the 'original' pronunciation, not typical RP theatre style - and this was of no interest to me at all, and just felt like Ben Crystal promoting his pet project.
Nevertheless, a light, enjoyable, interesting and enlightening little book.
September 9, 2021
Great book. Five-stars if it included how different accents pronounce swear words. For science, obviously.
December 22, 2022
entertaining! i liked learning a little more about what, exactly, distinguishes an american accent from a british one and whether "british accent" really is a cogent concept. also liked the bringing in of original pronunciation shakespeare, which is really quite refreshing
this is the first non-ebook book i've read in a while. i've missed the experience of flipping pages and seeing physically how far i am into the book! the sense of accomplishment at finishing it is a lot greater when you see all those pages. gonna binge-read the stack of books lying in my room now
this is the first non-ebook book i've read in a while. i've missed the experience of flipping pages and seeing physically how far i am into the book! the sense of accomplishment at finishing it is a lot greater when you see all those pages. gonna binge-read the stack of books lying in my room now
May 31, 2020
I was excited for this book, for anyone who loves the study of the English language David Crystal is a reputable figure. I found the idea of a collaboration between him and his actor son in this work intriguing. His son acts in Shakespearean productions, which I thought would provide an interesting twist on accent study. The collaboration between two generations also has great scope when it comes to issues of language.
However, this book fell flat for me. The first 20 or so pages I enjoyed. Some of the anecdotes were interesting, David provided the basic groundworks (I came to realise it wouldn't go past the basics) of accent study, and the conversational tone felt initially engaging and accessible. The anecdotes soon became unnecessary and consisted mainly of attempts at name-dropping, the technical aspects dull and uninteresting and the tone desperate. It began to feel like I was listening to my old high school teachers frantically trying to cram as much "youth lingo and jokes" into a lesson as possible.
I considered marking this book as one suitable for younger people interested in the topic, but the anecdotes would not be at all interesting - even less so than they were to me.
I won't discredit the book completely or claim that it contained nothing of note. David provides you with the basics of the area in a way which is accessible and succinct. Ben offered some interesting popular culture examples of the significance of accent and meaning. However the collaboration and attempts at colloquialising the book was pushed beyond its limits.
However, this book fell flat for me. The first 20 or so pages I enjoyed. Some of the anecdotes were interesting, David provided the basic groundworks (I came to realise it wouldn't go past the basics) of accent study, and the conversational tone felt initially engaging and accessible. The anecdotes soon became unnecessary and consisted mainly of attempts at name-dropping, the technical aspects dull and uninteresting and the tone desperate. It began to feel like I was listening to my old high school teachers frantically trying to cram as much "youth lingo and jokes" into a lesson as possible.
I considered marking this book as one suitable for younger people interested in the topic, but the anecdotes would not be at all interesting - even less so than they were to me.
I won't discredit the book completely or claim that it contained nothing of note. David provides you with the basics of the area in a way which is accessible and succinct. Ben offered some interesting popular culture examples of the significance of accent and meaning. However the collaboration and attempts at colloquialising the book was pushed beyond its limits.
September 30, 2015
I wanted to read this book for a long time. I am glad that I read it. After reading this book, I understood how accents originated. This book gave an idea about how American, Canadian, Australian and British accent have in common or they differ.
Though I am not from any of these countries. For me English has been a second language. This book helped me in improving my basic understanding.
I recommend this to all English language teachers and to those who want to know more about accents.
I wish, I get to read something which is specifically written for other nationalities, as I was not able to connect to certain parts of the books because I am not aware about any part of Britain neither ever been there.
Though I am not from any of these countries. For me English has been a second language. This book helped me in improving my basic understanding.
I recommend this to all English language teachers and to those who want to know more about accents.
I wish, I get to read something which is specifically written for other nationalities, as I was not able to connect to certain parts of the books because I am not aware about any part of Britain neither ever been there.
