Dialect coach

A dialect coach assists an actor in assuming a certain regional or foreign accent to perform convincingly in radio, theatrical or film productions. Dialect coaches are skilled in pronunciation and phonetics (a branch of linguistics), and do not necessarily have to have the accent that they are teaching, though it may be helpful. This profession is often confused with that of a dialogue coach, a person who helps performers with their acting. This distinction gets even more confusing sometimes because a really good dialect coach frequently wears both hats.^{[citation needed]}

Many accents are very difficult for native English speakers because, in order to sound well, the actor would have to use muscles in the tongue and mouth that the speaker never used before.^{[citation needed]} The coaching can here become very similar to that of a gym coach: a muscle is a muscle and training the tongue and the mouth requires warm-ups, exercises and a lot of practice.^{[citation needed]}

Contrary to popular actors' belief, mastering the correct pronunciation, like rolling one's rs, for example, is not enough for an authentic-sounding accent, only half of the problem.^{[citation needed]} Acquiring the correct native pitch, the musicality of the language, is the second and equally important part of the equation.^{[citation needed]}

The best dialect coaches specialize in specific accents and languages and come from a variety of backgrounds.^{[citation needed]}

Notes