Department of English and American Studies English Language And

Masaryk University Faculty of Arts

Department of English and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Barbora Husáriková

Being Bruce Wayne and Bridget Jones - Bale's and Zellweger's Accents

Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: PhDr. Kateřina Tomková, Ph. D.

2018

I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

…………………………………………….. Author’s signature

Acknowledgement I would like to give my sincere thanks to my supervisor PhDr. Kateřina Tomková, PhD., for her unwavering support and my family for their words of encouragement. Special thanks go to my mother for her willingness to free me of other chores and my father for much needed technical assistance. Lastly, I would like to thank Renee Zellweger and Christian Bale. Without them and their wonderful performances, this thesis could never exist.

Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 6 1. Film Acting in English ...... 9 1.1. Acting in an Accent ...... 9 1.2 Christian Bale ...... 10 1.3. Renee Zellweger...... 14 2. Phonetics and Phonology of Accents ...... 17 2.1. Establishing the Accents ...... 18 2.2. Theory behind Standard Lexical Sets ...... 19 2.2.1. Lexical Sets ...... 20 2.3. General American Accent ...... 23 2.3.1. Sound Features ...... 23 2.3.2. Suprasegmental Features ...... 24 2.4 Estuary English ...... 25 2.4.1. Origins ...... 25 2.4.2. Sound Features as Described by Rosewarne ...... 26 2.4.3. Other Features as Described by Rosewarne ...... 27 2.4.4. Reactions to Rosewarne ...... 28 2.4.5. Ambiguity of EE ...... 32 3. Research ...... 35 3.1. Choice of Materials and Methodology ...... 35 3.2. Batman Begins (2005)...... 38 3.2.1. Positive Self-presentation ...... 38 3.2.2. Confrontation ...... 39 3.2.3. Self-reinvention ...... 40 3.2.4. Summary of Bale's Accent ...... 41 3.3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) ...... 42 3.3.1. Positive Self-presentation ...... 42 3.3.2. Confrontation ...... 43 3.3.3. Self-reinvention ...... 44 3.3.4. Summary of Bale's Accent ...... 44 3.4. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) ...... 45 3.4.1. Positive Self-presentation ...... 45 3.4.2. Confrontation ...... 46 3.4.3. Self-reinvention ...... 47

3.4.4. Summary of Zellweger's Accent ...... 49 3.5. Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) ...... 50 3.5.1. Positive Self-presentation ...... 50 3.5.2. Confrontation ...... 52 3.5.3. Self-reinvention ...... 53 3.5.4. Summary of Zellweger's Accent ...... 54 Conclusion ...... 55 Bibliography ...... 59 Summary (English) ...... 66 Summary (Czech)...... 67 Appendix ...... 68 Contents of the enclosed CD ...... 68 CD with recordings………………………………………attached to the back cover

Introduction

Accent, according to Wells, is a pattern of pronunciation, thus representing something every speaker has and is characterized by, namely in terms of geographical region, social class and a level of education (Wells 2). Furthermore, he claims that "one's accent is a part of personal identity" (Wells 34) and while there are indeed some who embrace their accent, others deliberately abandon it and adopt a different one to become accepted or refined, resulting in accent reduction. However, there is also another group of people who frequently speak in accents different from their natural ones: actors.

As Paul Meier, a renowned accent coach, explains in his book Accents &Dialects for Stage and Screen: "For actors, the true delight and most solemn duty is to disappear inside their character's story, and to take on the character's behaviors, value system, fears and dreams. By this act of mimesis, actors hope to penetrate a truth not their own, and to reveal that truth to an audience" (Meier 3). It is obvious that to portray a character well, actors need to become said character, which sometimes includes losing their own accent and learning a new one.

I, as the author of this study, have always been fascinated by cinema, and particularly by actors eager to undergo a drastic change to portray a character realistically.

Christian Bale is one of those actors, as evidenced by his frequent dramatic physical transformations. For the role of a paranoid insomniac in The Machinist, he became emaciated, but afterwards had to quickly gain muscle for his role in Batman Begins.

Between the second and third installment of the Dark Knight Trilogy, he was forced to lose weight again to portray a cocaine-addicted former boxer in The Fighter, resulting in an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The post-Batman era saw him gaining weight again, this time for the role of a comb over-sporting con artist in American

Hustle. To perfect the physical traits of this character, Bale slouched his posture throughout the filming, “herniating two of his disks in the process” (“American Hustle

(2013) Trivia”). Despite some obviously damaging effects of such transformations, he does not avoid them. Quite the contrary, he is currently filming a biographical drama about the former vice president Dick Chaney, playing the main part. This role also required Bale to gain weight and moreover, shave his head and eyebrows (“Backseat

(2018) Trivia”). In spite of my appreciation for his dedication to the craft, I was unaware of Bale's origin. Seeing him portray characters that were almost exclusively American, I was under the mistaken belief that the American accent was truly his own. This illusion of mine was shattered only recently and the revelation of Bale's English origin caused me to not only admire him on a different level but also to see a connection with yet another

Hollywood actor. Renee Zellweger portrayed a London-based Bridget Jones despite being American herself. Additionally, just like Bale, she also had to gain weight, though not to look muscular but rather as a plump woman in her thirties. Willing to undertake both phonetic and physical transformations, Bale and Zellweger were extremely dedicated to truly being their respective characters. Though deeply admiring the physical change this thesis examines the other aspect integral to “being someone else”: mastering the accent.

As both these franchises consist of three installments, the aim of this thesis is to analyze the accents the two actors are using and determine if there are any developments and differences in those accents. The hypothesis is that since only seven years passed between the first and the last film of Nolan's Batman trilogy, Bale's accent in the franchise is more consistent than that of Zellweger, for whom it was fifteen years between her portrayals of the famous singleton.

The very first chapter is a theoretical one. First, short history on acting in an accent is provided, followed by biographies of both Bale and Zellweger, painting the artists as undoubtedly talented but at the same time quite surprising choices for the characters, at least at the time of their casting. After their paths to success and eventual positive reception of their performances are described, descriptions of the accents used by those actors, along with their characteristic features, follow. Neither one of the actors has explicitly disclosed what accent were they attempting therefore the author of this thesis formed a theory. The theory argues that in the case of Bale, the accent is General

American, whereas Zellweger speaks in Estuary English, taking into consideration the roots of the fictitious heroes and the regions where those accents are the most prominent.

This chapter therefore serves as a basis for the analysis of the accents as well and potential development in the practical part.

In the subsequent chapters, the four relevant films are introduced and three monologues from each film, delivered by Bridget Jones and Bruce Wayne, are offered, followed by their analysis. The aim of said analysis is to determine the features of the accents used in the four films and see if they are compatible with features of the accents in question as described in the theoretical chapter. The analysis of possible changes and development is executed by comparing the monologues used in the first films and their features with those from the latest ones. The thesis is therefore looking for answers to two questions: Are Bale and Zellweger really speaking in General American Accent and

Estuary English, respectively? And is Bale’s accent indeed the one that is more consistent throughout the years?

1. Film Acting in English

1.1. Acting in an Accent

Following the era of silent film, a new key element for acting emerged. The

Transatlantic accent, prevalent from the 1930s through late 1950s, borrowed from both

Standard British and Standard American Pronunciation. Not being natural, it was specially taught to actors, mainly to create a tool for distinguishing between high-class and low-class characters (Queen 241). However, Transatlantic accent, also known by some as mid-atlantic, was not limited to the world of film; American newsreel journalists and members of American high society also implemented traits of British English into their pronunciation (Meier 175).

The reign of Transatlantic accent did not last long, with the end of World War II rapidly influencing the situation. American English grew popular and actors, along with journalists, departed from the British pronunciation. This era marks the birth of what is now known as General American accent, as Americans realized that the clear American speech was as good as the accent on the other side of Atlantic (Meier 175). Though

Transatlantic accent has not disappeared from movies completely, it has lost its dominance, thus signifying a shift from an artificial pronunciation to one that can be found in “real life” (Queen 241).

The following subchapters focus on actors in agreement with such shift, providing their background, as well as early lives and careers, with the emphasis on their paths to becoming their iconic characters. Additionally, based on the roles they have played prior to “becoming” the characters this thesis focuses on and some particular traits of those characters, the subchapters argue that both Bale and Zellweger were scrutinized, and it was immensely important for them to perform well in their newly assumed roles which ultimately led to their critical acclaim.

1.2 Christian Bale

Though the Wales-born actor is indeed the first foreigner to portray Batman, the

"quintessentially American Antihero" (Cheung and Pittam 3), the Christopher Nolan trilogy does not mark the first time Bale portrayed a character with a different accent than his natural one. Prior to being cast as Bruce Wayne (and his secret alterego as well), he was a New York-based newsie in the eponymous movie; Laurie, a boy living in

Massachusetts amid the American Civil War in Little Women, a murderous New York yuppie in American Psycho and a Greek fisherman in Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

(“Christian Bale”)

Bale's decision to embark on an acting path can be attributed to his family and its tradition for performing arts, with his mother being a dancer, his older sisters actresses and his grandfather a stunt double for John Wayne (“Christian Bale Biography”). While accompanying his sisters to their acting workshops, eight-year-old Bale joined in what appeared to be an opportunity to have fun, thus marking his initial involvement with acting. Bale himself, however, claims that he only became seriously interested in acting after seeing his sister in the production of Bugsy Malone. After debuting in a cereal commercial, other roles followed, namely one in the West End comedy The Nerd alongside Rowan Atkinson and that of Alexei in NBC-produced miniseries Anastasia:

The Mystery of Anna. Playing opposite Amy Irving, who at that time was married to

Steven Spielberg, young Bale was eventually cast in Spielberg's film Empire of the Sun

(Cheung and Pittam 8).

This 1987 movie set during World War II follows the story of an English boy growing up in China and being separated from his parents during Japanese occupation.

Bale's performance was widely praised, earning him the Young Artist Award for Best

Young Actor in a Motion Picture as well as the National Board of Review Award for

Outstanding Juvenile Performance (“Christian Bale Biography”). And yet despite the approval of critics Bale, then a thirteen-year-old, struggled with his new-found fame. His inability to cope with the attention he was getting was manifested during his very first press junket. According to Empire Magazine, Bale was “rude, gave monosyllabic answers and generally proved as uncooperative as possible. His reputation for being difficult was born.” (qtd. in Cheung and Pittam 6). Though he liked acting, promoting movies was not enjoyable for him as it revolved around obligation and duty, which he resented. Therefore, rather than participating in interviews, he would leave the building where they were held under the false pretense of going to the bathroom to wander the streets of Paris instead, thriving on his anonymity. (Cheung and Pittam 6-7).

Incidentally, this film became arguably Spielberg's biggest failure, grossing only

$ 66 million worldwide. Though critics were impressed with young Bale, it performed poorly at the box office, which can be blamed on the heavy topic of a child caught up in the middle of war (Sanello181), as well as comparison with Bernardo Bertolucci's similarly titled and themed The Last Emperor, released only few weeks earlier (Cheung and Pittam 11). Spielberg accepted the disappointing results, claiming that at that point of his career, he had gained the right to “fail commercially” (qtd. In Sanello181). Bale was not too upset either, not even when his expected Oscar nomination failed to materialize. Upon his return to England, he found himself to be in the center of local gossip, being blamed for the film's box office numbers and mocked for his performance in it. Naturally, this has affected Bale and his relationship with the acting profession, to the point where he claimed that the attention he received ruined acting for him and he does not plan to continue his career (Cheung and Pittam 14-15). Though this promise obviously remained unfulfilled, Bale's mindset has changed. Acting was no longer an

11 enjoyable activity but rather a necessary chore that he endured to provide the financial support to his family, as he recalled:

I couldn’t live with myself for not doing it, with the possibility of

provisions for the loved ones and stuff like that. But then, you know,

something went off and I started actually enjoying it again and getting a

kick out of it and getting obsessed with it. I can’t quite identify why, but

it slowly started to come back. And it disappeared again at moments, you

know? (Feinberg).

