South African dialect

Hey there, everyone!

Some months ago, in a visit to the theatre, I had the chance to watch the film "Blood Diamond". Almost inmediatly, I was captured for the both exotic and charming English dialect used by the main star (Leo Di Caprio). As soon as the movie ended, I rushed to my house and tuned some South African's radio stations (listen online feature) hoping to hear more of that accent. Couldn't find anything similar, though. Some people told me the accent Di Caprio used was Zimbabwean. However, no radio station was available for Zimbabwe's zone. There are a couple of stations based on Harare but none still are transmiting.

There's something that's not entirely Zimbabwean but South African in the speeches of Blood Diamond. For instance, the cheer: "How's it, bru?". I read that greeting is more South African than Zimbabwean because it derives from Afrikaans.

Can somebody point me at the right dialect Di Caprio was speaking at the movie? Kindly could you please tell me where to listen (online) to more of that accent?

Thanks

It was not an English accent at all, I would have to say. I would tend towards thinking that it was South African, as it clearly had significant Afrikaans influence in it, such as the use of "yah" for "yeah", the use of "by" to mean "at" (if I recall correctly), and the presence of final devoicing (again, if I recall correctly). Furthermore, derogatory terms from the South African apartheid regime were used by Di Caprio at times, such as "kaffir". I would imagine that there would have been far less Afrikaans influence in Zimbabwean English, and hence the features above would largely rule such out.

Apparently he had a 'Rhodesian' accent luv. As far as I know Rhodesia is now called Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is a big country and I think under British rule was divided into a North and South Rodesia (I think!!!), so I am not all that certain which region of Zimbabwe his accent is from. I did hear however, that he mastered his accent in nearby Mozambique, so who knows???

I'll say this though, it is not a South African accent.

No, Zimbabwe only consists of former South Rhodesia. (North Rhodesia became Zambia.) I don't see any reason why we should refer to anyone's accent today as Rhodesian rather than Zimbabwean, although in many places I have seen Di Caprio's character referred to as "a Rhodesian" with a "Rhodesian accent". I suspect that they may be using "Rhodesian" as an ethnonym to refer to white Zimbabweans.

DiCaprio's character is what is known here as an "ex-Rhodie" (ex-Rhodesian), a term used for whites who had left the country after independence (most of them did). His character's name is Danny Archer, which could be English or Afrikaans. A significant portion of the white population in the former Rhodesia were Afrikaans. The "Rhodesian" accent differs little from the South African English accent. DiCaprio didn't learn the accent in Mozambique (if he had, he would have sounded completely different), he was taught the accent by amongst others Arnold Vosloo, who is a native Afrikaans speaker. I haven't seen the movie, but according to South African newspapers, his character was South African, originating from Rhodesia (which would mean, given his age, that the character must have spent much of his childhood in South Africa. Travis is right in his comments, but I should point out that terms such as "kaffir" was also used in Rhodesia. Referring to a white person from Rhodesia/Zimbabwe as a Rhodesian, is in a way a political statement. Many whites from there use the term with pride, to disassociate them from the current Zimbabwe (as DiCaprio's character was apparently a racist, he certainly would have called himself a Rhodesian).

The Federation of Rhodesia originally consisted of Southern Rhodesia (later Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe), Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), and Nyassaland (now Malawi).


This is part of a review which appeared in a South African magazine.

"“Zimbabwe ,” an American journalist played by a horribly miscast Jennifer Connolly corrects him. “They call it Zimbabwe now.”

“Do they now?” he replies.

Usually Hollywood movies about Africa and South Africa are a source of hilarity to local audiences as Hollywood tends to get so many details about this country wrong. Who can forget Joss Ackland's atrocious “Afrikaans” accent as the villainous apartheid-era ambassador in Lethal Weapon II, for instance? Or that ornamental Nazi eagle in his office (come on, which Department of Foreign Affairs official's office ever looked like that?) Or how about the Nazi-like paraphernalia adorning the podium as the celluloid Jimmy Kruger made his notorious “Biko died after a hunger strike” speech in Cry Freedom?

