Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen

I have used Paul Meier's dialect book for years in preparation for my work as a professional dialect coach. I've assigned it to students and clients. The resources are detailed and rigorous in their use of phonetics while remaining useful to actors and students not familiar with the international phonetic alphabet. The primary source material from Professor Meier's IDEA website is outstanding. The translation of this resource into an ebook means that I have the entire volume available to me at any moment and that has proved very useful!

Paul is masterful. He's a brilliant coach that I have worked with for four years when I've needed dialect work for my auditions and projects. His ear is amazing, his advice wise and his coachings are always fun. This book is just like he is, amazing!!! Look no further for your dialect needs.

This iBook is a welcome upgrade to Paul Meier’s Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen. Already a rich resource for all actors, dialect teachers, and theatre coaches, this iBook version retains all of the meaty elements of the hard copy text while streamlining the former clunkier CD version. The iBook is a lithe user-friendly manual for dialect success! I love that the links are right there in the e-text so that as you are reading you are simultaneously clicking and listening. An added feature allowing you to take notes is also very useful. A truly valuable resource. I highly recommend this iBook.

I have used Paul Meier’s ACCENTS AND DIALECTS FOR STAGE AND SCREEN for several years. It is an exceptional book, very accessible and detailed. I am delighted that it is now available in iBooks. I highly, highly recommend.

I have used the print version of this book for several years. I am thrilled to be able to have it available to me in ibook form to conveniently have it with me any time, any where! I beleive Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen is the gold standard for anyone who needs and benefits from learning, using, and comprehending dialects from all over the world. Thanks, Paul, for making this great work electronically available!

Paul Meier, a leader in the field of dialects and accent training and the founder of the International Dialects of English Archive website (IDEA), has once again completely contemporized dialect and accent study by transforming his popular training book/CD compilation, Accents and Dialects for Stage & Screen, into an iBook for today's web-based technology. No more loading CDs into a computer or boombox (does anyone still own a boombox?), scrolling through the tracks and trying to follow along in the book; once the iBook is downloaded, twenty-five of the most often performed dialects and accents are two taps away on your smart phone, tablet or computer with every sound file imbedded right into the text. This IPA based instructional system uses the helpful lexical sets developed by John Wells as a key for the phonetic “signature sounds” prior to the sentence drills. The specific phonemic adjustments are adroitly described and modeled by Meier, as are the Additional Features (particularly unique linguistic characteristics) and the explanation of the Rhythm, Stress, Intonation and Tone. Coordination Exercises and sample dramatic texts include full IPA narrow transcriptions and references to the sound change lessons. The International Phonetic Association's official charts are also included, as well as a very comprehensive glossary of terms and diacritics. While Meier provides all the audio instruction and modeling himself, he also stresses that listening to authentic speakers on the related IDEA website is “central to the study,” and provides concise descriptions of pertinent characteristics of the online samples. This combination of real-life sources and phonetic drilling promotes authenticity and precision in pronunciation for actors and instructors, and increases awareness of the specific articulation adjustment needed for accuracy. If you're learning a accent or dialect on your own, you couldn't ask for a more user-friendly format: since all of the instructional text is spoken on the coordinated sound files, one could easily brush up on a dialect in the car, at an audition or in rehearsal--wherever and whenever you have your smartphone or tablet with you. As with other iBooks, tools to highlight, search, bookmark and change text size, font, background and scrolling direction are handy aids for your study. The length of each lesson is also well constructed, with ample pause time to mimic the sentence drills, coordination exercises and monologue lines. The sequence of twenty-five dialects and accents is particularly comprehensive in its survey of Anglo-European dialects of English, and also includes Indian, Spanish and Yiddish among the foreign language accents, and now includes a new Jamaican dialect not available in the print/CD publication. Having utilized Meier's system as the main training tool for my dialects course for the last thirteen years, I couldn’t be happier with the impact it has made on the students’ comprehension and accuracy, and on my own class preparation and execution. My past students loved the book/CD compilation, but my current students love having it all right on their phone or tablet even more--no more lugging a heavy backpack to class! This updated, practical training method receives a unanimous two thumbs up! Krista Scott Associate Professor, Voice and Acting Texas Christian University

I use Paul Meier's Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen in my advanced voice -dialects class. I was thrilled to find out there was now a digital form of the book. This new incarnation is an invaluable resource. There are now color visuals to accompany each accent and dialect and my students can study on thier personal computers and/or personal devices. No more losing discs or disc players not working. Professor Meier's seven step process for breaking down the accent/ dialects makes the learning easy to digest. The real wold samples offered as a collection on the International Dialects of English Archive compliment the iBook beautifully. This was my first experience using iBooks and I loved it. I can make the font bigger and I can adjust the lighting on my device to see better on my computer. I dont need to lug books and players around and the book is actually easier to navigate in digital form. Im thrilled and I know my students will be too. I highly recommend the new Ibook version of Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen by Paul Meier because it is streamlined, transportable, and an effective teaching resource for teachers and students.