January 18, 2016
Perfect I thought. I've long been a fan of David Crystal. Have read a book or two of his and spent a happy summer once dipping in and out of his Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. I've been to listen to him talk too. Twice. Once about the effect on English of the computer age, and once on accents. The first one was dazzling. Full of wit and erudition, enthusiasm and verve. The ageing professor played to an audience of adoring sixth form language students and was happy in their adoration. The second suffered. Two-fold. One, for an expert in accents he was a bloody useless actor. The accents died in delivery or shot off in ridiculous parody; both in direct opposition to the arguments he was propounding. Second, he really didn't seem to have developed mastery of this area. Many of his conclusions were tenuous. But his enthusiasm held most of his audience. Though there was markedly less of the adoration.
He spoke repeatedly of his 'actor' son, Ben. And he does so on innumerable occasions in this book. I don't go in for audio books often but it seemed that buying CDs was the best option with a book concerning pronunciation. To be honest, I got tired of his glowing testimonials for his son. It was like the bore by the water-cooler who pisses everyone else off with stories of their offspring's first million, entry into the Garrick and having ColdPlay do a private set for their third wedding anniversary. We needed something to justify the build-up. Ben is an actor. I've checked this out. He's got one of the least impressive IMDb entries of anyone who has been going as long as he has and there are a few Youtube clips of him riding his father's coat-tails over "Original Pronunciation". On these he claims that his "Arrrh Jim lad!" with a little bit a strine thrown in is the closest it is possible to get to the way the plays of Shakespeare originally sounded. We have to take him at his word...
The audio book is two fifths padding. Both Crystals indulge in anecdotes that fail partly because they are unnecessary, partly because they are lame and partly because they sound made up. David is interesting when dealing with the technical aspects of accents. Ben is never interesting at all: in fact he is, at times, downright embarrassing as he drops in all the great acting jobs he seems to have had (rarely specific) and proceeds to tell us how he fails in them.
After a chapter you are convinced that David is not quite as engaging as expected but at least he knows his stuff. Ben is something of a clotpole from the word go.
But he can speak like Shakespeare. Well, no he can't. Sorry we can't say a categoric no. But the hapless thespian does himself no favours when he gives us his tour-de-force journey around Great Britain and Ireland in accents. To say the least it is unimpressive. To paraphrase Blackadder; he starts badly, tails off a bit in the middle and the less said about the ending the better. He was brought up in North Wales and signally fails to capture even that accent in his party-piece.
I should have bought the book. I'm sure his accents are far more convincing on the printed page. Though that won't help with the content. At one point David jokingly pretends to be frustrated by the joint effort and says "I hate collaboration". So do we David. So do we.
He spoke repeatedly of his 'actor' son, Ben. And he does so on innumerable occasions in this book. I don't go in for audio books often but it seemed that buying CDs was the best option with a book concerning pronunciation. To be honest, I got tired of his glowing testimonials for his son. It was like the bore by the water-cooler who pisses everyone else off with stories of their offspring's first million, entry into the Garrick and having ColdPlay do a private set for their third wedding anniversary. We needed something to justify the build-up. Ben is an actor. I've checked this out. He's got one of the least impressive IMDb entries of anyone who has been going as long as he has and there are a few Youtube clips of him riding his father's coat-tails over "Original Pronunciation". On these he claims that his "Arrrh Jim lad!" with a little bit a strine thrown in is the closest it is possible to get to the way the plays of Shakespeare originally sounded. We have to take him at his word...
The audio book is two fifths padding. Both Crystals indulge in anecdotes that fail partly because they are unnecessary, partly because they are lame and partly because they sound made up. David is interesting when dealing with the technical aspects of accents. Ben is never interesting at all: in fact he is, at times, downright embarrassing as he drops in all the great acting jobs he seems to have had (rarely specific) and proceeds to tell us how he fails in them.
After a chapter you are convinced that David is not quite as engaging as expected but at least he knows his stuff. Ben is something of a clotpole from the word go.
But he can speak like Shakespeare. Well, no he can't. Sorry we can't say a categoric no. But the hapless thespian does himself no favours when he gives us his tour-de-force journey around Great Britain and Ireland in accents. To say the least it is unimpressive. To paraphrase Blackadder; he starts badly, tails off a bit in the middle and the less said about the ending the better. He was brought up in North Wales and signally fails to capture even that accent in his party-piece.
