– Why do older movies/shows/news/recordings have a much different “tone” of voice and feel to them? Like if you watch old movies like “It’s a Wonderful Life” or hear any of Kennedy/FDR’s speeches, it sounds so different than the voices on tv today?

Question

Sorry for the awful explanation…

In: Technology

Answer 1

The Mid-Atlantic accent, or Transatlantic accent, is a purposefully-cultivated accent of English that blends together the most prestigious features of American and British English (specifically Received Pronunciation for the latter). Adopted in the early 20th century mostly by American aristocrats and Hollywood actors, it is not a native or regional accent; instead, according to voice and drama professor Dudley Knight, it is an affected set of speech patterns “whose chief quality was that no Americans actually spoke it unless educated to do so”.

Primarily fashionable in the first half of the 20th century, the accent was embraced in private independent preparatory schools, especially by members of the Northeastern upper class, as well as in schools for film and stage acting.

The accent’s overall use sharply declined following the Second World War.

It was popularly used in movies, television, etc. as a “non-accent,” meaning something in any English-speaking country could readily understand but not tie directly to a specific place.