King and I – Dialect Notes
Monday 10/28/13
Anna
First meeting with King, especially strong tonight. And Young Lovers was almost over before I
realized I wasn’t listening for dialect - A good thing!
Oh: don’t; pose; go; know noticed (getting to know you); cold; old
Liquid ‘u’: Tyune (throughout song); news, knew
T – at end of word: that I’m noṫ afraid; chance thaṫ you’ll meet
Long ‘a’: master, class
Short ‘a’: matter
E =eh: ten; end; et cetera; getting (very solid at the beginning of the song, slipped the as you
went through it…); letter; ever; men; centuries; well (when thinking 1.9)
**Get not git** – let’s get back to work
What I think of You




Party= pah’TY
Body=we’re looking for a good round ‘o’ in this word
Oh: Toad, road
Custom’ry, extra-ordin’ry
Louis
Post vocalic ‘r’s: near, certain
Oh: boat, suppose, closer, knows
Long ‘a’ rather, master
**Get not git**
T – at end of word: thaṫ I’m not afraid
Orton
You have a good sense of the individual sounds of this dialect, now you need to get away from
your day to day ‘mush mouth’ habits of not articulating the consonants. The Scots may drop
some consonants, we talked about that’s to thass…but they pronounce the ones they keep.
Kralahome – short ‘a’ (sounded like an o tonight)
You – consistent substitution to ye
Clear that away – away shifts almost to aweigh
Kralahome
Thai language sounded much more confident, clipped. Well done!
Object = Ob-jeh’
Succeed – I’m concerned that folks will hear secede – not helpful…Try suh-SSEED
Ramsey = W(R)AM-SSAY
Majesty = Mah’geh-SEE
Interpreter
Dialect: Good evening sir. Welcome to Siam – could not discern dialect
Goo’ ee-f’NING Sehw. Weh’KOHM too See-AMMM
Syllables equally weighted: Bang-kok
King
Yes, I have notes for you tonight. AND your dialect continues to get stronger and more confident
– and more kingly – each time we do a run. This is the point at which you’re getting notes
because so much of it sounds authentic, that what isn’t as specific stands out more. So know
these notes about striving for consistency to support the excellent choices you’re making.
Syllables equal weight: Funeral, acrobats, presidency, United States (four equal syllables so it
sounds like one compound word); barbarian, command; cre-at-ed; post meridian (five equal
syllables so it sounds like one compound word)
Also – consonant following a vowel usually goes to the beginning of second syllable (unlike
American) e.g. allow = a-llow
1.4 – review multi-syllabic words. Also, stay true to what you’re giving us; Chuhy is not
consistent, don’t let that throw you…
In Puzzlement:





Less ‘t’s at end of words in Puzzlement please (even when you’re trying to make a
point!)
Absolutely= ab- sOh-y(l)oo-dhlee
Facts = faks
Post vocalic ‘r’: sure
Unmovable=ahn-mof-a-buh’; people=pee-puh (and in school room)


Th shift to dh: another (consistency)
Ay shift to eh e.g. way
Schoolroom – less heavy ‘r’ at beginning of second syllable
e- eh: expensive (both e’s’); intended. AND much more consistent with this open e sound!
post vocalic ‘r’: learn
s/ss/c/z=ss: Apologize Agency
Write letter – Less emphasis on the ‘r’s in both words and less well formed ‘l’ at beginning of
letter
U (uh) = ah: Country, undergarments (syllables)
Thanks for taking the note on respect. Now Subject should sound like respect…
Ramsey = W(R)AM-SSAY; Edward = Edh- wah’
Thiang
Away aweh
Oops…I don’t think you’re on the Wives vsm group. My bad. I will send you Thai phrases
tonight. Or check with Alex/Hannah Rose to whom I also emailed it.
Red, right – try for less of an ‘r’ at the beginning of these two words. These words have such
emphasis, and needfully so, in your schoolroom story that we hear the ‘r’ a lot…try for the
suggestion that you form the shape of the letter with your lips, but leave the tongue loose…
great
Burma please shift this to the same pronunciation in scene 2 (Lun Tha)
Siam=See-AHM (emphasis on second syllable) (consistency)
Always Wonderful