I should have bought the book. I'm sure his accents are far more convincing on the printed page. Though that won't help with the content. At one point David jokingly pretends to be frustrated by the joint effort and says "I hate collaboration". So do we David. So do we.
July 20, 2018
This audiobook, read by the authors, was a lot of fun to listen to. I was expecting (and got) a lot on regional accents in Britain, but this book went beyond that. In fact, it was very comprehensive. It covered English language accents by Irish, British, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, American, South African etc speakers, and how they compare with each other. Also covered: English spoken by cartoon characters, robots, Shakespearean actors; accents when singing; our bias and prejudices for or against certain accents, and so much more.
Even if you only have a passing interest in accents, you'll be entertained by this audiobook. The narrator/authors (father and son) speak with warmth and humour.
Even if you only have a passing interest in accents, you'll be entertained by this audiobook. The narrator/authors (father and son) speak with warmth and humour.
February 19, 2015
Sure, it's relatively lightweight, but it's an entertaining read.
If you've any previous exposure to linguistics it's mostly a revision exercise but the original material about Shakespeare and advertising was illuminating, accessible and relatable.
If you've any previous exposure to linguistics it's mostly a revision exercise but the original material about Shakespeare and advertising was illuminating, accessible and relatable.
August 8, 2018
Probably self-evident but I highly recommend the audio version, especially to my fellow non-native English speakers.
August 26, 2021
Я обожаю английские акценты. Особенно шотландский 😍 Ну и техасский тоже – почему, скажите на милость, Мэттью МакКонахи не начитывает аудиокниги?
⠀
Если вы разделяете мою страсть к акцентам и английскому вообще, обязательно послушайте эту книжку. Именно послушайте, иначе не получите полноценного опыта погружения в мир акцентов и театра.
⠀
Актер озвучки Бен Кристал и его отец-лингвист Дэвид Кристал рассказывают о том, какими бывают английские акценты и как они влияют на то, как люди воспринимают информацию.
⠀
Если вы потребляете контент, даже просто музыку на английском, книга вам будет вам интересна. Я, например, после нее провела несколько приятных минут, залипая на "Битлз" и Лили Аллен и подмечая в их песнях признаки северного акцента и лондонского кокни.
⠀
Самое главное – информация подана максимально увлекательно. Авторы отвечают, в том числе, на такие важные вопросы, как:
⠀
🤌Стоит ли учиться говорить "как королева"?
⠀
🤌Почему акцент Томми Шелби из "Острых козырьков" в UK презирают?
⠀
🤌Откуда Джонни Депп взял свой пиратский акцент для роли Джека Воробья?
⠀
🤌Какой акцент был у Шекспира и почему в некоторых его сонетах нет рифм?
⠀
🤌Для чего нужен антракт в театре?
⠀
🤌И наконец самый главный вопрос: почему у злодеев в кино вечно напыщенный британский акцент (также известный как RP)?
⠀
Если вы разделяете мою страсть к акцентам и английскому вообще, обязательно послушайте эту книжку. Именно послушайте, иначе не получите полноценного опыта погружения в мир акцентов и театра.
⠀
Актер озвучки Бен Кристал и его отец-лингвист Дэвид Кристал рассказывают о том, какими бывают английские акценты и как они влияют на то, как люди воспринимают информацию.
⠀
Если вы потребляете контент, даже просто музыку на английском, книга вам будет вам интересна. Я, например, после нее провела несколько приятных минут, залипая на "Битлз" и Лили Аллен и подмечая в их песнях признаки северного акцента и лондонского кокни.
⠀
Самое главное – информация подана максимально увлекательно. Авторы отвечают, в том числе, на такие важные вопросы, как:
⠀
🤌Стоит ли учиться говорить "как королева"?
⠀
🤌Почему акцент Томми Шелби из "Острых козырьков" в UK презирают?
⠀
🤌Откуда Джонни Депп взял свой пиратский акцент для роли Джека Воробья?
⠀
🤌Какой акцент был у Шекспира и почему в некоторых его сонетах нет рифм?
⠀
🤌Для чего нужен антракт в театре?
⠀
🤌И наконец самый главный вопрос: почему у злодеев в кино вечно напыщенный британский акцент (также известный как RP)?
