Forums » RP Discussion » Typing Accents?

A friend asked me to play the part of Rarity in an RP, and I'm having trouble.
I know how she thinks, it's just typing her sophisticated accent is a bit troubling, since I don't know how to make it sound sophisticated as text rather than sound. I think it was called a Mid-Atlantic accent? I'm not sure.

Any help would be nice!

Unfortunately, as clearly as she seems to speak (I've barely seen any MLP), you might have to just rely on wording (for example, "I do hope everything goes well!" vs. "I hope it all goes well!").

You might be able to use certain descriptors of how she says things, as well, along with particular actions she's taking while speaking. I can't think of relevant examples right now, but something along the lines of something being said "innocently" or "sweetly," with a longing sigh, in a specific tone of voice, speaking with a lilt or with a rising pitch, etc.

Mostly it'll be a dialog wording, though, I think.

Rarity's accent is mainly from her choice of words and the way she exaggerates certain expressions. She tends to leave out contractions (i.e. "It is" instead of "It's") and can be a bit formal with her phrasing. It probably helps to pretend she's talking to royalty and chooses her words carefully.

Certain words are also expressed by emphasizing them, like "This is soooo last year darling!" She also has certain key words that she uses often. Pet names she gives people, she sometimes stammers when she's unsure about something and so forth.

My favorite example of true Rarity speech: "I am a lady and I wish to be addressed as such. So you may call me Miss, or Rarity, or miss Rarity." [...] "Whining?! I am not whining, I am complaining. Do you want to hear whining? Thiiiis is whining! Aaah, this harness is too tiiiiiiiight!!" etc.

(Best scene of the entire show ever.)

It's really difficult to otherwise accentuate her speech, so what Nova said: just describe how she's saying it when in doubt!

I wanted to reply to this, and watched the clip Sanne posted - it made me realize, Rarity has a particularly rhythmic speaking cadence. In just the first couple of sentences from that scene, I noticed she emphasizes about every third or fourth syallable.

More generally: when I'm getting in character and having trouble capturing a voice, I'll watch a couple of episodes or clips featuring the character. Pay special attention to body language.

It's so difficult to type accents phonetically and hit the correct stride. At best it will be seem hackneyed, and at worst it will be unintelligible. More formal accents, like (for instance) Received Pronunciation in the UK, are easier because they can be executed simply by adding a verbal polish. Thicker accents are trickier because they're usually peppered through with colloquialisms and slang. I've seen characters speak in phonetically-written Russian accents or Irish brogues and it looks like Morse code with all the apostrophes thrown around.

I'll agree with Sanne in that word choice is probably the most important in conveying a character's birthplace and level of education. Personally, I tend to italicize words or syllables where a character would naturally add emphasis, and this helps to hear the character speaking (as opposed to just reading their words).