Thoughts on Nords that have custom strange accents

[Valus34]

Hello everyone, I've noticed recently and over the summertime that there are some custom made mods were voice actors are using British or "pretend to be" British accents for the Nords. All I remember is that Nords are meant to have Slavic, Scandinavian, Russian, German, or Norweigan accents. It's the Bretons that are the ones who have British or American accents.

What are your thoughts on this that Bethesda intended?

Thanks

[Fistandilius]

  On 12/6/2013 at 7:42 PM, Valus34 said:

Hello everyone, I've noticed recently and over the summertime that there are some custom made mods were voice actors are using British or "pretend to be" British accents for the Nords. All I remember is that Nords are meant to have Slavic, Scandinavian, Russian, German, or Norweigan accents. It's the Bretons that are the ones who have British or American accents.

 

What are your thoughts on this that Bethesda intended?

 

Thanks

I'm confused. Are you talking about mods or are you talking about content that Bethesda made?

[Valus34]

  On 12/7/2013 at 10:38 PM, Fistandilius said:

 

  On 12/6/2013 at 7:42 PM, Valus34 said:

Hello everyone, I've noticed recently and over the summertime that there are some custom made mods were voice actors are using British or "pretend to be" British accents for the Nords. All I remember is that Nords are meant to have Slavic, Scandinavian, Russian, German, or Norweigan accents. It's the Bretons that are the ones who have British or American accents.

 

What are your thoughts on this that Bethesda intended?

 

Thanks

I'm confused. Are you talking about mods or are you talking about content that Bethesda made?

 

 

You're right I meant "user created" mods. What are your thoughts on why they use a British accent with the Nords when the Nords are intended to be a viking type race? Nords are depicted as Scandinavian, Slavic, and Norwegian accents.

 

Also, why use Scottish accents with the Nords?

Edited December 12, 2013 by Valus34

[KanesGhost]

Unfortunately a number of Mod users seem to take issue with Scandinavian Accents...the Follower Mod 'Vilja', the Modder is Scandinavian and voices Vilja, a number of less than savory comments on Vilja's accent seem to plague that thread... :sad:

[MostlyMuggie]

I think the problem is that these accents are hard for many American modder's to make. We hear British accents a lot and therefore since it is more common, it is easier to replicate than a Scandinavian one. So I am sure that many people just settle on it thinking that it will sound fine and fit the game.

 

That, or they many modder's just don't even realize that it isn't a British accent.

 

I look highly on mods with quality voice acting with accurate accents.

Edited December 12, 2013 by MostlyMuggie

[myztikrice]

Because few people know or care about

  On 12/6/2013 at 7:42 PM, Valus34 said:

Nords are meant to have Slavic, Scandinavian, Russian, German, or Norweigan accents. It's the Bretons that are the ones who have British or American accents.

[rhowington]

Actually, I believe you should lay the blame on Bethesda. One of the first thing I noticed was that when doing the "In My Time of Need" quest, Fralia Gray-Mane and Avulstein Gray-Mane had no accents but, when you got to Thorald Grey-Mane to free him from the Thalmor, he sounded like a cheap Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. So when I modded Thorald, I changed the voice so he would sound more like the rest of his family.

[Fistandilius]

  On 12/12/2013 at 2:27 AM, Valus34 said:

 

  On 12/7/2013 at 10:38 PM, Fistandilius said:

 

  On 12/6/2013 at 7:42 PM, Valus34 said:

Hello everyone, I've noticed recently and over the summertime that there are some custom made mods were voice actors are using British or "pretend to be" British accents for the Nords. All I remember is that Nords are meant to have Slavic, Scandinavian, Russian, German, or Norweigan accents. It's the Bretons that are the ones who have British or American accents.

 

What are your thoughts on this that Bethesda intended?

 

Thanks

I'm confused. Are you talking about mods or are you talking about content that Bethesda made?

 

 

You're right I meant "user created" mods. What are your thoughts on why they use a British accent with the Nords when the Nords are intended to be a viking type race? Nords are depicted as Scandinavian, Slavic, and Norwegian accents.

 

Also, why use Scottish accents with the Nords?

 

 

Finding quality voice actors is hard enough without worrying about whether or not the accents are geographically correct with the lore, and as Rhowington said above, Bethesda didn't exactly stay consistent. What would you call Delphine's accent exactly? She's supposedly a Breton, and then you have Esbern who is just classified as "elder". Farkas doesn't exactly sound Scandanavian either. Come to think of it I can't think of a single character in the game with what I would think of as a Scandanavian accent, at least not among the main characters. I guess the actress that does Mjoll is close.

[djjohnjarvis]

Well you only have to check the voice actor posts to see that the accents people always try to learn are various British or American accents, so since they know them already and because British accents are so stereotyped for roles when it comes to historical or fantasy movies or games based on folk lore. It's easy to see why they stick to what they know and what is popular. To be honest fake nord accents usually aren't that great unless done by someone who actually is from one of those European countries (with the rare exception of course). Also what do you use as reference material when trying to imitate a nord accent as there must be loads of possible accents and Bethesda haven't exactly given many good examples.

 

The best voice actors to get for nords are ones with very mild European accents who are so fluent in speaking English as a second language to the point where it isn't that noticeable, so they sound authentic enough whilst still appealing to those who find accents irritating because it is more similar to a regional accent than a totally foreign one. People don't seem to notice it so much, if at all.

[Valus34]

Huh? Okay. Thank you all. If you have more thoughts to share they are most welcomed. :)