New York City’s famous Drama Book Shop is turning 100 years old next month. If you’re in New York on October 2, check out their open-house centennial celebration. It will run from 2 to 10 p.m. and will include special guests, performances, and refreshments.

The store is located at 250 West 40th Street, #1, and has been offering theatre and film scripts and other performance-related titles since 1917. Drama Book Shop has carried Paul Meier Dialect Services products for years. (We’re very grateful!) 

To celebrate Independence Day, Paul is offering his six American dialects at HALF PRICE from July 3 through July 7. The Windows/Mac ebooks and print book/CD versions of General American, South Boston, New York, American Southern, Deep South, and Downeast New England are all just $12.45 instead of the usual $24.95.  (Postage still applies for the print book/CD versions.) And Paul’s ebook package, Dialects of the United States, is selling for $24.95 instead of its usual $49.95. (That is available as an ebook only, not in print/CD.)

Please note that this sale is for items on PaulMeier.com only, NOT on the iPhone/iPad/iPodtouch versions sold on iTunes. Also please note that the ebook versions sold on this site are compatible with Windows and Mac systems but NOT with Apple mobile devices.

Go to All Accents & Dialects and browse the products, taking note of the green “sale” sticker.

Happy Fourth of July!

For all OP fans, check out David Barrett’s publications on Shakespeare’s Original Pronunciation (OP) on his website. David very graciously contributed to my own Early Modern English: Pronunciation and OP on the Modern Stage, published in the Cambridge World Shakespeare Encyclopedia: ISBN: 9781107057258. Congratulations, David!

— Paul

Please listen to my recent interview on accents and dialects with the BBC World Service at this link. My short segment begins at 17:37 , but there are several other interesting pieces in the show on accents from Scotland, Texas, India, and New Zealand. I was particularly pleased that they focused on the International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA), which I founded 20 years ago, and chose to test the interviewer’s skill in accent detection by playing a recording from an old friend of mine from The Rose Bruford drama school in London, where we both trained.  See if you can identify his accent as you listen.

— Paul

If you’d thought about purchasing one of Paul’s dialect/accent products but wanted to browse the product before buying to make sure it was right for you, you’re now in luck! We’ve just added free video previews to individual product pages. To see one for Scottish, for example, click here.

Most of the products now have their own video, and we’ll be working over the next few days to add videos for all the rest. The videos walk you through the Windows/Mac ebook versions, but they are useful even if you’re thinking of buying the print book (with CD) or the iTunes version, as the material is essentially the same regardless of format.

Paul is happy to announce two new iTunes ebooks. Dialects of the British Isles and Ireland, which was previously available only as a print book with CDs, is now for sale on iTunes for $49.99. That’s the same price as the print book, but without the shipping cost and wait. It contains nine dialects of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The second ebook, Dialects of the United States, was previously available only as a Windows/Mac ebook. It’s now also for sale on iTunes for $49.99. It contains six American dialects.

The ebooks are compatible with Mac computers and also Apple mobile devices, such as iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. They open in iBooks. For a full description of the products (and to access the iTunes links), click the links above. Or simply search your iTunes library for the titles. And keep in mind iTunes offers free downloadable previews of both ebooks. (Also remember that Paul is offering his Hampshire iTunes ebook for FREE for the rest of February.)

 

Congratulations to Dev Patel for winning the BAFTA for best supporting actor for Lion! I worked with Dev on About Cherry, back in 2011.

Elizabeth Montoya-Stemann was a constant source of help when I was writing and recording my Jamaican Dialect last year. One of her students, Lemar Archer, contributed recordings of both The Lord’s Prayer and a speech from Julius Caesar in Jamaican Patwa. Elizabeth is IDEA’s Associate Editor for Jamaica, contributing many of the samples I cite in the book. She’s pictured here holding a copy of the book, which I recently donated to the library at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica, where Elizabeth is a lecturer. Many thanks, Elizabeth! (Click here for more information about the book/ebook.)

— Paul

We’re happy to announce that Paul’s Hampshire Dialect iTunes ebook is FREE for the entire month of February. We strongly suggest downloading this ebook and keeping it in your iTunes library even if you don’t intend to master the Hampshire dialect, as the ebook provides great insight into all of Paul’s dialect and accent material. And because Paul grew up in Hampshire, in southern England, this dialect is particularly meaningful to him. (You might notice that in addition to possessing a colorful, charming, rural sound, the Hampshire dialect is the inspiration for the modern, movie “pirate” dialect, which arguably was introduced by British actor Robert Newton in Walt Disney’s Treasure Island, in 1950.) Click here to download, or just search for “The Hampshire Dialect” in your iTunes store. This ebook is compatible with iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, and also Mac computers, but not Windows computers. (Click here for the Windows version, which is available for its regular price of $24.95.)

Just in time for the holidays, we’re proud to announce that Paul’s Italian Accent instructional manual is now available as an iTunes ebook, compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac, for $24.95. Click here. It had previously been available only as a Windows/Mac ebook and as a hard-copy book with CD. (It’s still available in those formats, here.)

We have some exciting news that we’ve been waiting a long time to announce: We’re finally able to offer Paul’s signature product, Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen, in iTunes ebook format! It’s compatible with Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. And even better: Now through December 31, both the ebook and the print book (with CDs) are 30 percent off. That’s $69.99 instead of the usual $99.95. Go to https://www.paulmeier.com/…/accents-and-dialects-for-stage-…/ for details and to take advantage of the holiday sale on the print book. Or go directly to https://itunes.apple.com/…/accents-dialects-f…/id1181641700… for the ebook (or simply search the iTunes store for the book title). Happy holidays!