If his reputation for being difficult was born after a failed interview, the treatment he received after the film flopped had only cemented it. Suddenly, “the difficult character” was not limited to promoting his movies, it also influenced his decision-making process about potential roles.

In the following years, Bale scored a part in Kenneth Brannagh's Henry V and A

Midsummer Night's Dream and in a TV film Treasure Planet. (“Christian Bale

Biography”) Starring in the aforementioned Newsies and Little Women, as well as in the adaptation of Henry James's The Portrait of the Lady and in The Velvet Goldmine, he gained popularity despite maintaining a private life (“Christian Bale”). His roles in the

90s included famous literary characters, such as Shakespeare's Demetrius, James's

Edward Rosier and Stevenson' Jim Hawkins, a singing newspaper hawker, a young

English colonist Thomas in Disney's Pocahontas and a gay journalist in The Velvet

Goldmine, thus proving his range.

His ability to depict a various mix of characters was confirmed but the movies themselves were not always successful. Newsies, for instance, became the lowest- grossing film produced by Walt Disney Pictures (“Newsies (1992)”) and The Velvet

Goldmine suffered a similar case of disappointing box-office numbers, though it has since

12 gained a cult status, especially after it was released on a video (Spitz 380). On the other hand, Little Women not only attracted the attention of the Academy, but also grossed approximately $ 50 million against a $ 15 million budget, becoming a box office success

(“Little Women (1994)”). With some of his films being fruitful and some less so, Bale's career seemed to be rather unbalanced. This, however, changed when he was cast in a

2000 film adaptation of American Psycho. Portraying a serial killer, “raised Bale's profile in Hollywood” (qtd in “Christian Bale Biography”) which was further reinforced by his transformative performance in 2004's The Machinist. (“The Machinist (2004) Trivia”).

These two movies therefore mark the beginning of Christian Bale as a famous Hollywood actor, and the end of Christian Bale as a talented underdog.

This change was evidenced by Bale being picked for the part of Batman (and

Bruce Wayne) in an upcoming Christopher Nolan film that intended to reboot the franchise. Before the reboot, the last time audiences could see Batman in a film was in

1997's Batman and Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher. Despite a star-studded cast including George Clooney, Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the film received very poor reviews and the year 2010 saw it being named “the worst film of all time”

(Child). Considering the catastrophic reception and the fact that Schumacher himself apologized for disappointing the fanbase, Nolan as well as Bale were expected to save the franchise and create a movie of better quality than the last one. Being cast as the main character, it was clear that he would become the center of attention and his portrayal of the iconic hero could make or break the film. This kind of pressure would be difficult for any artist to endure, let alone one that, though established as a capable actor, has not yet portrayed a character as iconic as Batman. After he was cast, Bale admitted that he thinks neither himself nor the director Nolan were the “predictable choice” (Christian Bale and

Christopher Nolan Interview). In addition to his inexperience, Bale's roots represented

13 another potential issue, with him being a Welsh-born English man portraying an “all-

American hero” (qtd. in Gritten). The possibility of Americans being insulted by the

British and their attempt to “appropriate” the superhero was acknowledged but these predictions were ultimately not fulfilled. Quite the opposite, the film was a critical and a financial success (“Batman Begins (2005)”) and Bale's performance in particular was praised for the darkness and angst he brought into the character. In 2016, he was recognized by The Guardian magazine as “the best Batman”, not even mentioning the country of his origin, thus proving his legacy still to be strong even years after he became the famed Anti-hero.

1.3. Renee Zellweger

Born and raised in a small town in Texas, Zellweger who originally intended to be a writer developed an interest in acting while in college (“Renee Zellweger

Biography”) and after receiving a degree in English relocated to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career (Brooks). Scoring small parts in Dazed and Confused and Reality Bites, her career was rocketed by the film Jerry Maguire where he played a single mother opposite Tom Cruise's eponymous character. The story of a sports agent who, after an epiphany, changes his approach to treating his clients managed not only to connect sports and romance but also to catapult Zellweger into “Hollywood's hottest new commodities”

(“Renee Zellweger Biography”).

Surprisingly, she did not react by pursuing roles in blockbusters, but turned to independent films instead, starring in Deceiver and Price Above Rubies (“Renee

Zellweger Biography”). Only afterwards did she return to more mainstream projects, working alongside Meryl Streep in One True Thing, Jim Carrey in Me, Myself and Irene and Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear in Nurse Betty. (Renee Zellweger Interview).

Lastly, she was cast in 2000's Bridget Jones's Diary as a thirtysomething British woman

“struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections.” (“Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)”). The film, based on Helen Fielding's novel was a huge financial success and Zellweger in particular was applauded and nominated for a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Academy Award (“Bridget Jones's Diary

(2001) Awards.”).

And yet Zellweger was a surprising pick for this character, at least at the very beginning. Even she did not think of herself as the obvious choice for the role and was rather shocked when her agent approached her with the proposal of an audition, as she remembered in an interview with Charlie Rose:

And I was frankly shocked, completely shocked. I had read in the New

York Times actually that they were going to eventually make a film

version of the book and that it would be made in England by an English

company. And that, you know, here was the list of English actresses who

would potentially play the part. And that sounded right to me, so I never

thought twice again about it. (Renee Zellweger Interview)

In comparison to an English actor Christian Bale who was set to portray a hero quintessentially American, Zellweger, a Texas born American, was picked for the role of a famous British heroine, which was seen as hugely controversial. Moreover, Zellweger, unlike Bale, was never a professional child actor. Though when offered the role of Helen

Fielding's famous creation, she has already had over 10 years of experience with acting, her early roles were uncredited and rather small (“Renee Zellweger”). She did receive critical acclaim for her roles in One True King and Nurse Betty (“Renee Zellweger

Biography”), none of those movies revolved around a character as iconic as Bridget Jones.

She was among the brightest shining of Hollywood's stars, yet it is understandable why she was still not seen worthy of portraying Jones. Much like Batman, Bridget Jones was

15 and remains an incredibly beloved person, albeit fictional. By the time Zellweger was picked for the role, Bridget has existed for years, with the novel on which the film was based being published in 1996 (Kaufman). Even though no other actress has embodied her before she did (unlike Bale who was not the first one to play Batman), it was expected that the Great Britain already had a certain preconceived notion of what their heroine is and should be like and an American actress did not quite agree with their ideas.

Executive producer of the movie, Eric Fellner said that after casting Zellweger there was “an enormous amount of backlash and UK actresses were up in arms. At that point, it became quite scary” (Vincent). Zellweger acknowledged the situation as well, saying that it was understandable as Jones represented a “new generation of British working women” (Renee Zellweger Interview). Indeed, her natural Texan drawl would not suit such character and for that reason, a voice coach had to be involved.

Barbara Berkery, having previously worked with Gwyneth Paltrow for Emma,

Shakespeare in Love and Sliding Doors, as well as with Lindsey Lohan for Parent Trap, was no stranger to the subject of teaching Americans English accents. She met with

Zellweger, introduced her to the accent and a vigorous linguistic exercise followed, with the actress practicing in real life situation and finally, landing a work in Picadel Publishers in London under the name of Bridget Cavendish (Vincent). Here, she would “file the press clippings for any of the authors and run little errands and make the coffee”

(Kaufman) but apart from that, the undercover job provided her with an opportunity to better adopt and develop her accent. As a result, her accent was praised by both of her leading men, the “quintessentially British heartthrobs Colin Firth and Hugh Grant”

(Vincent). Reviewers were also quick to congratulate her on the accent, calling it

“excellent” (Bradshaw) and “impeccable without being too “too hoity-toity” (Holden).

Not only the accent had to change, Zellweger's figure also underwent a transformation. In order to become Bridget Jones she gained 17 lb (7 kilograms), thus proving Meir's aforementioned claim of “actors disappearing inside their characters” to be true. Strengthening her image of a realistic woman, Jones showed cellulite and dimply thighs, to the delight of critics and audience alike (Brooks). Zellweger was praised for making Bridget both charming and authentic, gifted with integrity and the right amount of stubbornness (Holden). Due to her dedication and understanding of the character, the

Texan actress thus succeeded in her portrayal of the famous singleton, just like Bale did in his role of Gotham's (anti)hero.

2. Phonetics and Phonology of Accents

The following subchapters of the theoretical part focuses on the accents adopted by Christian Bale and Reneé Zellweger with the characteristic features of those accents provided. The definition of accent was offered in the introductory chapter; it is a pattern of pronunciation. More specifically, accent can be defined as “the use of particular vowel and consonant sounds and particular rhythmic, intonational and other prosodic features”

(Wells 1) and “characteristics of people belonging to some geographical region and/or social class and it may well be typical of the speaker's sex, age group or level of education” (Wells 1). Though there is also another possible interpretation of accent as a synonym to word and sentence stress (Mair 241), this thesis works exclusively with the former meaning of the word.

It is also important to distinguish between accents and dialects even though they are almost interchangeable. But to be exact, a dialect is "a legitimate variant of a language", revealing "the regional and the caste/class origins of the speaker and more".

The example would be a Parisian dialect of French, or a Lancashire dialect of English.

Apart from a distinctive pronunciation, a dialect also has its own grammar and vocabulary. Meanwhile an accent is only an attribute of a dialect, "referring to its pronunciation"(Meier 3). Because this thesis is focused on the pronunciational shift of the two actors, both General American and Estuary English are treated as accents (and marked as GenAm and EE from now on).

2.1. Establishing the Accents

General American is a common name for an American accent stripped of regional characteristics. Labelled as Network English, GenAm serves as an ideal counterpart to

Received Pronunciation (shortened to RP), the latter being often referred to as BBC

English (Gimson and Cruttenden 84). Being “regionally indeterminate” (Meier 175), it is a fitting accent for the character of Batman who is a native of a fictional city called

Gotham (Batman Begins). Whereas in Christian Bale's case it is quite obvious what the accent should be, with Renee Zellweger, it is not that simple.

Bridget Jones is a girl from Home Counties (that is, counties surrounding London that are, unlike Batman's hometown, real), who is trying to fit into the world of media as she works in publishing. Surrounded by a lot of “posh” people, her accent reflects her insecurities stemming from the fact that she is not “the top shelf”, career- and education- wise. Zellweger started with RP and then “dirtied it down” as to appear less high-class than her co-stars Colin Firth and Hugh Grant who were portraying characters ranking

“above” Jones in the already mentioned aspects (McLaren). To bring the sense of Jones's inferiority to screen, her accent could not be RP and had to mirror her roots and upbringing, while at the same time be somewhat suited for her job in the media.

