A Scottish friend has sent me this. He wants to know if the actress who plays Catherine of Aragon speaks good Spanish. What do you think?
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I have just watch the clip even though not in depth but I personally think that if there is no breakdown in comunnication, then a language is well-spoken. In the even there is a breakdown, there a lot of strategiess to redirect the conversation, for example redundancy, repetition, rephrase what has been said, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf the purpose of communication has been served, then she is a good speaker. It is not about sounding like a native but being understood.
For me it's sounding like a native. But then again, I'm obsessed. I apply this to myself, but I'm a lot more lenient with my students. Or at least I try.
DeleteI am sorry. I wanted to say "I have just watched"... what a mistake!!! sorry.
DeleteIt's a typo, Daphne. No worries. Both you and I have to practise to have a better opinion of ourselves. Your English is great and you know a lot about Lit. Besides you're a lovely student.
DeleteWell, I think she only speaks Spanish once, at the beginning; threes words to Anne Boleyn:'puta de lujo' and, for me, it has being said with a proper 'Spanish' accent.
ReplyDeleteThe only special accent is when the actress try to speak English as if she were an native Spanish speaker: some of the /r/ instead /a:/ or /aa/, I think.
But I don't know how this sound was pronounced in the Sixteenth Century.
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DeleteSorry. 'Three' not 'ThreeS'. And 'A native' not 'aN native'.
DeleteYou make a good point, Jose Luis. But I guess it would be a lot more difficult to understand if they used Elizabethan English. Besides, nobody knows exactly how it sounded.
DeleteI´ve listened to the video, but I haven´t listened her speaking Spanish. I saw the series some years ago and I don´t remember her speaking Spanish either. So I don´t know the answer, but I must say that the series was really good, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched it, but as Jose Luis said before, she only spoke three words. I had to listen twice to understand 'de lujo'. But I think she did very well.
DeleteIt's amazing or proper. This actress, Maria Doyle Kennedy is Irish (born and educated in Dublin). Maybe that is the reason why she was chosen for the role of Katherine.
ReplyDeleteBut it is funny. When watching these piecs of scenes, I was thinking: It rings a bell but I don't remember where I have seen her. Later, I reminded I saw her in 'Outlander', the series, where her role is a Scottish Lady with a Scottish accent. Funny. Irish using Spanish and Scottish accents.
Actors are very good at copying other accents. Some actors at least. I think for an Iris person it would be easier to copy a Scottish accent than a Spanish one because they have certain common traits.
ReplyDeleteThanks, everybody. I'll send your answers to Kevin.
Thanks for self-correcting yourself, Jose Luis. It's a very good exercise.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your answers. For me Maria Doyle Kennedy did the Spanish accent well and acted well also. They cast a dark haired actress to play Catherine of Aragon probably because they expect Spaniards to be dark. Catherine of Aragon was actually a blonde.
ReplyDeleteThanks for starting this thread with your video and question. I never cease to be amazed by how much History you know.
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