Thinking of a Narrated Bible

[Keith&Co.]

Recording a Red Letter version of scripture.
But snorting helium before reading the lines where Jesus talks.

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the cheese
"ALVIN!!!"

 

[steve_bank]

Well, it is funny how when there is narration on a show or in a movie it is alwys stoic and hard sounding. Like Charleton Heston playing moses in the 10 C

 

[ideologyhunter]

And who knew ancient Romans had bloody English accents? (Except for John Wayne in his non-Oscar-nommed cameo as a centurion: "Aw, truly, this was the son o' God!")

 

[Politesse]

James Earl Jones did an audiobook recording of the Bible, if you want to hear Darth Vader read all the lines.

 

[Politesse]

And who knew ancient Romans had bloody English accents? (Except for John Wayne in his non-Oscar-nommed cameo as a centurion: "Aw, truly, this was the son o' God!")

We're so used to this trope in the US, I think an audience would be confused and probably laugh if a Roman emperor spoke with a noticeably Italian accent in a film. I want to see this film anyway, though. Roberto Benigni would make an excellent Nero.

 

[skepticalbip]

A good while back I heard a discussion about the role media plays in U.S. politics. A presidential historian on the panel said that if there were radio or television in the mid 1800s then Lincoln would never have been elected because Lincoln's voice was thin and high pitched, a falsetto voice. I guess Lincoln was lucky that presidential campaigns were mostly conducted through fliers and newspapers at the time.

I can imagine the public reception a movie about Lincoln would receive if the Lincoln actor had a soprano voice.

 

[Keith&Co.]

James Earl Jones did an audiobook recording of the Bible, if you want to hear Darth Vader read all the lines.

Only if it's the version where Jesus Force-chokes Peter.

33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. 36 But Jesus did wave his hand oddly, lifting Peter up into the air, though none were touching him by hand or foot. Seriously, he was, like, WAY over there. 37 And Jesus said, I find your lack of faith disturbing.

 

[Keith&Co.]

I wonder if the guy that does the Brick Testament would like to reshoot all of Jesus' verses with Darth Vader?

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "I have the high ground!"

 

[Politesse]

A good while back I heard a discussion about the role media plays in U.S. politics. A presidential historian on the panel said that if there were radio or television in the mid 1800s then Lincoln would never have been elected because Lincoln's voice was thin and high pitched, a falsetto voice. I guess Lincoln was lucky that presidential campaigns were mostly conducted through fliers and newspapers at the time.

I can imagine the public reception a movie about Lincoln would receive if the Lincoln actor had a soprano voice.

Mao Zedong had a similar problem; his voice was less than pleasant, and his provincial dialect so thick that Mandarin speakers have genuine trouble following him. They hire actors to play him in propos now, even though plenty of recordings exist.

 

[bilby]

And who knew ancient Romans had bloody English accents? (Except for John Wayne in his non-Oscar-nommed cameo as a centurion: "Aw, truly, this was the son o' God!")

We're so used to this trope in the US, I think an audience would be confused and probably laugh if a Roman emperor spoke with a noticeably Italian accent in a film. I want to see this film anyway, though. Roberto Benigni would make an excellent Nero.

I very much doubt that the modern Italian accent is any closer to the way Imperial or Republican Romans spoke than modern English accents are.

 

[bilby]

A good while back I heard a discussion about the role media plays in U.S. politics. A presidential historian on the panel said that if there were radio or television in the mid 1800s then Lincoln would never have been elected because Lincoln's voice was thin and high pitched, a falsetto voice. I guess Lincoln was lucky that presidential campaigns were mostly conducted through fliers and newspapers at the time.

I can imagine the public reception a movie about Lincoln would receive if the Lincoln actor had a soprano voice.

Mao Zedong had a similar problem; his voice was less than pleasant, and his provincial dialect so thick that Mandarin speakers have genuine trouble following him. They hire actors to play him in propos now, even though plenty of recordings exist.

When I was growing up in the UK, as part of an attempt to marginalise the Irish Republicans, there was a ban on broadcasting speeches made by Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein.

The news media got around this ban (and protested against it) by showing footage of Mr Adams speaking, but with his voice replaced by that of an actor reading his exact words.

When the ban was lifted, many viewers (myself included), were quite surprised to discover that Mr Adams had a very thick Irish accent that made him sound like a bit of a yokel, and sounded nothing like the softer and more 'educated' sounding Dublin accent of the BBC's actor.

IMO it would have been better strategy from the government to lift the ban far sooner.

 

[Politesse]

And who knew ancient Romans had bloody English accents? (Except for John Wayne in his non-Oscar-nommed cameo as a centurion: "Aw, truly, this was the son o' God!")