Zellweger's co-star Hugh Grant remembers that at the beginning of filming her accent was too posh, reminiscent of Princess Margaret, but then she “absolutely nailed it”

(Vincent). The RP on the level of the royal family was, for obvious reasons, not adequate

18 for the character of London-based working class young woman, frequently drinking and smoking in her free time. Yet at the same time, Berkery argues that working in media,

Jones's accent could be perceived as “plummy” although she prefers to call it a “media accent” (Vincent).

Zellweger's accent is never clearly identified by Berkery or Zellweger herself, but based on the explanation of the accent coach, it can be assumed that inspiration was drawn from Estuary English. This term first appeared in the works of David Rosewarne in 1984 and is described in a following manner:

'Estuary English' is a variety of modified regional speech. It is a mixture

of non-regional and local south-eastern Eastern pronunciation and

intonation. If one imagines a continuum with RP and London speech at

either end, 'Estuary English' speakers are to be found grouped in the

middle (Rosewarne qtd. in Altendorf 1)

Being a compromise between RP and a London accent, Estuary English appears to be exactly what Bridget Jones's was supposed to emulate. This theory is further supported by a dialect coach Eric Singer, who, upon viewing a clip from Bridget Jones's

Diary claims that “it's the Estuary English accent that she is going for with the character”

(Wired). For this reason as well, this thesis acknowledges Zellweger's accent as Estuary and treats it as such.

2.2. Theory behind Standard Lexical Sets

As Meier explains, lexical sets can be useful when studying an accent or a dialect, as it helps one know that words sharing a lexical set are also sharing a pronunciation.

Specifically, they are pronounced with the same vowel. This gives a person attempting an accent a certain level of confidence on how to pronounce a specific word, provided they know which set does the word belong to and what the signature sound of said set is.

The system was developed by J.C. Wells and it is widely used in the field of phonetics and phonology (Meier 13).

Since Wells created a system of standard lexical sets, their focus on the two standard models of pronunciation, RP and GA is understandable. Because this thesis analyzes GenAm and Estuary English, the latter being partially based on RP, the inclusion of the lexical set chart is comprehensibly an important portion of the theoretical part, enabling the author to further comment on the features of the accents. The sets are organized in the following way. First, the name of the set, then the signature sound in RP and GenAm are revealed and finally, some exemplary words belonging to the set are offered.

2.2.1. Lexical Sets

KIT: RP [ɪ]; GenAm [ɪ]; ship, rib, dim, milk, slither, myth, pretty, build, women, busy.

DRESS: RP [e]; GenAm [ɛ]; step, ebb, hem, shelf, effort, threat, bread, ready, any, friend.

TRAP: RP [æ]; GenAm [æ]; tab, cab, ham, scalp, arrow, plaid.

LOT: RP [ɒ]; GenAm [ɑ]; stop, rob, Tom, solve, profit, honest, swan, waffle, knowledge.

STRUT: RP [ʌ]; GenAm [ʌ]; cup, rub, hum, pulse, butter, done, monk, touch, blood.

FOOT: RP [ʊ]; GenAm [ʊ]; put, full, cuckoo, good, woman, could.

BATH: RP [ɑː]; GenAm [æ]; staff, path, brass, clasp, blast, ask, after, master, basket, fasten, laugh, dance, grant, branch, demand, example, chancel, calf, shan't,

Iraq.

CLOTH: RP [ɒ]; GenAm [ɑ]; off, cough, froth, cross, soft, often, Australia, gone, moth, long, accost, foster, wash, origin, borrow, florid, horrid, Morris, sorrow,

Lawrence, quarrel.

NURSE: RP [ɜ]; GenAm [ɜr]; usurb, curb, turn, burnt, shirt, firm, myrrh, assert, verb, term, certain, earth, heard, rehearsal, work, worst, scourge, attorney.

FLEECE: RP [i]; GenAm [i]; creep, seed, seem, see, needle, these, shriek, ceiling, be, reap, bead, team, sea, feast, meter, complete, deceive, Caesar, phoenix, quay, police, mosquito.

FACE: RP [ɛɪ]; GenAm [eɪ] or [e]; tape, babe, name, change, taper, April, bass, gauge, crepe, wait, day, rein, they, weigh, reign, great.

PALM: RP [ɑ]; GenAm [ɑ]; calm, bra, hurrah, Brahms, spa, Shah, cantata, bravado, Zhivago, Dali, Ilama, candelabra, Koran, khaki, enchilada, almond, Ghana.

THOUGHT: RP [ɔ]; GenAm [ɒ]; taught, naughty, ought, taut, applaud, autumn, gawk, jaw, chalk, all, bald, halt, alter, fault.

GOAT: RP [əʊ]; GenAm [oʊ] or [o]; soap, road, note, robe, hole, so, noble, brooch, bowl, soul, colt, roll, sew, dough.

GOOSE: RP [u]; GenAm [u]; loop, mood, boom, boost, move, tomb, group, dupe, cube, plume, funeral, duty, flu, ludicrous, sleuth, sewage, fruit, view, beauty

PRICE: RP [aɪ]; GenAm [aɪ]; price, tribe, time, Friday, indict, isle, hi-fi, type, eider, height, fight.

CHOICE: RP [ɔɪ]; GenAm [ɔɪ]; boy, noise, void, coin, poison, buoy, employ, hoist.

MOUTH: RP [aʊ]; GenAm [aʊ]; out, loud, noun, count, flour, crowd, dowry, bough,

MacLead

NEAR: RP [ɪə]; GenAm [ɪɚ]; beer, here, bier, pier, weir, fear, fierce, weird, beard, serious, eerie, and for both RP and GA there is [ɪə] in idea, Korea, European, Sophia, museum, real.

SQUARE: RP [ɛə]; GenAm [ɛɚ]; care, air, bear, heir, their, there prayer, scarce, vary, canary, Mary, dairy, aerial.

START: RP [ɑ]; GenAm [ɑɚ]; far, bazaar, sharp, card, farm, snarl, party, heart, sergeant, aardvark, sari, safari, aria, Sahara, tiara.

NORTH: RP [ɔ]; GenAm [ɔɚ]; for, war, distort, orb, form, porpoise, orbit, normal, quart, Laura.

FORCE: RP [ɔ]; GenAm [ɔɚ]; ore, boar, floor, four, deport, afford, borne, portent, coarse, court, oral, glorious, uproarious.

CURE: RP [ʊə]; GenAm [ʊɚ]; moor, poor, dour, your, allure, gourd, tourist, assurance, mural, centurion, curious, during, Europe.

happY: RP [ɪ]; GenAm [i]; happy, lovely, city, baby, spaghetti, taxi, salami, movie, birdie, prarie, committee, coffee, money, valley, Chelsea, Swansea.

lettER: RP [ə]; GenAm [ɚ]; father, batter, scorer, sinner, fisher, centre/center, metre/meter, tower, calendar, sugar, liar, mirror, pallor, survivor, odo(u)r, flavo(u)r, martyr, pressure, measure, failure.

commA: RP [ə]; GenAm [ə]; pajama, drama, sofa, quota, vodka, panda, saga.

(Meier, 13-14)

2.3. General American Accent

2.3.1. Sound Features

GenAm is a standard model of pronunciation of English in the United States, some parts of Asia and Latin America. Despite being comparable to RP in that manner, it does not make them void of differences (Crutteden 84). Firstly, according to Cruttenden, unlike

RP, it does not employ a vowel /ɒ/, opting for /a:/ instead. The only exception is the thought lexical set, as mentioned in the previous chapter. Examples of words where the distinction between /ɒ/ and /a:/ would be noticeable are spot, cod, pocket, bottle. This substitution does not work in all the cases, though. Sometimes, /ɔː/ is used in the place of

/ɒ/, mainly when a voiceless fricative follows, as it does in across, cough or gone. The second difference is the lack of diphthongs in GenAm as a result of the rhotic character of the accent. In reality, it means that dour is pronounced as /dʊr/ rather than /dʊə/

(Crutteden 84).

The aforementioned rhoticity, also known as r-coloration is another one of the most characteristic features of GA, dealing with the lexical sets start, nurse, force, north, near, cure, square and letter. If the /r/ follows the vowel, the /r/ must be sounded simultaneously with the vowel, which is rather difficult for speakers of RP and

Australians, but quite easy for Irishmen and people of England's West Country. Meier warns against the usage of intrusive /r/ (common for British people) when trying to emulate GenAm and advises to insert the glottal stop instead (176-177). For clarification, a glottal stop is the most famous example of a sound articulated by the vocal folds themselves (Meier 20).

Meier continues to introduce signature sounds of GenAm, drawing attention to the fact that many Americans pronounce /t/ as [d], and sometimes as a flapped /r/ [ɾ] in intervocalic positions, citing words city, litter and cattle as examples. Furthermore, he

23 writes about British actors inserting words such as tune and duke with the semi-vowel [j] before the actual vowel when attempting GenAm, musing that Americans would not say

[tjun] but [tuːn] (178-179). This practice of losing the palatal glide is referred to as yod- dropping and is present not only in GenAm but also in other accents (Altendorf 67-68).

Another difference is clarified by Cruttenden's work, and it concerns words where speakers of RP use /ɑ/ and speakers of GA use /æ/ (84). Meier agrees and further develops

Cruttenden's claim, explaining that in GenAm, words belonging to the bath lexical set are pronounced with the same vowel as those belonging to the trap lexical set (176). In practice, it means that the pronunciation of words staff and tab, or cab and path is similar, due to their shared signature sound. Lastly, GenAm speakers use a “dark” /ɫ/ instead of an /l/ in all positions, whereas speakers of RP differentiate between a “clear” L that they use before vowels, and a “dark” / ɫ/ in other positions (Cruttenden 84).

Meier also draws attention to the letter /h/ and its treatment. GenAm speakers sound the letter as a glottal fricative, with the friction occurring in the larynx and not on the soft palate. The word herb being a well-known exception, almost all words require the /h/ to be sounded. This may be an issue for New Yorkers pronouncing Hugh as [ju], as well as for h-dropping Londoners. Regarding the letter /h/, it is important to remember that /wh/ also produces the [h] sound that must not be avoided in GenAm. (179) Another features worth mentioning are “-ile endings”, applying to such words as mobile, fertile, futile. While RP speakers tend to pronounce this suffix as [ɑɪɫ], speakers of GenAm pronounce it [ɫ].

2.3.2. Suprasegmental Features

Meier views suprasegmental features, that is intonation, rhythm and tone important when mastering an accent. Arguing that these features can only be described

24 when compared to other accent, a comparison with RP follows. In order to “horribly stereotype” both GenAm and RP to explain the differences, Meier writes:

The American begins strongly and ends weakly, is slower, louder, harder

toned, lower in pitch, stress evenly distributed, high pitches avoided,

volume used for emphasis; while the RP speaker begins weakly and ends

strongly, is faster, quieter softer in tone, higher in pitch, selects fewer key

words to stress, and uses high pitches to stress them rather than volume.

(182-183)

2.4 Estuary English 2.4.1. Origins

The term “Estuary English” was originated by David Rosewarne in a groundbreaking article published in 1984 in The Times Educational Supplement. Here he argues that although RP is easy to understand, its pronunciation is changing and what he chooses to term EE is and in the future will continue to be the greatest influence on RP:

The heartland of this variety lies by the banks of the Thames and its

estuary, but it seems to be the most influential accent in the south-east of

England. It is to be heard on the front and back benches of the House of

Commons and is used by some members of the Lords, whether life or

hereditary peers. It is well established in the City, business circles, the

Civil Service, local government, the media, advertising as well as the

medical and teaching professions in the south-east. "Estuary English" is

in a strong position to exert influence on the pronunciation of the future.

