QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND WRITING

1. After viewing Walker’s video “21 Accents,” what was your initial impression? What was the point of the video? Why was this video made? Is the video simply a vehicle for self-promotion, or is there more to it? Defend your answer.

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 4 - QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND WRITING: After viewing Walker’s video “21 Accents,” what was your initial impression? What was the point of the video? Why was this video made? Is the video simply a vehicle for self-promotion, or is there more to it? Defend your answer.
2. To what extent does Walker add character to the accents? Are these characters based on stereotypes or caricatures (for example, the aggressive Amy Walker from Brooklyn or the genteel Amy Walker from Charleston)? To what extent might actors need to rely on such traits to quickly convey a character?

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 4 - QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND WRITING: To what extent does Walker add character to the accents? Are these characters based on stereotypes or caricatures (for example, the aggressive Amy Walker from Brooklyn or the genteel Amy Walker from Charleston)? To what extent might actors need to rely on such traits to quickly convey a character?
3. Which of her voices sounded “normal” or unaccented to you? Why?

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 4 - QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND WRITING: Which of her voices sounded “normal” or unaccented to you? Why?
4. Consider that a number of the accents are from characters whose first language would not be English. These include accents from Italy, France, Germany, Russia, and the Czech Republic. What do these accents tell us about how native speakers of English perceive nonnative speakers? Perhaps because Walker is white, she does not include accents from nonnative speakers from other parts of the globe, such as India, the Far East, or Latin America. How would you have felt if she had done those accents as well?

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 4 - QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND WRITING: Consider that a number of the accents are from characters whose first language would not be English. These include accents from Italy, France, Germany, Russia, and the Czech Republic. What do these accents tell us about how native speakers of English perceive nonnative speakers? Perhaps because Walker is white, she does not include accents from nonnative speakers from other parts of the globe, such as India, the Far East, or Latin America. How would you have felt if she had done those accents as well?
5. Walker’s video points out the remarkable variety of spoken English; indeed, she is recreating only a small portion of possible English-speaking accents. What might this suggest about the prevalence of the English language worldwide, and what might be some of the larger implications of this prevalence? What role or influence can speakers of English, both native and non-native, have in the diction, style, and utility of English?

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 4 - QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND WRITING: Walker’s video points out the remarkable variety of spoken English; indeed, she is recreating only a small portion of possible English-speaking accents. What might this suggest about the prevalence of the English language worldwide, and what might be some of the larger implications of this prevalence? What role or influence can speakers of English, both native and non-native, have in the diction, style, and utility of English?