November 24, 2021
Отличная книга по разнообразие британских акцентов, которую написали отец и сын - профессор-лингвист и профессиональный актер:
- акценты сменяются каждые 25 миль
- существуют фонетисты-криминалисты, которые могут по голосу вычислить происхождение человека вплоть до конкретного района
- бирмингеский (brummie) никто не любит, а зря (но Peaky Blinders, где действие происходит как раз в Бирмингеме, его не спас, потому что создатели сериала посчитали акцент настолько неразборчивым, что придумали для персонажей собственную акцентную смесь, с преобладанием ирландского)
- любят йоркширский и эдинбургский
- Estuary accent - смесь RP и кокни
- RP хоть и удерживал лидерство в престижности два столетия, сейчас все менее востребован в рекламе: distant and not customer friendly.
- но уважающий себя злодей обязан говорить с RP
- а вот шекспировскому актеру стоит задуматься, может RP в театральных постановках уже устарел, чай не времена Лоренса Оливье, пора Шекспиру заговорить с региональным акцентом
- а лучше всего ему заговорить с OP - Original Pronunciation. В Шекспировские времена социальные акценты были еще далеко не так выражены, и поэтому для передачи статуса и эмоций актеру нужно играть гораздо убедительней, мало сымитировать акцент, как обычно. Плюс OP включает много черт разных региональных акцентов, и шекспировские герои sound like us, и получается прочувствованней
- акценты сменяются каждые 25 миль
- существуют фонетисты-криминалисты, которые могут по голосу вычислить происхождение человека вплоть до конкретного района
- бирмингеский (brummie) никто не любит, а зря (но Peaky Blinders, где действие происходит как раз в Бирмингеме, его не спас, потому что создатели сериала посчитали акцент настолько неразборчивым, что придумали для персонажей собственную акцентную смесь, с преобладанием ирландского)
- любят йоркширский и эдинбургский
- Estuary accent - смесь RP и кокни
- RP хоть и удерживал лидерство в престижности два столетия, сейчас все менее востребован в рекламе: distant and not customer friendly.
- но уважающий себя злодей обязан говорить с RP
- а вот шекспировскому актеру стоит задуматься, может RP в театральных постановках уже устарел, чай не времена Лоренса Оливье, пора Шекспиру заговорить с региональным акцентом
- а лучше всего ему заговорить с OP - Original Pronunciation. В Шекспировские времена социальные акценты были еще далеко не так выражены, и поэтому для передачи статуса и эмоций актеру нужно играть гораздо убедительней, мало сымитировать акцент, как обычно. Плюс OP включает много черт разных региональных акцентов, и шекспировские герои sound like us, и получается прочувствованней
February 22, 2023
As a grad student focussing on linguistics - this book is an accessible resource to anyone who is interested in learning more about accents, with a focus on British and American varieties. Notably, terms and concepts are easy to understand while still being scientifically accurate. Of course, it will still be enjoyable to those who already know a lot about sociolinguistics and dialectology. The writing is humorous, and it explores just how important our accents are to our lives, culture and society as a whole. For example, the book gives an introduction to the basic concepts of regional accents and how they relate to individual identities, it shows what Shakespeare's English sounded like (and how we know), the accents of aliens in sci-if/fantasy stories, our attitudes towards certain accents, and accent in music, to name a few. 100% worth the read :)
October 29, 2017
Fascinating and deeply irritating in turns.
Whilst I like the idea of father (renowned linguist and writer) and son (actor and writer) collaborating on a book and bouncing the chapters back and forth, I am not at all sure that it works.
The conversational, chatty style of the book is just too lightweight - it even gets to the point where Ben addresses his father as 'Pops'!
Fine at home, but please, not in a book.
Another irritant was the constant 'we'll come to this more later on'.
However, it is a subject that interests me, and David Crystal is a prolific writer so I'll definitely try more of his work.
Whilst I like the idea of father (renowned linguist and writer) and son (actor and writer) collaborating on a book and bouncing the chapters back and forth, I am not at all sure that it works.
The conversational, chatty style of the book is just too lightweight - it even gets to the point where Ben addresses his father as 'Pops'!