(Rosewarne, 1984)

Based on this description, EE appears to be rather popular in business, media and government circles, with the potential of gaining power over the standard pronunciation.

Rosewarne further explains that EE is mainly spoken by young people, especially those whose parents are speakers of RP (either General or Advanced). He sees this fact as incredibly significant for the future of EE because those people are the likeliest to become influential. Furthermore, because RP may arouse hostility, its users often alter the way they speak to sound more appealing. In Rosewarne's words, what “starts as an adaptation first to school and then working life, can lead to progressive adoption of "Estuary English" into private life as well” and he views this ever-growing phenomenon as a “linguistic reflection of the changes in class barriers in Britain”. Finally, Rosewarne once again expresses his belief that EE has the potential of becoming the standard pronunciation of the future, offering people a chance to disguise their origins and thus taking over the role of RP. (Rosewarne, 1984).

The potential becomes even more palpable ten years later, when Rosewarne's

second article is published. According to Rosewarne, since he coined the term, EE has

spread and received extensive coverage. Though still believing that EE can replace

RP, he is less optimistic about it being successful internationally, due to a prestigious

status of RP. He then continues to explain why he created the term of EE, saying that

there was a lack of “mention of accents intermediate between RP and localizable

British forms.” In particular, the gap in the description of accent varieties in London

and south-east England was important to him, which ultimately led to his invention of

Estuary English, with the estuary being the estuary of the river Thames. (Rosewarne,

1994)

2.4.2. Sound Features as Described by Rosewarne

In his 1984 article, Rosewarne claims that where RP speaker uses l-sounds in the final position or in a final consonant cluster, an "Estuary English" speaker might use an articulation like a [w] instead. For example, in the utterance “Bill will build the wall.”,

26 there would be four [w] sounds (Rosewarne, 1984). He also recognizes some issues produced by this feature, citing the utterance “I'm afraid our single rooms are awfuw” as an example of a potential problem, with the words all full and awful sounding similar

(Rosewarne, 1994).

Another feature Rosewarne mentions is glottaling, arguing that speakers of EE would not sound the [t]s in words such as Scotland, treatment and gateway. While he acknowledges that RP speakers would not use the t-sound either, he claims that EE uses glottal stops more often than RP, although not as much as Cockney (Rosewarne, 1994).

Continuing the comparison with Cockney, Rosewarne draws attention to the word tune and news. Speakers of Cockney do not pronounce the /j/ sounds in those words, unlike speakers of RP. However, shedding of /j/ can be found in RP too, as /j/ is not pronounced after l in absolute, revolution or salute, and after s in assume, consume and suitable

(1984). This feature is therefore an example of Cockney and Received Pronunciation meeting in the middle and creating Estuary English.

What Rosewarne views as a neglected marker of EE is /r/ that cannot be found anywhere in RP nor in “London” pronunciation, thus becoming a uniquely EE feature.

Though somewhat similar to a General American /r/, the sound is realized differently, because “the tip of the tongue is lowered, and the central part raised to a position close to, but not touching, the soft palate” (1994).

When vowels are concerned, they are described as “a compromise between unmodified regional forms and those of General RP”. Regarding the length of the vowels, he argues that those in final position of words, such as /i:/ in the word me and the second

/i:/ in the word city are longer than is usual in RP and “may tend towards the quality of a diphthong” (Rosewarne,1994).

2.4.3. Other Features as Described by Rosewarne

According to Rosewarne, the intonation of EE can be described by “frequent prominence being given to prepositions and auxiliary verbs which are not normally stressed in General RP”. He then goes on to explain that such prominence is usually

“marked by to the extent that the nuclear tone can fall on prepositions”, citing the sentence

“Let us get TO the point.” as an example. Additionally, other features are mentioned, such as rise/fall intonation and frequent use of question tags, for instance “don't I?”. The section on intonation is concluded by Rosewarne remarking that “the pitch of intonation patterns in "Estuary English" appears to be in a narrower frequency band than RP” and that “rises often do not reach as high a pitch as they would in RP” (Rosewarne,1994).

Finally, as EE pronunciation is connected to certain vocabulary items, Rosewarne takes those into consideration as well, citing Cheers as frequently used equivalents of thank you and goodbye. Basically is also commonly used, along with There you go in the place of Here you are; with there serving as an “invariable form for use in both singular and plural contexts”. Another important marker of EE is an extensive usage of

Americanisms, illustrated for instance by substituting Sorry for Excuse me, or when a telephone conversation is concerned, busy for engaged (Rosewarne,1994).

2.4.4. Reactions to Rosewarne

Soon after Rosewarne introduced his concept of EE, responses from various linguists followed. This thesis focuses mainly on reactions by J.A. Maidment and J.C.

Wells as they balance one another in disagreeing with and supporting Rosewarne's original conception, thus offering a realistic view of EE.

In 1994, shortly after Rosewarne's second article on EE was published, J.A.

Maidment from the Department of Phonetics & Linguistics of University College London presented a paper titled Estuary English: Hybrid or Hype? at the 4th New Zealand

Conference on Language & Society. Here he first discusses the EE features.

Maidment is aware of l-vocalization, citing milk pronounced as [mIok] and mill pronounced as [mIo], and offering the rule for l-vocalization: “/l/ is realised as a back, closeish rounded vowel in positions before a consonant with or without an intervening word boundary or in absolute utterance final position before a pause”. Yod-coalescence is also acknowledged as an instance when EE allows “the coalescence of alveolar plosive and following palatal approximant (yod) to produce a postalveolar affricate” (1994).

Nevertheless, he is rather unconvinced when other features defined by Rosewarne are in question.

Firstly, Maidment notes that glottal replacement of [t] can be heard in many places outside the scope of EE, using Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and New York as examples. For this reason, he cannot accept this feature as a defining one for EE.

Correspondingly, he disregards the exclusivity of nuclear prepositions in EE. While

Rosewarne claims that those who speak EE are “are more likely to place the intonational nucleus on a preposition”, Maidment argues that “speakers of many accents of English are likely to use nuclear accented prepositions in what are known as counter- presuppositional utterances” and expresses a belief that Rosewarne ignores a possible stylistic explanation of this phenomenon (1994).

Discussing tone and pitch features, Maidment considers Rosewarne's ideas of both a rise/fall intonation and a narrow pitch of intonation as “vague and unsubstantiated” and argues that he would be “be very surprised if this were true for all supposed EE speakers”

(1994).

The last of the three features Maidment deems dubious is /r/ replacement. Based on Rosewarne's explanation, Maidment writes about “a velar approximant articulation” which is a “well-known "deviant" production of /r/ in speakers of many accents” and therefore not unique for EE (1994).

Though he is clear is saying that a lot of supposedly unique features are, in fact, not unique at all, Maidment's view of EE is still quite positive, especially when compared to people obsessed with the purity of the English language. This group, dubbed by

Maidment as “Disgusted-of-Tunbridge-Wells Syndrome” claimed that EE was not an accent, but “just lazy speaking that grates on the ear and is an extremely bad example to our children”, described it as “slobspeak, limp and flaccid” and its speakers were apparently “idiots on radio and television” who deserved their mouths to be “stuffed with broken glass”. EE was perceived as threatening and an attack on the beautiful and rich

English language. Maidment fiercely disagrees with these claims, arguing than using a glottal stop cannot possibly be an indicator of someone's intelligence. Rather bitterly, he concludes his article by wondering whether reacting with venom and anger in the face of new linguistic development is an exclusively British feature (1994).

Other linguist to offer his insight on the topic of EE was John C. Wells. In his article What is Estuary English, published in 1997, he commented on EE in 1997 in a following manner:

There's a new buzzword going the rounds in England -- Estuary English

(EE). It's supposed to be a new kind of English that's due to take over as

the new standard English. We're told it's going to replace fuddy-duddy

old Received Pronunciation as the standard accent. Not only are all sorts

of politicians, sportsmen, and media personalities claimed as typical

speakers of it, but even people as eminent as Queen Elizabeth's youngest

son, Prince Edward.

After introducing EE in a way similar to that of Rosewarne, Wells turns his attention to the features. He explains that the first feature mentioned by Rosewarne, is called l-vocalization, and offers an example of the utterance milk bottle that becomes

‘miwk bottoo’. Further explaining Rosewarne, he says that the l-sounds affected in this manner are those not immediately followed by a vowel sound, but rather a “consonant- sound or a potential pause” (1997).

When glottaling is concerned, Wells clarifies that this phenomenon can be described as “using a glottal stop (a catch in the throat) instead of a t-sound in certain positions”. He also notes that this is not the same as “omitting the t-sound altogether” and uses examples of words plate and play that do not sound the same (1997). Furthermore,

Wells further develops Rosewarne's point concerning the length of vowels, coining the term “happY-tensing” to describe this phenomenon. He agrees that at the end of words happy, coffee and valley a sound similar to the [i:] of beat rather than the [I] of bit is used.

However, he reminds his readers that “in strong syllables (stressed, or potentially stressed) it is crucial to distinguish tense long [i:] from lax short [I]” so that words like green and grin can be distinguished from one another (1997).

One last feature stated by Wells is yod coalescence; a feature that was not mentioned in Rosewarne's articles but was a part of Maidment's article. Yod coalescence stands for “using [tS] (a ch-sound) rather than [tj] (a t-sound plus a y-sound) in words like

Tuesday, tune, attitude.” In reality, this means that the “first part of Tuesday sound identical to choose, [tSu:z].” A similar phenomenon can be witnessed with the corresponding voiced sounds. Whereas in the RP of words such as duke and reduce are pronounced with a [dj] sound, in Estuary it is [dZ], thus “making the second part of reduce identical to juice, [dZu:s]” (Wells, 1997).

Wells concludes his article by arguing that while Estuary English is a new name, the phenomenon itself is not new at all, but rather a “trend that has been going on for five hundred years or more - the tendency for features of popular London speech to spread out geographically (to other parts of the country) and socially (to higher social classes)”. The

31 reason for this trend being suddenly more obvious is, according to Wells, “the erosion of the English class system and the greater social mobility in Britain”. While he seems to agree that EE should become more prominent, he wishes this to be achieved by incorporating some of the features of EE (such as the use of glottal stops) into RP rather than just adopting EE (Wells, 1997).

2.4.5. Ambiguity of EE

Since EE was first introduced, it was discussed with “increasing frequency and unreduced controversy” by linguistic laymen and professionals alike (Altendorf 1). The interest surrounding EE led to numerous MA and PhD theses, all of which failed in making a clear statement of what EE actually is. Some authors claimed that there was no

“linguistic homogeneity” and that it was “impossible to describe (let alone define) the concept of EE conclusively, suggesting that EE is an unclear, “fuzzy” phenomenon to study (Altendorf 3).

The reason for this is the fact that the terminology of EE is full of discrepancies, as evidenced by Rosewarne himself. In his two famous articles, he refers to EE as to an accent, a variety, and a mix of specific pronunciation and intonation. While all these claims would be acceptable, Rosewarne specifies lexical and syntactical features of EE, and that classifies it as a dialect. However, the information on EE vocabulary and grammar is somewhat dubious and insufficient (saying Cheers instead of Thank you or

Good bye and a frequent use of basically) which raises questions about the suitability of such term being used (Středová 8-9).