Less ‘t’s at end of the words; not always – ‘t’ shifting to beginning of next word!
V shift to ‘f’ e.g. forgive, live, believe, lovd
Always= aw-wehs
Tuptim = Tahp-TEEM
Wives
Please check vsm for your Thai words and phrases!! or Alex/Hannah Rose have the Word Doc
and audio as email attachment. If you used any tonight, I could not hear anything…
Getting to Know You






With = weedh
Noticed = nOh-dheesse’
Breezy = bw(r)ee-ssee
Things = dheeng’
Day = deh
Learning = leh’-neeng
Prayer




Ordinary = Oh’-dhee-neh-w(r)ee
Dresses = dw(r)eh=sseess
Residency = w(r)eh—ssee-dehn-ssee
Agreement = Agw(r)ee-mehn’
Z=ss: Eliza (consistency throughout the Ballet). Also ‘ss’ attaches to third syllable: eel-eye-ssa
Children
No Place Like Home


Charm = sharm
Humble: less of an ‘l’ sound, more like hahm=buh’
Getting to Know You






With = weedh
Noticed = nOh-dheesse’
Breezy = bw(r)ee-ssee
Things = dheeng’
Day = deh
Learning = leh’-neeng
Prayer




Ordinary = Oh’-dhee-neh-w(r)ee
Dresses = dw(r)eh=sseess
Residency = w(r)eh—ssee-dehn-ssee
Agreement = Agw(r)ee-mehn’
Princess YY: learn= le’hn
Chulalogorn
A thought for the day. Couldn’t discern dialect.
Ah dhOt faw dhe deh.
U (uh)=ah: Round, country
V=f: Everything: ef=ery=dhing
Post vocalic ‘r’: Hard; mother
T at end of word: spot
Really going away – W(r)ee-y(l)ee gOh-eeng a-weh
T, th =dh: Mother, admit
Right or wrong – W(r)igh’ oaw w(r)ong
Puzzlement – Pah-zzuh-MEHN’
Tuptim
Your name=Tahp-teem
Syllables equal weight – Especially when you speak fast, we’re losing the sense that each
syllable has the same weight. Unlike in Amderican when we say ‘du-duh’, it should be duh-duh.
*If* there is emphasis, it should be on final syllable. E.g. majesty-mah-jeh-SEE
U (uh) = ah: Uncle
Post vocalic ‘r’: master (be consistent long/short a); for
Th=dh: this; Something sahm-dhing (o is like the ‘uh’ sound, so shifts to ‘ah’
Kiss in Sunlight




Post vocalic r: Whisper – whees=pah
Less sharp ‘t’ at end of word: Not nodh
What you see – what yoo ssee
Lover loves me – the o is like the ‘uh’, so Lah-feh’ lahfes mee (remembering the v to f
shift as well
I have Dreamed





Time - tahm
Th shift to dh: Things
Post vocalic r: Were, Arms, Whisper
Dreamed – Dw(r)eem’
Evening – eef-NING
u-uh must
Ballet



Syllables: Kentucky, people
V=f: Eva, slave
Z=ss: Eliza (consistency). Also ‘ss’ attaches to third syllable: eel-eye-ssa





Postvocalic ‘r’ fear, start
U (uh)=ah: upon, come
River – w(r)ee-fah
Th shift to dh: That
I too am glad of death of king Lost dialect on this line: Ah dhoo ahm glahd off deadh off
Keeng
Lun Tha
Much more consistent tonight; especially in Kiss in Sunlight. Thank you!
Pretending – pw(r)ee-tehn-DEENG
The – let’s go for double ee rather than uh sound, as well as shifting to dh, so dhee
Kiss in Sunlight






Post vocalic r: Whisper whees-pah
Smiling – smah -leeng
U (uh) to ah: Sunlight – sahn-light
Free – fw(r)ee
What you see – Wahdh yoo see
Lover loves me – the o is like the ‘uh’, so Lah-feh’ lahfes mee (remembering the v to f
shift as well
What is it – Wahdh eess eedh
Post vocalic r: Ordered, Arms Word
Waiting – weh-deengh
I Have Dreamed

Dreamed – dw(r)eem’
**Get not Git!** - forget = foh-geht
Sir Edward
Contrary – contr’y
Long a: dance (consistency)
Afraid like rain (think Eliza Doolittle!)
Short a: that