Fine at home, but please, not in a book.
Another irritant was the constant 'we'll come to this more later on'.
However, it is a subject that interests me, and David Crystal is a prolific writer so I'll definitely try more of his work.
October 17, 2018
I have read several books by David Crystal and I love them all, so I knew I was in for another treat with this one. I was not disappointed, on the contrary! This is a special book, as it is co-authored by his son Ben Crystal (or the other way around, however you want), and I had the lucky idea to listen to this as an audiobook, which I very higly recommend. It is, after all, about English accents, which tend to fall flat on a written page (please forgive the bad pun). Read by the father and son duo, listening to it was a delightful experience!
January 7, 2022
Good book that reviews the basics of language and accents. I most enjoyed the chapters that discussed Shakespeare and original pronunciation although there wasn’t much stuff beyond what I already knew.
February 12, 2020
I loved this book! I’m still thinking about it. I really enjoyed reading about the English accent through the lens of pop culture and how the access to TV and multimedia is influencing how we speak across the world. There’s a great part about Shakespeare and how expectations for different accents aside from RP is becoming more in demand—it is very humanizing for all of the different people and cultures that speak English.
My favorite part (which really surprised me) was a section on robots and the accents we give them. I don’t know...it got kind of deep for me. Like a pretty clear picture of how we view various types of accents for good or bad and then attribute it to robots to show if they’re good or bad. I’m never going to look at Doctor Who or BSG the same way again.
Highly recommend listening to the audio version if possible. Listening to all of the different accents in context of the book is excellent.
My favorite part (which really surprised me) was a section on robots and the accents we give them. I don’t know...it got kind of deep for me. Like a pretty clear picture of how we view various types of accents for good or bad and then attribute it to robots to show if they’re good or bad. I’m never going to look at Doctor Who or BSG the same way again.
Highly recommend listening to the audio version if possible. Listening to all of the different accents in context of the book is excellent.
March 29, 2022
Listened on audiobook. Not really what i was expecting but was interesting somewhat I guess. Prob should have done more research into the book first.
September 19, 2021
Comforting in the same way as when your geography teacher used to wheel a tele in front of the board and let you watch a documentary instead of doing textbook work.
August 16, 2024
Philology and anything to do with language is another interest of mine. This book written by father and son takes you through many stories and topics of accents and their histories. Loved their mentions of Shakespeare! I listened to this one, I try to listen to the Crystals and their lovely accents, if available. Some do their new ones aren’t on audible.
June 26, 2025
Another fascinating book by Mr Crystal.
July 5, 2023
And I say potahto, indeed!
OK, I come clean - I read other books, not just 1930s rearmament period thrillers. This is one that complements what I do for work, lent to me by my dear friend, who shall remain nameless or we may end up joining her down a deep rabbit-hole!
I am on page 82, so I am in no fit state to give any meaningful comments. Yet,
Though it strikes me as not very meaty, but that's the genre I suppose. More info soon, Watch this space!
Continued:
The book ends up being a list of features accents have, a sort of a potted guide to British accents. Quite fluffy, even to the end, it is what it is, an introduction to the subject. The authors are very much online and watching vidos of these two while reading the book increased my enjoyment of it.
OK, I come clean - I read other books, not just 1930s rearmament period thrillers. This is one that complements what I do for work, lent to me by my dear friend, who shall remain nameless or we may end up joining her down a deep rabbit-hole!
I am on page 82, so I am in no fit state to give any meaningful comments. Yet,
Though it strikes me as not very meaty, but that's the genre I suppose. More info soon, Watch this space!
Continued:
The book ends up being a list of features accents have, a sort of a potted guide to British accents. Quite fluffy, even to the end, it is what it is, an introduction to the subject. The authors are very much online and watching vidos of these two while reading the book increased my enjoyment of it.
March 30, 2022
As much as I love linguistics and accents, this book didn't get all the way for me. There are a lot of amusing tidbits, anecdotes and even philosophical insights, but, as one can imagine, also quite a few more encyclopedial facts and figures. On the whole the Crystals made a good job, but I think the subject is tricky to make really captivating. Or have you read a better book on accents?