Altendorf notes that other linguists describe EE as “a variety”, “a group of accents”, and “a spectrum-continuum”, with the media only adding to the confusion words as “a form” and “a version” (3).

Maidment also comments on the vague character of EE, suggesting that while

Rosewarne seems to understand that there is a difference between the accent and the dialect, he still somehow manages to merge the two together. Moreover, he disagrees with

Rosewarne's idea that EE is “marked off from both Cockney and RP by rigid boundaries” as it would be than possible to identify an EE speaker “with 100% certainty”. Rather than this, Maidment proposes a model that allows overlap between accents with regard to formal and informal styles. For example, he writes, not even a Cockney speaker would drop the /h/ in a formal setting, whereas an EE speaker could afford to drop it in a relaxed and informal situation (1994).

Further developing his idea of formal and informal settings, Maidment states that there is also a chance of EE being just “slightly poshed up Cockney or RP which has gone

"down market" in appropriate situations” and what Rosewarne described in his articles was not in fact a newly emerged phenomenon but rather “a redefinition of the appropriateness of differing styles of pronunciation to differing speech situations”. The final bit of criticism he offers is aimed at the named itself because EE “if it exists at all, is not only spoken on or near the Thames estuary” and furthermore, “there is no real evidence that it even originated there” (1994).

Other linguists were also critical of the name, and their main complaint can be expressed by a following explanation:

The name is neither helpful nor accurate. Because of a superficial

resemblance of some features to the speech sounds of the south-east of

England, it has been named for the Thames estuary. But there is no

evidence that it really originates there - and is probably far more

geographically diverse in its origins. The description is also stupid, since

it omits the name of the river - as if the Thames were the only river with

an estuary. It is yet more stupid because the distribution of the accent has

no real connection at all with the river estuary (whereas this might have

been the case in past ages for the speech of communities whose lives,

trade and occupations were determined by a river). (Moore, qtd. in Ryfa

11)

With the name not being “adequate and felicitous” (Ryfa 11), other possibilities were suggested, including “New London Voice”, “General London” and “London

English” but none of them was accepted and the world was forced to bear with the original unsatisfactory term (Haenni 11-12). This issue with the name only underlines the general

“fuzziness” surrounding EE, as it raises a question whether the above-mentioned resemblance is not in fact too superficial to serve as a basis for defining a new phenomenon. Considering the possibility of it not being a tangible phenomenon on its own, due to the insufficiently specific features, some linguists argue that it can be labelled as a form of RP. In her MA thesis, Joanna Ryfa summarizes those suggestions, citing claims that EE is just “the London-influenced form of RP”, falling under the category of “regional varieties of RP” (17).

The complicated nature of EE appears to, rather ironically, be one of its most prominent characteristic features. The best definition is arguably the one provided by

Wells, who claims that: “… there is no such real entity as EE - - it is a construct, a term, and we can define it to mean whatever we think appropriate” (Wells qtd. in Ryfa 21).

Accepting this clarification and being interested in the sound features of EE, the author of this thesis defines it as an accent, taking into consideration the fact that it is constantly developing and lacking a set of rules that would be generally accepted by all linguists.

3. Research

3.1. Choice of Materials and Methodology

Because the Bridget Jones franchise and the Dark Knight franchise belong to different genres, a word on how materials for further analysis are chosen is necessary. To make the comparison of the two easier, the author of this thesis opts for monologues that are roughly similar, regarding their length and the mood of the characters delivering those monologues. Naturally, one could argue that the two characters in question are so fundamentally different from one another that it is impossible to succeed in finding a connection between the two of them. However, even an awkward thirtysomething singleton and a suave handsome millionaire have something in common. Though Bruce

Wayne may seem as a person with a very easy life- after all, he is rich and good-looking- in reality, he is struggling to accept the loss of his parents, fear of bats, and tries to juggle his secret identity and public persona while yearning for a private life that remains criminally neglected while he protects his hometown. Bridget Jones, while not a superhero herself, is also trying to fill multiple roles at once: she is a daughter of a mother who can only be described as “difficult”, wanting to make a good impression in workplace while trying to change her relationship status from single to taken.

Additionally, in all the analyzed films, Bruce and Bridget reinvent themselves in a way. In Bridget Jones's Diary, the heroine faces the fact that she loves the man she previously claimed to hate; in Bridget Jones's Baby, she, rather unexpectedly, becomes a mother and reconnects with an estranged lover from the first film. Meanwhile Batman

Begins marks the birth of Gotham's protector as Bruce puts his long-held anger to good use. On the contrary, The Dark Knight Rises shows Bruce giving up on his superhero identity after one last act of heroism, choosing a “normal” life instead.

To provide some details on the monologues themselves, three situations from all four films are picked. The first one shows the main character giving a speech that is meant to present them in a positive light. For Bridget Jones, both monologues show her in a work-related event, trying to impress her co-workers and failing miserably. In his first film, Bruce tries to convince the CEO of his company that he does not want to influence the company in any way and just wishes to observe, with the exact opposite being the truth. The second film's speech is addressed to Selina Kyle, the famous Catwoman. Bruce compliments her and offers to help her while wanting a favor from her himself. In summation, Bridget is trying to emulate a good employee whereas Bruce attempts to look as a “good guy”, nice, helpful and not looking for trouble. In this type of situation, both

Bridget and Bruce lead with confidence, though it seems to come more naturally for the latter.

The second situation is of a confrontational nature. Bridget Jones first confronts her love interest Mark Darcy, after being irritated by his pompous character and apparent inability to express his feelings. In the sequel, the person facing Bridget's frustrations is her boss, whom she accuses of being pretentious and claims that she cannot possibly work for her anymore. Bruce, on the other hand, chooses to address all the guests at his birthday party to criticize their phoniness. The second example is once again an interaction with

Selina Kyle, after he correctly identifies her as the thief who stole his late mother's pearls and then refuses to allow her to keep them. Despite the confrontational aspect, in none of those monologues do the characters raise their voices, neither do they resort to explicitly aggressive remarks. Instead, Bridget Jones uses self-deprecative comments to underline the faults of those she is opposing. Bruce's approach to conflict is faked politeness, as he nicely asks his insincere guests to leave and jokingly suggests that his mother's jewelry

36 must still be in a safe even though he can clearly see it is not. It is therefore fair to say that when in conflict, they remain calm and rely mostly on their wits.

The last situation prompts the characters to change their lives. Bridget Jones once again talks to Mark Darcy and reveals that though irritating and not without flaws, she likes him and would like to pursue a relationship with him. The monologue taken from the third installment of the franchise shows Bridget at her gynecologist's office when she first sees the sonogram of her child. Overcome with emotion, she promises to try her best and be a good mother. In a similar way, Bruce significantly changes his life after realizing he can protect Gotham once he assumes the role of an indestructible honorable symbol.

The first analyzed monologue displays Bruce in the moment when he decides to dedicate his life to shaking people out of apathy. However, after a few years and a death of a loved one, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to slip back into the role of a hero. The beginning of The Dark Knight Rises therefore portrays Bruce as a recluse void of ideals but those are reignited once he meets a principled police officer John Blake (who is later revealed to be Robin). While talking to him, Bruce reveals the original motivation behind the idea of a masked vigilante. His words have effect not only on Blake, but also on Bruce himself as he remembers what he initially wanted to fight. This prompts him to become a true hero again, which is manifested by him going to confront the movie's villain after the exchange with Blake takes place. To summarize, all the monologues in this category serve as sudden realizations that force the characters to reinvent themselves.

Last fact that remains to be addressed is the lack of monologues delivered by

Batman. The first reason for this is a practical one: there simply would not be enough material. To horribly simplify matters, it could be said that when disguised as Batman,

Bruce Wayne either saves lives or fights injustice, and there is not much time to talk under such circumstances. Moreover, unlike Bruce Wayne, Bridget Jones does not have an alter

37 ego and it would therefore be unfair to compare them since technically speaking,

Christian Bale would be judged in two roles whereas Renee Zellweger in just one. To conclude, in order to make their performances comparable, the author of this thesis chose to analyze characters that were “just” human beings, not further complicating matters by including a superhero in the analysis.

The transcription of recordings was done mostly by ear, with the help of

International Phonetic Alphabet and the occasional need to consult an online application photransedit.

3.2. Batman Begins (2005)

3.2.1. Positive Self-presentation

Transcript

I understand. And I'll be handsomely rewarded for my shares. I'm not looking to interfere. I am looking for a job.

Phonetic transcription

|aɪ ˌʌndɚˈstænd | ænd aɪl bi ˈhænsəmli ɹɪˈwɔːɹdɪd fɔ˞ maɪ ʃɛːɹz | aɪm nɑt ˈlʊkɪŋ tu

ˌɪɾɚˈfɪɚ | aɪ æm ˈlʊkɪŋ fɔ˞ ə ʤɔːb|

Analysis

Looking at this transcription, one immediately notices that this recording is rhotic, with all the /r/s being sounded, which would not be the case for RP, but is a signature sound feature in GenAm. When following a vowel, they are sounded simultaneously with the vowel, as it is in the case of understand or for.

Another component characteristic for the regionally unspecific American pronunciation is [æ], the “almost fully open, unrounded long front vowel” (Meier 176) that Bale also employs in the words handsomely and understand.

The consonant /t/ becomes a voiced tap in interfere, this phenomenon being called t-flapping. With all the mentioned features being prominent in GenAm, this recording is indeed very close to a GenAm model.

The only flaw could be found in the word job. Taking into consideration the characteristic openness of the accent, it would be more fitting to pronounce the vowel as

/ɑ:/ instead of /ɔː/. This claim is supported by Meier's transcription of the word as [ʤɑb]

(184).

3.2.2. Confrontation

Transcript

Everyone. Everybody? I....I wanna thank you all for coming here tonight and drinking all of my booze. No, really. There's a thing about being a Wayne...that you're never short of a few freeloaders, like yourselves to fill up your mansion with. So, here's to you people. Thank you. To all of you...all of you phonies, all of you two-faced friends...you sycophantic suck-ups who smile through your teeth at me…please, leave me in peace. Please go. Stop smiling, it's not a joke. Please leave. The party's over, get out.

Phonetic transcription

| ˈevɹiˌwʌn | ˈevɹɪˌbɑːdi | ˈaɪ | ˈaɪ ˈwɑna ˈθæŋk ju ˈ ɔːl fɚ ˈkʌmɪŋ hɪɚ təˈnaɪt ənd

ˈdɹɪŋkɪŋ ˈɔːl əv ˈmaɪ ˈbuːz | ˈnoʊ | ˈɹɪli | ˈðerz ə ˈθɪŋ əˈbaʊt ˈbiːɪŋ ə ˈweɪn | dət jɚ ˈnevər

ˈʃɔːrd əv ə ˈfjuː ˈfriːˌloʊdɚz | ˈlaɪk jʊɹˈselvz tə ˈfɪl ʌp jɚ ˈmænʃn̩ wɪθ | ˈsoʊ | hɪɚz tə ju

ˈsak ˈapsˈhuː ˈsmaɪl θruː jɚ ˈtiːθ ət ˈmiː ˈpliːsˈliːv ˈmiː ɪn ˈpiːs | ˈpliːsˈɡoʊ | ˈstɑːp ˈsmaɪlɪŋ

Analysis

In this recording, Bale appropriately rhotacizes his speech, adopting either an approximant [ɹ] or r-colored vowels. One can also notice the lack of intrusive /r/ in the

39 utterance you all. Instead of inserting an artificial /r/ in an intervocalic position, he glides through it “legato style” which is a strategy Meier recommends (177).

