Sean Bean in Patriot Games tried to put on a Northern Irish accent.
“Open it or I’ll blow it up!”
In this video we’re going to analyse his effort using clips from the movie.
If this is your first time here, I’m Alister, an English teacher and Northern Ireland
dialect coach. To know more about English, languages or accents, consider subscribing.
Should you be an actor looking to master your Northern Irish
accent then contact me using the details in the description below.
Before we dive into Sean Bean’s accent a brief introduction to the movie.
In Patriot Games, Harrison Ford plays a former CIA agent Jack Ryan.
He foils an attempted assassination,
thereby incurring the wrath of an IRA member, played by Sean Bean.
Right, let’s get straight into it with our first clips.
“They’re outside.” “Get out of the car!”
“Bloody proud of yourself, aren't you? You stuck your
nose in where it didn't belong. And now you've killed my baby brother.”
Listen again to how the character says the CAPITALISED words.
“They’re OUTSIDE.” “Get OUT of the car!”
“Bloody PROUD of yourself, aren't you? You
stuck your nose in where it didn't belong. And NOW you've killed my baby brother.”
If you’re a regular viewer on this channel,
you’ll know that this is probably the most important sound in the Northern
Irish accent and unsurprisingly the one that most non-natives find hardest to get correct.
And unfortunately, Sean Bean is no exception.
Put simply, if you’re an actor or anyone wanting
to master the Northern Irish accent you absolutely must nail this sound!
In a more typical British English accent this sound is the diphthong /aʊ/.
Outside. Out. Proud. Now.
A diphthong is a combination of two vowel sounds in a single syllable so the mouth has to move.
When making this diphthong you need to feel the rounded movement in your mouth, /aʊ/.
In a Northern Irish accent this doesn’t really happen,
we tend to speak far too quickly so the diphthong is shortened, [ow].
/aʊ/ vs. [ow]. With [ow] there is no rounded, there is no circular motion.
Listen to the differences.
“They’re OUTSIDE.”
Outside vs. outside.
“Get OUT of the car!”
Out vs. out.
“Bloody PROUD of yourself, aren't you? You
stuck your nose in where it didn't belong. And NOW you've killed my baby brother.”
Proud vs. proud.
Now vs. now.
By the way, this video is part of my series analysing actors attempting
the Northern Irish accent. To see how other famous names got on make
sure to check out the playlist after you’ve watched this video.
Our next clip:
“So, I’m TELLING you again. This won’t be like ANYTHING you’ve ever done before, little brother.”
This is another distinguishing feature of the Northern Irish accent and from
my point of view it’s actually probably the easiest to get right.
I’ll leave you to decide how Sean Bean gets on with it!
It’s the /ŋ/ sound in words ending with -ing.
To make this sound in most English accents you lift the back of the tongue.
[ɪŋ] Telling Anything [ɪŋ]
However, in Northern Irish English you lift the front of the tongue.
[ɪn] Tellin’ Anythin’ [ɪn]
Notice how your tongue moves differently.
[ɪŋ] [ɪn] [ɪŋ] [ɪn]
Here’s the clip again:
“So, I’m telling you again. This won’t be like anything you’ve ever done before, little brother.”
With a Northern Irish accent:
“So, I’m telling you again. This won’t be like anything you’ve ever done before, little brother.”
Anyway, which actors do you think do an accurate Northern Irish Accent?
Comment below!
As Sean Bean (and many other actors) have shown, the Northern Irish accent is
certainly one of the trickiest to master and it takes lots of time and effort to perfect.
If you’re an actor (or anyone) looking to master your Northern
Irish accent then contact me using the details in the description below.
Next, to see how Richard Gere got on with the Northern Irish accent check out this video.