Some funny pronunciation moments in TV and film

1.  A criminal from The Simpsons

When it comes to funny pronunciation, The Simpsons is loaded with examples.  The show not only features foreign accents commonly encountered in the United States, but also makes fun of various regional accents.  It also has examples of people of various backgrounds, including police officers, drunkards, lawyers, housewives, and heavy smokers.

SEE ALSO: Pronunciation Lesson from Arnold Schwarzenegger

Typically, the way they speak is what a viewer would expect, but not always.  The following are some good examples:

Snake is a criminal who apparently speaks with some sort of California accent–the accent you’d expect of a surfer or someone like that.  Whatever it is, it’s also somewhat proper and almost British sounding.

For instance, he pronounces the letter t in positions where you would expect it to sound more like a d in American English.  Also, his pronunciation of /O/ (the phonetic script used here is Arpabet, not IPA) which is heavily diphthongized and lengthened.  This is probably the most characteristic mark of a “surfer” pronunciation, at least when people try to imitate that type of speech.

However, it’s interesting to note that you hear the same diphthong (albeit not as extreme) in British English too, which also contributes to the idea that Snake speaks almost “proper” English at times.

2.  Apu echoing Hindu

Snake and Apu- Another famous Simpsons accent is that of Apu, the Indian guy who runs a convenience store.  Back in the ‘90s when the show was most popular, an Indian person working in a convenience store would have been common around the United States.  Here Apu and Snake change roles:

3.  Franglais in Alo Alo

The next clip is from the British sitcom ‘Allo! ‘Allo!, and it features some funny French accents.  The French accent is of course most famous for its /R/ sound, but there is a lot more to it than that.  If you want to do a good French accent, it’s also important to get the vowels right.

French speakers usually have a very hard time with English diphthongs.  In fact, the /O/ sound mentioned above would be nearly impossible for a Frenchman.  In the following clip, listen to the second vowel in the word cleric.  It is supposed to sound like the vowel in ship, not sheep.  This is a classic French pronunciation problem.  Also note that the word stress falls on the final consonant, which never happens in English:

Also note the second vowel in beloved.  This is supposed to sound like the u in but.  French speakers tend to pronounce it more like schwa.  The actor here is actually getting the French accent wrong on purpose.  He plays an undercover Englishman who is supposedly a Frenchman.

In the word holy (this is the vowel /O/ mentioned above) he pronounces the o more like the vowel in rain, which is quite unlike a French /O/.  I don’t think anyone would be fooled by that French accent!

4.  Enrique Iglesias in How I Met Your Mother

The episodes that feature Enrique Iglesias as Robyn’s boyfriend in How I Met Your Mother TV show is interesting for several reasons.  To us, the most important aspect of his appearance in the show is definitively his accent.

Have a look at the following video clip to see how foreign sounds can confuse native English speakers, even when a simple name such as Gael is in question.

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