He also uses a flapped t in the word short, treating the final /t/ as [d]. However, probably in an attempt to focus on flapping of the t, he also pronounces the dental fricative

[ð] as a [d], which, albeit similar, is not the same sound. Instead, [ð] should be executed as “a sustained buzz or a tickle in the vicinity of tongue tip, teeth and top lip” (Meier 179).

The second error recorded in this speech is the pronunciation of the word all.

According to the aforementioned lexical sets, this word should be pronounced with [ɒ] rather than [ɔ].

3.2.3. Self-reinvention

Transcript

People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can't do that as

Bruce Wayne. As a man...I'm flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a symbol...as a symbol, I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting.

Phonetic transcription

|ˈpipəl niːd dɹəˈmædɪk ɪgˈzæmpəlz tu ʃeɪk ðɛm ɑʊd əv ˈæpəθi ænd aɪ kænt du ðæt

æz bɹuːs weɪn| æz ə mən...aɪm flɛʃ ænd blʌd, aɪ kæn bi ɪgˈnɔːɹd| aɪ kæn bi dɪˈstrɹɔɪd| bʌt

æz ə ˈsɪmbəl...æz ə ˈsɪmbəl, aɪ kæn bi ɪnkəˈɹɑptəbl̩ | aɪ kæn bi ˌɛvɚˈlæstɪŋ|

Analysis

A frequent use of [æ] and [a] displays the openness of the GenAm. Rhoticity is also present, as evidenced in words dramatic, ignored, destroyed and incorruptible.

Additionally, in the word everlasting, the /r/ is not only rhotic, but also sounded simultaneously with the vowel preceding it, thus making [ə] an r-colored vowel. These are all features typical for GenAm.

Many British people would also use the intrusive /r/ between vowels to ease the pronunciation. This would likely happen in the word cluster be ignored, be everlasting and be incorruptible. With Christian Bale being British, a mistake as such would be understandable, but he does not make it. He also manages to avoid the mistake of rhotacizing a vowel without a following /r/ which Meier views as a very common one among British actors playing Americans (Meier 177).

3.2.4. Summary of Bale's Accent

Christian Bale understands that rhoticity is arguably the most prominent GenAm trait and for this reason attains the R-quality by r-coloring vowels and using the approximant [ɹ]. However, in his attempts to achieve the “American” /r/, he does not resort to using the intrusive /r/ or rhotacizing a vowel in an inappropriate way, which is a frequent mistake for Britons trying to sound American. Therefore when /r/ is concerned, his GenAm is quite authentic.

Examining the consonant /t/, it is noticeable that Bale treats it as [d] in short, out and as [ɾ] in interfere. This phenomenon is called t-flapping and, being one of the signature sounds of GenAm, further proves Bale's dedication to the role, as this treatment of /t/ contrasts with its treatment in Great Britain. Though in certain situations it is appropriate to use [d] in the place of other consonants, it cannot serve as a substitute for the dental fricative [ð]. The word that sounded with [d] is incorrect, this being Bale's first mistake.

Focusing on vowels, Bale frequently uses [æ], a vowel almost non-existent in RP, but prominent in GenAm. Vowels [a] and [ɑ] are also commonly used, the two being both unrounded and open, a characteristic they share with [æ]. Some teachers, however, suggest the use of the rounded [ɒ] which is closer to other English accents (Meier 177).

GenAm does not use this vowel, the exception being the thought lexical set that claims

41 the word all should be pronounced as [ɒːl] instead of Bale's [ɔːl], thus marking his second mistake.

The third and last mistake was made by an incorrect pronunciation of the word job, where Bale again used [ɔː] in the place of another vowel. Instead of [ʤɔːb] it should have been [ʤɑːb].

To conclude, Bale is aware of rhoticity, t-flapping and openness and is quite successful in applying these features into his pronunciation, thus proving that GenAm was indeed the accent he adopted for Batman Begins. The only exception to this is his tendency to use the vowel [ɔ] in the place of those that are more open (“IPA Chart with

Sounds”).

3.3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

3.3.1. Positive Self-presentation

Transcript

I'll admit I was a little let down. But I still think there's more to you. In fact I think that for you, this isn't just a tool. It's an escape route, you wanna disappear and start fresh.

I can give you a way off once you get me to Lucius Fox. I need you to find out where they're holding him and take me in.

Phonetic transcription

|aɪl ədˈmɪt aɪ wʌz ə ˈlɪdəl lɛt daʊn| bʌt aɪ stɪl θɪŋk ðɛrz mɔɹ tu ju | ɪn fækt aɪ θɪŋk

ðæt fɔ˞ juː ðɪs ˈɪzənt ʤʌst ə tuːl| ɪts ən ɪˈskeɪp ɹaut, ju ˈwɑnə ˌdɪsəˈpɪɹ ænd stɑɹt fɹɛʃ| aɪ kæn gɪv ju ə weɪ ɑf wʌns ju gɛt mi tu ˈluʃəs fɑks| aɪ niːd ju tu faɪnd aʊt wɛɹ ðɛɹ ˈhoʊldɪŋ hɪm ænd teɪk mi ɪn|

Analysis

Bale's accent in this recording is still rhotic and he manages to use a flapped t in little, substituting [t] with [d]. In this case, however, he does not dwell on the “American

42 sounding /t/” to the point of mispronouncing the word that, sounding the fricative correctly as [ð] this time.

There is also a lack of intrusive /r/ in give you a way off, which is correct for

GenAm. Additionally, this utterance marks Bale correctly pronouncing the word off with an unrounded, open, back vowel [ɑ]. This pronunciation, matching the cloth lexical set, is Bale's redemption for the incorrect pronunciation of job and all from the previous film.

3.3.2. Confrontation

Transcript

That's a beautiful necklace. Reminds me of one that belonged to my mother. It can't be the same one cause her pearls are in this safe. The manufacturer clearly explained it is uncrackable. I'm afraid I can't let you take those.

Phonetic transcription

|ðæts ə ˈbjudəfəl ˈnɛkləs |ɹiˈmaɪndz mi ʌv wʌn ðæt bɪˈlɔŋd tu maɪ ˈmʌðɚ | ɪt kænt biː ðə seɪm wʌn kɑz hɝ pɝlz ɑɹ ɪn ðɪs seɪf | ðə ˌmænjəˈfækʧɹɚ ˈklɪrli ɪkˈspleɪnd ɪt ɪz

ʌnˈkɹækəbl | aɪm əˈfɹeɪd aɪ kænt lɛtʃ ju teɪk ðoʊz |

Analysis

Rhoticity is evident in this speech, manifested through the approximant [ɹ] and r- colored vowels. One can also notice the frequent use of [æ], with the words can't, uncrackable or that's serving as examples. The last one is pronounced with the correct dental fricative [ð], as it is for all the other words that employ the fricatives. Bale made a mistake of voicing [ð] as [d] in the word that in the first film, the error is not repeated here.

The phenomenon of flapped t can be found in Bale's pronunciation of the word beautiful. The [h] in the word her is sounded, which is also a GenAm marker.

3.3.3. Self-reinvention

Transcript

There are always people you care about. (You just) don't realize how much until they are gone. The idea was to be a symbol. Batman could be anybody. That was the point.

Phonetic transcription

Analysis This recording is rhotic, with Bale using both the approximant [ɹ] and r-colored vowels. Just like in the previous instances, he avoids the intrusive /r/ in the utterance the idea, which is appropriate for GenAm. His pronunciation of the dental fricatives is also correct in all the cases, making his previous mistake a one-time slip. The openness of

GenAm is achieved by vowels [æ] and [ɑ].

3.3.4. Summary of Bale's Accent

Bale's accent in all the recordings is rhotic, a quality he mostly achieves by using the approximant [ɹ] and r-coloration. There is no occasion of him employing an intrusive

/r/ or inappropriately rhotacizing a vowel, both mistakes that many British people would be guilty of.

There are instances of t-flapping in some words, such as in beautiful or little, this being another marker of GenAm. To address the openness of the American model of pronunciation, Bale often uses vowels [æ] and [ɑ]. His lack of [h] dropping and the correct pronunciation of dental fricatives fits this model as well.

The only blunder to mention is his pronunciation of the word always in the third recording. He uses [ɔ] instead of [ɒ], thus repeating his mistake from the first film where

44 he similarly opted for a more closed vowel. The reason for this might be the abovemention fact of [ɒ] being closer to English dialects, forcing Bale to mispronounce the word as to not reveal his English roots.

3.4. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

3.4.1. Positive Self-presentation

Transcript

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the launch of "Kafka's Motorbike"... "The

Greatest Book of our Time." Obviously except for your books, Mr. Rushdie...which are also very good. And Lord Archer...yours aren't bad, either. Anyway...uh, what I mean is, uh.. welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming to the launch of...one of the top thirty books of our time. Anyway, at least. And here to introduce it, ha...properly, ha ha...is, uh, the man we all call, uh...Tiits Pervert. Mr... Tiits Pervert. Mr...Tiits Pervert.

Fitzherbert, uh... Because that is his name. Mr. Fitzherbert. Thank you.

Phonetic transcription

ˈdʒentlmən | θæŋk ju fə ˈkʌmɪŋ tə ðə lɔːntʃ ɒv | wʌn əv ðə tɒp ˈθɜːti bʊks əv ˈaʊə ˈtaɪm |

Analysis

Regarding /r/, it needs to be said that this recording varies between [ə] in motorbike, pervert, Fitzherbert and mister and the approximant sound in other situations.

Interestingly, Zellweger starts with pronouncing mister in the “American style” but later

45 retorts to [ə]. This inconsistency is fitting, considering the confusion surrounding the phenomenon, with Rosewarne claiming it is a prominent and unique element and

Maidment disregarding this claim.

The word introduce marks an unfulfilled opportunity to use yod coalescence, it would be appropriate to pronounce it with a [dj] sound, something Zellweger fails to do.

There are words where she employs the so-called “happY-tensing”, sounding the end of words Rushdie and properly with a long vowel. It is also worth noting that, unlike in

Cockney, features of th-fronting and h-dropping are not to be found in EE (Maidment).

This means that the [h] sounds are not omitted and labiodental fricatives [f, v] are not used in the place of dental fricatives [ð, θ] (Rosewarne 1984). Zellweger's pronunciation of the word his is therefore the correct one and when dental fricatives are in question, she mispronounces the second thank you, inaccurately using [f] instead of [θ].

If one were to accept Rosewarne's suggestions concerning the vocabulary of EE, the use of thank you on Bridget's part comes to attention. It could be argued that as an alleged speaker of EE, she should have opted for the word cheers instead. However, since her speech was a part of a work event, it makes her choice of a more formal language understandable. Taking into consideration Maidment's claim of the possibility to adopt different accents in different situations, her opting for thank you does not mean she is not speaking EE.

3.4.2. Confrontation

Transcript

Look, are you and Cosmo in this together? I mean, you seem to go out of your way...to try to make me feel like a complete idiot every time I see you, and you really needn't bother. I already feel like an idiot most of the time anyway with or without a fireman's pole. That'll be my taxi. Good night.