P.S. In this case, the difference between the audiobook experience and a paper copy is probably huge, so I should say that I listened to the Audible version. I think that notched it up a bit. They do have very pleasant voices, too.
Edit: oh right. A bit too centered about the UK and Ireland, so it's probably more enjoyable if you're a Brit or at least Irishman. For a foreigner as myself (not even a native English speaker), some details were just to detailed.
P.S. In this case, the difference between the audiobook experience and a paper copy is probably huge, so I should say that I listened to the Audible version. I think that notched it up a bit. They do have very pleasant voices, too.
Edit: oh right. A bit too centered about the UK and Ireland, so it's probably more enjoyable if you're a Brit or at least Irishman. For a foreigner as myself (not even a native English speaker), some details were just to detailed.
October 24, 2014
This is a wonderful book. Written as a informal series of chapters, alternating between Ben and David Crystal, they discuss the world of accents. Highly recommended.
December 31, 2014
This is an interesting and easy to understand book on accents, if you're interested that is. No knowledge of the phonetics alphabet needed.
August 4, 2021
A really interesting book about accents, how they form, how they're changed, how they change others and how they disappear. The book focuses mainly on British accents but also has a lot of references to American accents and a review of other English accents (South African, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Irish).
Some chapters are read by linguist David Crystal and some are read by his son, actor Ben Crystal. I was more interested in David's parts because they discuss what I came for but some of Ben's chapters are also interesting. He talks about his experience with accents as an actor. It was interesting except for some stories about doing Shakespeare stuff, until a part where Ben collaborated with his father. It was when Ben was doing a Shakespeare play in the original pronunciation which would have to be reconstructed, by David for that matter, as there are no recordings of the time. I was particularly interested in a technique they used which was to match rhymes from poetry. In one poem, the poet rhymes "love" with "prove" which means probably one of the words was pronounced in a similar way to the other word. In this case, "prove" was pronounced similarly to "love" (there's other evidence to support that).
There are other interesting bits of information. One that stuck with me, for example, is that in England there's an accent shift every 25 miles, on average.
At the beginning of the book the question "has anyone ever said 'potahto'?" is presented. Near the end of the book I realized that I couldn't remember the answer. Apparently, my memory and summary didn't fail me - the answer comes at the end of the book.
It took me far too long to finish this book mainly because I got the audiobook (accents, after all, are better heard than read) but I also wanted to have easy access to all the information in the book so I summarized it which really slowed me down and discouraged me from listening at times. In retrospect, I should have just gotten the eBook version too, in which case I'd have all the information easily accessible and I'd be done listening to the book more than two years earlier.
Some chapters are read by linguist David Crystal and some are read by his son, actor Ben Crystal. I was more interested in David's parts because they discuss what I came for but some of Ben's chapters are also interesting. He talks about his experience with accents as an actor. It was interesting except for some stories about doing Shakespeare stuff, until a part where Ben collaborated with his father. It was when Ben was doing a Shakespeare play in the original pronunciation which would have to be reconstructed, by David for that matter, as there are no recordings of the time. I was particularly interested in a technique they used which was to match rhymes from poetry. In one poem, the poet rhymes "love" with "prove" which means probably one of the words was pronounced in a similar way to the other word. In this case, "prove" was pronounced similarly to "love" (there's other evidence to support that).
There are other interesting bits of information. One that stuck with me, for example, is that in England there's an accent shift every 25 miles, on average.
At the beginning of the book the question "has anyone ever said 'potahto'?" is presented. Near the end of the book I realized that I couldn't remember the answer. Apparently, my memory and summary didn't fail me - the answer comes at the end of the book.
It took me far too long to finish this book mainly because I got the audiobook (accents, after all, are better heard than read) but I also wanted to have easy access to all the information in the book so I summarized it which really slowed me down and discouraged me from listening at times. In retrospect, I should have just gotten the eBook version too, in which case I'd have all the information easily accessible and I'd be done listening to the book more than two years earlier.