But what South African audiences usually find the most entertaining (or insulting, depending on your sense of humour) is when Hollywood actors attempt a Seth Effrikan accent. (One can only imagine how they have mangled other “ethnic” accents in the movies throughout the years then, particularly in all those movies featuring the poor Russians as villains!)

However, in Blood Diamond we're happy to say that while DiCaprio doesn't always get the accent right, he at least gets the character spot on. Or maybe the role was just well-written, as the screenplay at least seems decently researched with an eye for detail and an ear for the local tongue.

“Doos,” DiCaprio's character murmurs when faced by an officious soldier, which had the audience I was with laugh appreciatively. DiCaprio has aged well enough to fit this role; no longer the fresh-faced boy star of Titanic, he is more credible as a tough action man than, let's say, the soft-faced Colin Farrell in Miami Vice. Cynical and opportunistic, DiCaprio comes off like an boer seun Han Solo, spouting the sort of political incorrect dialogue one imagine a character like him would in real life.

Blood Diamonds gets other things right too, mostly by casting local actors such as Arnold Vosloo and Marius Weyers as Afrikaner diamond smuggling heavies. One detail that is straight out of the Hollywood cliché rule book though is when DiCaprio's character visits the Stellenbosch vineyards of his employers and there are machinegun-wielding heavies all over the place guarding it like one always sees with Columbian drug lords in the movies. Very unlikely. "

To hear the South African English accent, listen to www.safm.co.za

To add one comment, his accent was not "mainstream South African English". From what I've heard, it's either an Afrikaans accent, or a lowerclass South African (or Rhodesian) accent.

>>To add one comment, his accent was not "mainstream South African English". From what I've heard, it's either an Afrikaans accent, or a lowerclass South African (or Rhodesian) accent.<<

The thing that stuck out to me was the degree of apparent Afrikaans influence in his character's speech; it really did not sound like any native English accent that I had heard of myself, and sounded almost like English spoken as a second language by someone speaking a non-Anglic West Germanic language.

Of course, though, it would not be inconceivable for such to be a native English dialect accent, considering that many of the features he had are also present amongst native English-speakers here (even though their ultimate source is German rather than Afrikaans).

White South African accent sounds just like a posh English accent.

>>White South African accent sounds just like a posh English accent.<<

I am presuming here that you mean that the person's native language is English, and not, say, Afrikaans.

Yeah

Firstly, as a white English-speaking South African, I have to say that DiCaprio's accent in Blood Diamond was shocking. At times it approached a genuine South African accent, but mostly the rhythm was all wrong and it sounded forced and artificial.

Secondly, it is impossible to tell the difference between a white English-speaking Zimbabwean accent and a white English-speaking South African accent. They sound exactly the same and anyone who tells you that they can tell the difference is lying. Having said that, while the accent is exactly the same, you might hear a South African English-speaker using a few more Afrikaans words than a Zimbabwean English-speaker.

Thirdly, I have lived in the UK for a few years (since I was 22, and I am 28 now) and I have definitely noticed that British people find a South African English accent to be quite educated.

Thirdly, I have lived in the UK for a few years (since I was 22, and I am 28 now) and I have definitely noticed that British people find a South African English accent to be quite educated.

True, people over often think it is similar to RP. Heard it has it derives from this and Dutch and local African manner of speaking, I think it is only the Americans that think it is VERY different, I don't.

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there's a difference between posh and educated. there is no accents that is more educated than the other, just what is perceived as being a common accents to a posh accents.

Americans are very different, the believe in and what no other nationals believe.

Guys, everyone is going off the point here... the main questions were

>>Can somebody point me at the right dialect Di Caprio was speaking at the movie? Kindly could you please tell me where to listen (online) to more of that accent? <<


After reading it all... i still don't understand what the difference is between all the different accents and dialects.

:s