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US: Walt

  • 14-09-2005 12:34am
    #1
    loon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 385 ✭✭


    OK, there's no doubt that Walt is special..

    but surely, his greatest ability of all, has got to be his... accent. I'm no expert on US lingual regions, but i am a linguist and what amazes me is that he has an american accent.

    as far as i remeber, Walt left the US before he was 2 meaning that he should have picked up his accent from his immediate surroundings so it should be either dutch/italian/but most likely australian due to the amount of australian schooling he would have had.


Comments

  • #2
    GerardKeating
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,806 ✭✭✭GerardKeating


    loon wrote:
    OK, there's no doubt that Walt is special..

    but surely, his greatest ability of all, has got to be his... accent. I'm no expert on US lingual regions, but i am a linguist and what amazes me is that he has an american accent.

    as far as i remeber, Walt left the US before he was 2 meaning that he should have picked up his accent from his immediate surroundings so it should be either dutch/italian/but most likely australian due to the amount of australian schooling he would have had.


    Unless he went to an international school with a lot of american kids.


  • #3
    loon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 385 ✭✭loon


    not likely in Oz though!


  • #4
    madrab
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,892 ✭✭✭madrab


    maybe his teachers were wizards? :p


  • #5
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 35,731 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    His mother is American, no? He was probably home-schooled. Kid is dangerous.


  • #6
    OFDM
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,399 ✭✭✭OFDM


    pickarooney wrote:
    His mother is American, no? He was probably home-schooled. Kid is dangerous.
    So was his step-father. I'm guessing his only real exposure to people were his mother, step-father and "maids". After all he never showed any sign of being capable of speaking Dutch.


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  • #7
    Anima
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,945 ✭✭✭Anima


    Taking things a bit far imo.


  • #8
    monkeyfudge
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,216 ✭✭✭✭monkeyfudge


    I still want to see a Vincent flashback episode...

    It could clear up alot of things in a nice and interesting way...


  • #9
    Shabadu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,659 ✭✭✭Shabadu


    He's the Des Bishop of Lost.


  • #10
    Basq
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 44,201 ✭✭✭✭Basq


    Shabadu wrote:
    He's the Des Bishop of Lost.
    Des Bishop is "special" in a very different sorta way though! :D


  • #11
    Shabadu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,659 ✭✭✭Shabadu


    Yes- I hear his new show is entitled 'Get Up, Get Out, Go!'.


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  • #12
    loon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 385 ✭✭loon


    pickarooney wrote:
    His mother is American, no? He was probably home-schooled. Kid is dangerous.

    ... and the uniform he had on in 'special' was what... just a fashion faux pas?


  • #13
    Fridge
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 286 ✭✭Fridge


    I know some people who have lived here all their lives but have the same accents as their parents, American or English.

    Then I know some people who have picked up the Irish accent within months and had it down to a tee, not even trying to impersonate.

    It's just the way it is with accents, some people don't pick them up very easily at all. Obviously Walt's mother was the biggest influence in his life, and if he doesn't have the ear for accents, he's going to stick to the accent he learned to speak with.


  • #14
    loon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 385 ✭✭loon


    ah, but both his 'parents' were lawyers and spent very little time at home, hence the nanny/maid. when walt was talking about the bird, neither parent was listening and i get the impression it was like that a lot, especially the way that he craves locke's attention... i think it was an oversight of the writers that's all.


  • #15
    tvnutz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,788 ✭✭✭tvnutz


    There is no indication he lived in Austrialia for that long,or that he had that nanny for long. He said they moved around a lot,they could have even lived in back in America for a time.


  • #16
    lkman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 145 ✭✭lkman


    I'd have to agree with loon, it's an oversight by the writers.
    That just gave me a tought though, (it may sound stupid but,) anyone know why it all started in australia? deversity of coultures? I mean why not somewhere else...


  • #17
    loon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 385 ✭✭loon


    i guess it has something to do with the numbers and the location of the island in co-ords.


  • #18
    Fridge
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 286 ✭✭Fridge


    lkman wrote:
    I'd have to agree with loon, it's an oversight by the writers.
    That just gave me a tought though, (it may sound stupid but,) anyone know why it all started in australia? deversity of coultures? I mean why not somewhere else...

    Why not Australia?

    Especially since to get from there to America it's a very long flight across an ocean you tend to get lost in.


  • #19
    skywalker_208
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,350 ✭✭✭skywalker_208


    loon wrote:
    OK, there's no doubt that Walt is special..

    but surely, his greatest ability of all, has got to be his... accent. I'm no expert on US lingual regions, but i am a linguist and what amazes me is that he has an american accent.

    Just rewatched Episode 2 - Loche is showing Walt how to play backgammon.

    Loche: "Do you play checkers with your Pa?"
    Walt: "No i live in Austrailia with my mom"
    Loche: "youve got no accent"
    Walt: "We moved around alot"

    So i guess thats his excuse....


  • #20
    OFDM
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,399 ✭✭✭OFDM


    skywalker_208 wrote:
    Just rewatched Episode 2 - Loche is showing Walt how to play backgammon.

    Loche: "Do you play checkers with your Pa?"
    Walt: "No i live in Austrailia with my mom"
    Loche: "youve got no accent"
    Walt: "We moved around alot"

    So i guess thats his excuse....
    Moving around a lot would most likely cause Walt to have an accent similar to his parents.


  • #21
    saintsaucey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 78 ✭✭saintsaucey


    JUst thought I'd throw this out there. My mom can pick up somes accent after a short phone conversation. Not every one changes accents that way though. I'd say its more likly that he talks like his mom. and we know he was in public school because the maid said thats where he was returning from when Michael came to pick him up.


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