Phonetic transcription

ˈteksiː| gʊd naɪt|

Analysis

Despite Rosewarne's claim of EE speakers pronouncing the l-sounds as [w]s, it is not the case of Zellweger, at least not in this recording. Instead, she simply employs the consonant [l]. Other consonant sound described by Rosewarne is the allegedly unique realization of /r/, somewhat similar to the American pronunciation. Here, Zellweger appears to be more successful. The word are is a good example, as in RP it would be pronounced as [ə], given the non-rhoticity of that accent. Zellweger, on the other hand, sounds the /r/, thus being closer to the American model which is appropriate for this situation. She comes even closer to the American pronunciation in the words really, your, every and already where her pronunciation could almost be perceived as the approximant

[ɹ]. Nevertheless, in together and bother, she fails to pronounce it, opting for [ə] instead.

Commenting on the vowels, it must be said that Zellweger tends to pronounce those in final positions as rather long, as evidenced in the words taxi and really, thus supporting Rosewarne's claim regarding the length of EE vowels.

3.4.3. Self-reinvention

Transcript

I just have something that I want to say. Um... You once said that you liked me just as I am...and I just wanted to say... likewise. I mean...you wear stupid things your mum buys you. Tonight's another classic. You're haughty, and you always say the wrong thing in every situation. And I seriously believe that you should...rethink the length of

47 your sideburns. But you're a nice man...and... I like you. So if you wanted to pop by sometime...that might be nice. More than nice.

Phonetic transcription

ˌsɪtʃʊˈeɪʃn̩ | ənd ˈaɪ ˈsɪərɪəsli bɪˈliːv ðət ju ʃʊd | ˌriːˈθɪŋk ðə leŋθ əv jə ˈsaɪdbɜːnz | bət jər

Analysis

As in the previous recordings, happy tensing can also be found here, specifically in the word haughty but Zellweger fails to pronounce the long final vowel in seriously.

Similarly, another quality shared by this recording with the previous ones is the lack of glottalizing and l-vocalization, with Zellweger pronouncing all the /t/s and /l/s, which are perceived as salient sound features of EE, as described by Rosewarne.

Speakers of EE are also not supposed to drop their [h] and mispronounce dental fricatives as [f, v] as those are the Cockney features EE does not use. Zellweger manages to stay faithful to the EE accent in those aspects. The Cockney aspect of pronouncing

/ing/ endings in polysyllabic words as [ɪn], instead of [ɪŋ] (Meier 30), is manifested in the word something. However, just like in the previous case, this feature is not supposed to be found in EE.

Her pronunciation of the word situation as [sɪtʃʊˈeɪʃn̩ ] is an example of yod-

coalescence, a feature appropriate for EE but at the same time, the pronunciation of

the word stupid is somewhat confusing. Zellweger pronounces the word with a /j/

which a Cockney speaker would not do but a conservative speaker of RP might

(Rosewarne 1984). While not being a speaker of Cockney, Bridget Jones cannot

possibly pose as a “conservative RP speaker” either (unlike her parents), thus making

Zellweger's choice of pronunciation very noticeable.

This recording is mostly non-rhotic, with some words being void of the /r/ s completely as it is in the case of more and another. When the /r/s are sounded it is mostly when they appear in the initial position of words, such as in rethink and wrong. The only time Zellweger comes close to the American pronunciation of /r/ is in the word your.

3.4.4. Summary of Zellweger's Accent

The “fuzziness” surrounding EE and its features is reflected in Zellweger's accent throughout the movie. To start with, in all the recordings she avoids both l-vocalization and vocalizing, both being phenomenons Rosewarne's deems salient for EE. Though disagreeing with many of his claims, Maidment appears to criticize only the fact that those traits are described as uniquely EE, arguing that they can be found in many other accents.

However, he does not question their presence in EE, which seems to make Zellweger's choice of avoiding them inappropriate. On the other hand, as she was defined as a character trying to blend into the high-class world, it is understandable that she would try to minimize the connection of Cockney that employs those two features (Maidment). This explanation can be supported by the fact that all the recordings show Bridget either talking to people in a formal situation (work event) or talking to someone who is “posher” than she is (which happens to be the case of Mark Darcy).

Her attempts to sound classy also show in the words introduce and stupid, where she inserts the /j/ sound, ignoring the possibility of shedding it. Contrastingly, the pronunciation of situation sees her using the feature of yod-coalescence, characteristic for

EE. Out of three situations where yod is concerned, only in one of them does she manage

49 to sound like an EE speaker should. The other two situations mark the pronunciation appropriate for an RP speaker.

The only times she employs Cockney elements are shown in the first and second recording. She pronounces thank you with [f] instead of using a dental fricative [θ] and later mistakenly applies [ɪn], instead of [ɪŋ] in the word something. She successfully manages to avoid using characteristically Cockney features of [h] dropping in all recordings, highlighting those two slips even more.

The pronunciation of /r/s varies in all three recordings. The sound mysteriously defined by Rosewarne does appear in all recordings but not as the only possible realization of /r/. In some words, Zellweger's pronunciation comes close to the GenAm model, but each of the analyzed situations also sees her use the non-rhotic RP sounds.

Finally, when happy tensing is concerned, Zellweger uses it in all three situations, though not in all the words where it would be possible to.

Overall, while she employs some of the EE features along with a few Cockney features, it appears that her pronunciation is leaning towards the RP model more.

3.5. Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

3.5.1. Positive Self-presentation

Transcript

Welcome. In a digital age, where every cellphone is a camera, we are all broadcasters. Hard news is partnering with the London Media Show so that you will be able to use your smartphones to create your own news broadcasting channels. Simply download the new Hardnews app and broadcast directly to our studios, where Miranda is waiting for our first ever live similcast. Technical glitch. Of course, it's never been easier to email or text the show, just search Hard news, or simply H. Because…because…Holy

50 fuck! What's he doing here? Because at Hard News, we believe…we believe that we are ready and on the frontline. Asking the questions, the world wants answers to. Thank you.

Phonetic transcription

| ˈwelkəm | ɪn ə ˈdɪdʒɪtl̩ eɪdʒ | weər ˈevri ˈselfəʊn ɪz ə ˈkæmərə | wi ər ɔːl

ˈbrɔːdkɑːstəz | hɑːd njuːz ɪz ˈpɑːrtnərɪŋ wɪð ðə ˈlʌndən ˈmiːdɪə ʃəʊ ˈsəʊ ðət juː wil̩ bi ˈeɪbl̩ tə ˈjuːz jə smɑːtfoəʊns tu kriːˈeɪt jər əʊn njuːz ˈbrɔːdkɑːstɪŋ ˈtʃanl̩ z | ˈsɪmpliːˌdaʊnˈləʊd

ðə njuː hɑːrd njuːz æp ənd ˈbrɔːdkɑːst dɪˈrektli tu ˈaʊə ˈstjuːdɪəʊz | weə mɪˈrændə iz

ˈweɪtɪŋ fə ˈaʊə ˈfɜːst ˈevə laɪv similcɑːst | ˈteknɪkl̩ ˈɡlɪtʃ | əv kɔːs | ɪts ˈnevə biːn ˈiːzɪə tu

| wɒts hi ˈduɪŋ hɪə | bɪˈkɒz ət hɑːd njuːz | wi bɪˈliːv | wi bɪˈliːv ðət wi əː ˈrediː ənd ɒn ðə

ˈfrənˌtlaːɪn | ˈɑːskɪŋ ðə ˈkwestʃənz | ðə wɜːld wɒnts ˈɑːnsəz tuː | θæŋk juː |

Analysis

It is immediately noticeable that this recording is mostly non-rhotic, with the complete lack of the American sounding /r/. Though nervous and embarrassed about her presentation going terribly wrong, Bridget does not waiver from her RP pronunciation.

Not even in the utterance Holy fuck, what's he doing here when her ex-lover inconveniently arrives does she sound the /r/, staying very true to the RP model (as evidenced by her pronunciation of the word here matching the near lexical set in RP).

The words news and studios are pronounced with the inserted /j/ sound which is also a mark of a strong RP influence. There is no evidence of yod-coalescence which, being an EE feature, could be employed in the latter.

L-vocalization and glottalizing are missing as well, though just like in the first analyzed movie, this would be understandable during a work presentation even for a speaker of EE. The same could be said about the use of thank you instead of cheers, which disregards suggestions by Rosewarne. To further comment on the utterance thank you,

51 this recording marks Zellweger's correct pronunciation of the dental fricative, unlike during her work event in the first film. Additionally, her treatment of all the dental fricatives and /h/s is an appropriate one for EE.

Finally, happy tensing is used in the words simply and really, this being the only feature that is uniquely EE for Zellweger to employ.

3.5.2. Confrontation

Transcript

It's okay. It's really okay, Richard. I was going to quit anyway, probably. Believe or not, I was a little like you when I started here. Little chunkier, much less makeup. I wanted to make my mark too. But I don’t want to be a part of your “re-branding”. I haven’t got the right haircut anyway, and I don’t drink my cocktails out of jam jars or post photos of my lunch on Instagram. And I suppose it's become unfashionable to care about wanting to make something worthwhile, but I’d rather be old fashioned and unemployed than part of the show that celebrates the inane. Maybe when my boy is old enough to understand, integrity will be fashionable again.

Phonetic transcription

| bət ˈaɪ ˈwɒntɪd tə ˈmeɪk maɪ mɑːk tuː | bət ˈaɪ dəʊnt wɒnt tə bi ə pɑːt əv jə riːˈbrændɪŋ

| ˈaɪ ˈævn̩ t ˈɡɒt ðə raɪt ˈheəkʌt ˈeniweɪ | ənd ˈaɪ dəʊnt drɪŋk maɪ ˈkɒkteɪlz aʊt əv dʒæm dʒɑːz ɔː pəʊst ˈfəʊtəʊz əv maɪ lʌntʃ ɒn instəɡræm | ənd ˈaɪ səˈpəʊz ɪts bɪˈkʌm ʌnˈfæʃnəbl̩ tə keər əˈbaʊt ˈwɒntɪŋ tə ˈmeɪk ˈsʌmθɪŋ ˈwɜːθwaɪl | bət aɪd ˈrɑːðə bi əʊld ˈfæʃn̩ d ənd

ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd ðən pɑːt əv ðə ʃəʊ ðət ˈselebreɪts ði ɪˈneɪn | ˈmeɪbi wen maɪ ˌbɔɪ ɪz ɔld ɪˈnʌf tu ˌʌndəˈstænd | ɪnˈteɡrɪtiː wl̩ bi ˈfæʃnəbl̩ əˈɡen|

Analysis

The recording is mostly non-rhotic, with no /r/s coming close to the GenAm pronunciation. Therefore when /r/ sounds are concerned, Zellweger is emulating RP here.

Interestingly, in the word haven’t, she fails to pronounce the [h] in the initial position, opting for [h] dropping, typical for Cockney. However, in the word haircut, that follows not long after haven’t the [h] is pronounced correctly. This slip is incidentally the only occasion of Zellweger dropping the [h] in all the analyzed speeches. Regarding the other Cockney features, namely th-fronting and glottalizing, it needs to be said that these cannot be found in this speech. Similarly, l-vocalization is also non-existent here.

The words integrity displays slight happy tensing, being the only uniquely specific

EE feature used by Zellweger in this recording.