June 1, 2018
If the cartoon of a tomato and a potato asking each other about scones on the cover doesn’t grab you, then you may be enticed by the back flap, which asks: “wait a second, no one says potahto. No one’s ever said potahto...Have they?” There’s also a lovely drawing of a tub saying “Baaaarth.” Once I read their description of language as “a series of idiosyncratic sounds made by smacking bone against flesh and pushing air around,” I had a good, hearty laugh and barely put this down until I had finished it.
This is a fun romp through the world of English accents. Written by a father-and-son team, the book has a playful conversational style between Ben, a Shakespearean actor, and David, a Linguistics professor. They discuss mostly modern British accents, but also touch on accents in America and the greater Commonwealth.
Since David and Ben famously collaborated on Original Pronunciation (OP) of Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe Theater, there’s quite a bit of discussion about how we know what English sounded like in London in Shakespeare’s time, and how vestiges of this accent may be found everywhere in Anglophonia (I made up that word on a whim while writing this, and I rather like it.) Thus, any Shakespeare nerd will experience an extra level of enjoyment with this book.
Consider this: in Shakespeare’s time, “war” was pronounced like “wahrrrrrr;” which seems to lend more weight to such an ominous word. They describe this archaic pronunciation as “something full of sound and fury, rather than a polite disagreement over tea.” Hence, the “Warlike Harry” of Henry V truly sounds like someone who might “assume the port of Mars,” i.e., try to take over France.
Expect people to look at you strangely as you sound out the plentiful phonetic descriptions they provide. And, yes - they do discuss the potahto.
This is a fun romp through the world of English accents. Written by a father-and-son team, the book has a playful conversational style between Ben, a Shakespearean actor, and David, a Linguistics professor. They discuss mostly modern British accents, but also touch on accents in America and the greater Commonwealth.
Since David and Ben famously collaborated on Original Pronunciation (OP) of Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe Theater, there’s quite a bit of discussion about how we know what English sounded like in London in Shakespeare’s time, and how vestiges of this accent may be found everywhere in Anglophonia (I made up that word on a whim while writing this, and I rather like it.) Thus, any Shakespeare nerd will experience an extra level of enjoyment with this book.
Consider this: in Shakespeare’s time, “war” was pronounced like “wahrrrrrr;” which seems to lend more weight to such an ominous word. They describe this archaic pronunciation as “something full of sound and fury, rather than a polite disagreement over tea.” Hence, the “Warlike Harry” of Henry V truly sounds like someone who might “assume the port of Mars,” i.e., try to take over France.
Expect people to look at you strangely as you sound out the plentiful phonetic descriptions they provide. And, yes - they do discuss the potahto.
May 18, 2021
The book was very enjoyable, and it seems to me that it is a must for everyone interested in English and its accents. The anecdotes from personal and professional lives of both father and son Crystals would have been a bit boring in a printed book, but in the audiobook it was yet another opportunity to listen to their accents. Though I am definitely a visual learner and would like to read this book again in print. I listen to the audiobook while working out on my stationary bike and could not make any notes to remember the names and articles the authors refer to. It seems to me that the best way to read this book would be to listen to the audiobook while looking at the text.
The variety of accents in Britain is amazing, some of them are really hard to understand for a language learner who is not a native speaker and is used to the RP variation taught in Polish schools. I was looking forward to the part about Shakespeare's Original Pronunciation, and it seems to me that the chapters about it only touched the surface, I would love to learn something more about the topic. But the most important takeaway for the English learners from other countries is not to be ashamed of their accents, of not sounding like native speakers, since as the authors explain your accent is a crucial part of your identity, so if you speak English understandably, there is no point in trying to get rid of your accent. This is an important message for many English learners in Poland, who dream about having no trace of Polish accent in their speech.
The variety of accents in Britain is amazing, some of them are really hard to understand for a language learner who is not a native speaker and is used to the RP variation taught in Polish schools. I was looking forward to the part about Shakespeare's Original Pronunciation, and it seems to me that the chapters about it only touched the surface, I would love to learn something more about the topic. But the most important takeaway for the English learners from other countries is not to be ashamed of their accents, of not sounding like native speakers, since as the authors explain your accent is a crucial part of your identity, so if you speak English understandably, there is no point in trying to get rid of your accent. This is an important message for many English learners in Poland, who dream about having no trace of Polish accent in their speech.
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