We're so used to this trope in the US, I think an audience would be confused and probably laugh if a Roman emperor spoke with a noticeably Italian accent in a film. I want to see this film anyway, though. Roberto Benigni would make an excellent Nero.

I very much doubt that the modern Italian accent is any closer to the way Imperial or Republican Romans spoke than modern English accents are.

This is half true; modern Italian was never highly creolized with Germanic languages, so we would expect it to fall a bit closer to the ancient mode of speech.

 

[skepticalbip]

I very much doubt that the modern Italian accent is any closer to the way Imperial or Republican Romans spoke than modern English accents are.

This is half true; modern Italian was never highly creolized with Germanic languages, so we would expect it to fall a bit closer to the ancient mode of speech.

I would think that would be impossible to say with any certainty. True that modern Italian adopted few new Germanic words compared to the rest of Europe but certainly did adopt the sentence structure so quite possibly and likely pronunciation too. Aside from that, pronunciation changes over time even in any culture speaking the same language. For example, the many very different accents within England. I seriously doubt that modern Italians sound anything like ancient Romans even in the pronunciation of the same word.

 

[Politesse]

I very much doubt that the modern Italian accent is any closer to the way Imperial or Republican Romans spoke than modern English accents are.

This is half true; modern Italian was never highly creolized with Germanic languages, so we would expect it to fall a bit closer to the ancient mode of speech.

I would think that would be impossible to say with any certainty. True that modern Italian adopted few new Germanic words compared to the rest of Europe but certainly did adopt the sentence structure so quite possibly and likely pronunciation too. Aside from that, pronunciation changes over time even in any culture speaking the same language. For example, the many very different accents within England. I seriously doubt that modern Italians sound anything like ancient Romans even in the pronunciation of the same word.

I agree, it's quite likely that they pronounced Latin very differently than their modern descendants, and indeed we know from the historical record that there were many regional accents of Latin as well, even in the capital and among the upper classes, who were increasingly often from elsewhere. But modern Italian or Spanish likely has a much more similar phonology than any variant of English. There's a missing wild card there.

 

[steve_bank]

General Patton actualy had a high pitched squeakiy voice. Nothing like George C Scott who played him in the movie.

If you go by the bible TV shows the ancient Jews were a boring mono toned stoic people with no humor. Angelic choirs whenever they speak about god.

I kind of doubt that.

 

[steve_bank]

I would think that would be impossible to say with any certainty. True that modern Italian adopted few new Germanic words compared to the rest of Europe but certainly did adopt the sentence structure so quite possibly and likely pronunciation too. Aside from that, pronunciation changes over time even in any culture speaking the same language. For example, the many very different accents within England. I seriously doubt that modern Italians sound anything like ancient Romans even in the pronunciation of the same word.

I agree, it's quite likely that they pronounced Latin very differently than their modern descendants, and indeed we know from the historical record that there were many regional accents of Latin as well, even in the capital and among the upper classes, who were increasingly often from elsewhere. But modern Italian or Spanish likely has a much more similar phonology than any variant of English. There's a missing wild card there.

From a show on Rome Latin as you study it in school was not commonly used. Caesar would have spoken a dialect. The difference between learning English and proper granary in school and learning to speak in the real world.

I read that in Aramaic some of the words of Jesus would sound like rhyming puns as we would say today.



Trying to figure out colloquial meaning and sounds is like trying to understand the written monologues of a Johnny Carson or Jay Leno using a literal dictionary reading 2000 years from now.

I had Latin in high school. It was required.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Hmm... a New Yorker's accented narrated bible.

 

[Keith&Co.]

I read a version of Lysistrata where the translator tried to impart the Athenian view of another city by giving that character a thick hayseed accent.
Maybe give Jesus a laid-back, California, legalize pot accent. Romans as hardball Bronx dialect. The disciples as hicks. Those morons had to be convinced of Jesus'divinity every miracle. And again a day later when he miracled again, they still had to he convinced....

 

[Politesse]

One thing I've noticed? Audiobooks of the Bible overwhelmingly choose male narrators. There are exceptions, but they aren't the norm, and they are commented on even in the title ("a women's companion to the Scriptures", etc) as though a man could not possibly bear to listen to a woman reading the holy book. Rather insulting to all concerned, and ironic considering that the Bible itself usually describes Logos/Sophia as female. I'm glad I had a female pastor growing up, sexism in the Church bugs the hell out of me.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

One thing I've noticed? Audiobooks of the Bible overwhelmingly choose male narrators. There are exceptions, but they aren't the norm, and they are commented on even in the title ("a women's companion to the Scriptures", etc) as though a man could not possibly bear to listen to a woman reading the holy book. Rather insulting to all concerned, and ironic considering that the Bible itself usually describes Logos/Sophia as female. I'm glad I had a female pastor growing up, sexism in the Church bugs the hell out of me.

Perfect, Fran Drescher.