3.5.3. Self-reinvention

Transcript

Hello, you. Is that your ear or your foot? Oh you have got very big feet. Oh, look at you, waving already! Hi. You're the best thing I've ever seen. I promise I'll try my best so you just stay safe and snug in there. While I'll try to sort the mess out here. And hopefully…

Phonetic transcription

Analysis

Zellweger stays true to the happy tensing phenomenon, employing the long vowel

/iː/ in the final positions of already and hopefully. When the dubious pronunciation of /r/ is concerned, this recording shows her using both the “almost approximant” sound in very

53 and already and as [ə] in other words, such as there and here. The non-rhocity typical for

RP is also evident in her pronunciation of the word sort, where the [r] is omitted.

Regarding dental fricatives and [h] sounds, Zellweger's pronunciation is appropriate for

EE. She avoids dropping the [h] completely and the fricatives are pronounced as [ð, θ].

On the other hand, there are no traces of glottalization anywhere as she does not choose the l-vocalization that could be expected in the word already.

3.5.4. Summary of Zellweger's Accent

The three abovementioned recordings show Zellweger being quite close to the RP model of pronunciation. While it is true that the absence of [h] dropping (apart from one mistake) and a correct pronunciation of dental fricatives is not uniquely RP and can be find in EE as well, there are not sufficient traits of EE in her pronunciation. L-vocalization and glottalizing are nowhere to be found and neither is yod coalescence, with Zellweger opting to pronounce the /j/ in both news and studios.

Though with Rosewarne's foggy description of the way EE speakers pronounce their /r/ s it is difficult to judge the accuracy of this phenomenon, it is worth noting that there are very few /r/s in the analyzed speeches that would resemble the rhotic American pronunciation. If anything, Zellweger's approach is mostly non-rhotic, which is the defining element of RP.

This leaves happy tensing as the only feature of EE that Zellweger regularly uses in all her speeches, which makes her sound as an RP speaker with a peculiar habit of pronouncing vowels in final positions rather than an EE speaker.

Conclusion

This thesis focuses on the actors Christian Bale and Renee Zellweger who had to adopt different accents to authentically portray their respective fictional characters of

Bruce Wayne and Bridget Jones. Since both the actors portrayed these characters in three movie installments, the present author was interested in finding whether there were some developments in the adopted accents throughout the years, believing that the accent of

Christian Bale would remain unchanged, whereas the accent of Renee Zellweger in the last film would display differences when compared to the first film of the series. The reason for this was the fact Zellweger waited fifteen years between her portrayals of

Bridget Jones while Christian Bale filmed the entire Dark Knight trilogy in the span of seven years.

Brief information of the history of acting in an accent is offered in the subsequent chapter, with Transatlantic accent being described as the trend of 1930s and 1940s, until

American English gained popularity after World War II. America broke free of the dominance of British English and took pride in their own pronunciation, signifying the end of the era where artificial pronunciation was the model. Bale and Zellweger are both operating in agreement with the shift from artificial to authentic, trying to sound convincing and natural in their roles.

To provide a background on the two, their early careers are described, leading up to them being surprisingly chosen for what are arguably their most iconic roles. Despite not being the obvious picks, after the films were released, their performances received praise and the matter of their origin was no longer relevant. Not having explicit information on the accents they were attempting, the present author theorizes that Bale used General American (GenAm) and Zellweger opted for Estuary English (EE). Those

55 two accents are defined, along with their distinctive features, thus concluding the part of this thesis that offers theoretical background for the subsequent analysis.

In order to conduct a research, three types of situations from each movie are picked, followed by their phonetic transcription and further analysis, with the analysis trying to determine whether the sound features of GenAm and EE are being employed.

The 2005's Batman Begins shows Bale as very capable of using all the GenAm sound features: his accent is rhotic, he opts for r-colored vowels and t-flapping while managing to avoid mistakes typical for an actor in his position, namely the use of intrusive

/r/ and inappropriate rhotacizing of vowels. The openness that is characteristic for GenAm is achieved by vowels [æ], [ɑ] and [a]. With all these features being successfully used by

Bale, it is safe to say that his accent is very authentic. There are only three mistakes in his pronunciation. First, he mistakenly pronounces the dental fricative [ð] as a [d] in the word that. Second, in the words all and job, he struggles to deliver the desired openness of

GenAm, opting for [ɔː] in the place of more open [ɒː] and [ɑː], respectively.

The Dark Knight Rises, released in 2012, confirms Bale's abilities, as rhoticity, t- flapping and openness are still all very much in effect. None of the mistakes Meier warns agaist can be found in any of Bruce Wayne’s speeches either. When dental fricatives are concerned, Bale redeems himself by pronouncing that correctly and not with a [d] sound.

On the other hand, he happens to repeat his mistake of using a closed vowel [ɔː] instead of the open [ɒː], as demonstrated by his pronunciation of the word always.

Only two types of mistakes therefore occur in the two Batman installments: inappropriate pronunciation of dental fricative [ð] and swapping the open vowels for the more closed [ɔː]. The first film uses both these mistakes, the sequel employs only the latter. With Bale using all the GenAm sound features and only making one type of a

56 mistake in both films, it is fair to say that his accent is undoubtedly GenAm with very few imperfections, and very consistent.

Within her first portrayal of Bridget Jones in 2001, Renee Zellweger demonstrates a complete lack of glottalizing and l-vocalization. As these are two of the salient features of EE, it suggests her accent cannot possibly be that convincing. The consonant /r/ is treated in multiple ways throughout the first film. At times, the /r/s are non-rhotic, which would be appropriate for an RP speaker and sometimes, they are pronounced in a style similar to the rhotic American model, which would be fitting for a speaker of EE.

Zellweger is certainly able to employ the approximant sound, but she does not do so with all the /r/s. Additionally, all three recordings mark Zellweger's use of happy tensing, demonstrated by long final vowels in certain words. Both American /r/ and happy tensing are described as prominent EE features, and there is yet another one that Zellweger uses.

Yod-coalescence, or using (a ch-sound), in the word situation is, however, the last EE feature that appears in the analyzed recordings.

The signs of RP are evident in the words introduce and stupid as well as in the lack of [h] dropping and mostly correct pronunciation of dental fricatives, whereas

Cockney influenced Zellweger's pronunciation of thank you and something. Since RP, just like Zellweger, does not use glottalizing and l-vocalization, it seems that her pronunciation in this film is mostly inspired by the standard British model for pronunciation, with occasional features borrowed from other accents. As Bridget is a

Home Counties girl, trying to fit in with the high-class people, it is understandable that she emulates RP and her origin is revealed through irregular EE and Cockney traits.

Bridget Jones's Baby, released in 2016, marks Zellweger's continued evasion of l- vocalization and glottalizing. Her accent is predominantly non-rhotic with a very limited number of sounds that are close to the American approximant. Yod-coalescence is also

57 avoided, with Zellweger opting for the pronunciation of news and studios with a /j/, appropriate for a conservative speaker of RP. This shows a difference from the first film, where yod-coalescence is used when possible. By not employing it and inserting /j/s in the aforementioned words, Zellweger departs from EE and leans further to RP.

Furthermore, she manages to avoid th-fronting completely and resorts to only one dropping of the [h] in the word haven't. Though she has not used [h] dropping in the first film at all, Bridget Jones's Diary shows her employing typically Cockney features twice, whereas in this film Cockney influence can be heard in just one word. Therefore, it can be said that the Cockney elements used by Zellweger here are not only different than those from the first film of the franchise, but also less frequent.

With happy tensing being the only uniquely EE trait employed by Zellweger with some level of regularity, her accent in Bridget Jones's Baby seems even closer to RP than the accent from the previously analyzed film, as there are less features of other accents in this film.

The analysis therefore shows that the author's theory is partially proven: Bale is indeed adopting General American accent and is very successful at doing so. Meanwhile,

Zellweger is closer to the Received Pronunciation than she is to Estuary English, although her pronunciation in the first film is far more affected by elements of both Cockney and

EE, meaning that Bale's accent is more consistent than hers.

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Summary (English)

This thesis focuses on the Welsh-born English actor Christian Bale portraying the wealthy socialite and the Texan actress Renee Zellweger portraying the famous

“singleton” in the Batman and Bridget Jones franchise, respectively. The aim of this work is to review the accuracy of the accents they had to adopt for those roles and to learn if there were any developments in their accents over the years, with both franchises consisting of three movies. The author formed a hypothesis on the accents used by the actors, theorizing that Bale uses General American Accent (GenAm) whereas Zellweger adopts Estuary English (EE). Moreover, the author believed that Bale's accent would be steady throughout the franchise and Zellweger's would display modifications because more time has passed between her portrayals of Bridget Jones than between his of Bruce

Wayne.

The first chapter provides background on the two actors in question, describing them as talented yet surprising picks for their roles. Additionally, this chapter offers general information on acting in English, describing the Transatlantic accent of the 30s and 40s and its subsequent decline in popularity after World War II. Distinctive features of the two adopted accents are included in the second chapter.

The research, disclosed in the last chapter, shows that Bale's accent is indeed

GenAm and very consistent, with the same mistake featured in both films. Zellweger, on the other hand, is closer to Received Pronunciation than she is to EE in both analyzed installments. However, since there are more features of EE and Cockney in the first film of the franchise than in the last, her accent is less consistent than that of Bale, proving the author's hypothesis to be true.

Summary (Czech)

Tato diplomová práce se zaměřuje na výkony dvou umělců. Prvním je anglický herec, pocházející z Walesu, Christian Bale, který ztvárňuje sebevědomého miliardáře

Bruce Wayna. Druhou texaská herečka Renée Zellwegerová, zobrazující nevyrovnanou svobodnou třicátnici Bridget Jonesovou. Cílem této práce je přezkoumat přesnost akcentů, jenž musely kvůli svým rolím natrénovat a dozvědět se, zda došlo k jejich vývoji v průběhu let, neboť obě franšízy se skládají ze tří filmů. Předpokládá se, že Bale si osvojil všeobecný americký akcent (GenAm), zatímco Zellwegerová se rozhodla pro takzvanou

Estuary English (EE), lidovou mluvu jihovýchodní Anglie jakožto kontinuum Cockney.

Autorka navíc věří, že Baleův akcent bude v celé franšíze stabilní a Zellwegerová by jej měla modifikovat, protože mezi jednotlivými filmy o Bridget uplynulo více času než mezi filmy z trilogie o Batmanovi.

První kapitola je věnována dvěma zúčastněným hercům a popisuje je jako sice talentované, ale přesto vybrané pro své slavné role poněkud překvapivě. Kromě toho tato kapitola nabízí obecné informace o hraní v angličtině, popisuje tzv. transatlantický přízvuk třicátých a čtyřicátých let a následný pokles jeho popularity po druhé světové válce. Charakteristické znaky EE a GenAm jsou obsaženy v druhé kapitole.

Výzkum popsaný v poslední kapitole ukazuje, že Baleův přízvuk je skutečně

GenAm a velmi konzistentní, se stejnou chybou ve výslovnosti v obou filmech.

Zellweger, na druhou stranu, je bližší k modelu prestižní Received Pronunciation, než je k EE v obou analyzovaných filmech. Nicméně, jelikož v jejím prvním filmu jsou znaky

EE a Cockney akcentu častější než v druhém analyzovaném snímku, její akcent je méně konzistentní než Baleův, což dokazuje, že autorčina hypotéza je správná.

Appendix

Contents of the enclosed CD

1. Batman Begins speeches

2. The Dark Knight speeches

3. Bridget Jones's Diary speeches

4. Bridget Jones's Baby speeches