Need help with North Jersey Accent

Jaye   Fri Oct 07, 2005 3:34 pm GMT
Hey. I am from Georgia and my Mom and Dad are from California. I have NEVER been out of the south save two SHORT visits to Ohio where I visited my Dad's family who were born and raised in Cali. I had a Nanny groing up who was raised in New York so I have managed to pick us a few words, but basically I'm stuck. I need help finding a website of North Jersey Pronunciations. I'm in a play and my character is a drunk. Originally it was a man, but I am a girl thus we've had to change a few things. I came up with the idea of a Sorta lost starlet character and my director suggested I had a New York or New Jersey twang to it. So I've been searching and all I've come across is explanations on how to speak with this funny little symbols. I'm going for a "Janice" (from friends) type accent. Or Fran Dreischer(spl?) accent. Anyone know any sites or is from jersey and could help me with pronunciations? I would appreciate it soo VERY much. Thanks.
Chris   Sat Oct 08, 2005 3:56 am GMT
Many people in the more affluent neighbothoods of northern NJ do not have a NJ accent. they use genaral American. I know this because I teach in an upper middle class area of northern NJ. Also, the chatracters you are trying to imotate spaek with horrible accents. Just stick with General American and you'll do fine.
Jaye   Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:23 pm GMT
The point is to have a distinguish accent. It's a character trait. "Sometimes ya just wanna twalk twoo um ya know?" I love the little girly jersey/new york twang and wanna do it. My character is a drunk she's not going to be from the upper class.
Jaye   Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:53 pm GMT
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SNTFIUL1

That's what i can do thus far
Guest   Sat Oct 08, 2005 5:03 pm GMT
>>Many people in the more affluent neighbothoods of northern NJ do not have a NJ accent. they use genaral American. I know this because I teach in an upper middle class area of northern NJ. Also, the chatracters you are trying to imotate spaek with horrible accents. Just stick with General American and you'll do fine.<<
Interesting. Do they use rhotic pronunciations and have the cot-caught merger?
Rom   Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:50 pm GMT
>>http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SNTFIUL1

That's what i can do thus far<<
Hmm. I can't seem to download it. It just opens a popup window that says: "Passion.com members near Calgary", and then displays pictures of some chicks.
Rom   Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:56 pm GMT
Ah! I see, it downloads the file in the background. It sounds very authentic to me! I think you should try to speak in a slightly lower tone though. The high pitch sounds a bit exaggerated.
Lazar   Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:58 pm GMT
<<You're not going to hear too many people here in NJ or the Northeast for that matter merging Mary/marry/merry or cot/caught.>>

I have to take issue with you on cot/caught. The vast majority of people in central and northern New England merge cot/caught - by this survey http://cfprod01.imt.uwm.edu/Dept/FLL/linguistics/dialect/staticmaps/states.html , 72% in Massachusetts, 75% in Vermont, 79% in in New Hampshire, and 79% in Maine.
Jaye   Wed Oct 12, 2005 2:10 am GMT
Oh good I'm so glad! I've worked really hard to try and do it...somewhat justice lol The high pitched is a character trait not a representation of the accent. lol.
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Rick Johnson   Thu Apr 27, 2006 8:19 pm GMT
<<I'm going for a "Janice" (from friends) type accent. Or Fran Dreischer(spl?) accent.>>

I'd always thought they were Brooklyn accents, but then I'm from England so what do I know.
Guest   Thu Apr 27, 2006 9:44 pm GMT
Queens accent, actually. Hers is exaggerated, but the Queens accent tends to be the most nasal of all NY accents, and certainly more nasal than any NJ accents I've heard
Guest   Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:26 pm GMT
<<The point is to have a distinguish accent. It's a character trait. >>

You should watch Ray Liotta in Goodfellas and try to imitate his accent as closely as you can. That is a textbook Northern NJ accent. I guess he didn't have a dialect coach on the set of that film, since his character should have had a Brooklyn accent (like Lorraine Bracco).
Guest   Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:43 pm GMT
And don't forget to REALLY enunciate your Rs. Even when your character is drunk. Otherwise you'll sound like a freaking Long Islander ;)
Guest   Fri Apr 28, 2006 7:29 am GMT
<<And don't forget to REALLY enunciate your Rs>>

So New Jersey is best avoided?