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[pne]

Saw Harry Potter in the cinema tonight. Was a bit disappointed by Dumbledore's rhotic accent. Otherwise interesting.

Comments

[ubykhlives.livejournal.com]

But that doesn't necessarily make him not British - most Irish accents are also rhotic.

(Nevertheless, Michael Gambon ain't no Richard Harris, by any stretch of the imagination.)

[ubykhlives.livejournal.com]

(For "British", read "from the British Isles". Like "United States", there's no adjective that will suffice.)

[pne.livejournal.com]

Hm, apparently he was in film 3 as well... but I think I didn't see that one, or I might have noticed it then, too.

[ubykhlives.livejournal.com]

His part was very small - so small, in fact, that I'm not sure he had a speaking part. Even if you had seen it, you probably would have noticed.

(I can't speak for his accent in film 4 - Goblet of Fire comes out here on the 1^st of December, so I have not yet had the chance to see it.)

[pne.livejournal.com]

But that doesn't necessarily make him not British - most Irish accents are also rhotic.

Yes, I was vaguely aware of that - but I still associate with rhoticity with non-(British Isles)-ness, perhaps because I haven't encountered (m)any rhotic speakers from there.

[ubykhlives.livejournal.com]

Agreed. The English Englishes are probably some of the most classically non-rhotic dialects in existence, although Australian English gives them a run for their money.

[node-ue.livejournal.com]

Are there /any/ rhotic dialects in the Pacific?

[ubykhlives.livejournal.com]

I can't think of any, unless you count Hawaiian English. :P

Seriously, there may be some, but I don't know of any.