General Zelda Would Different Races Have Their Own Accents?

[Dragoncat]

Inspired by the thread in General Discussion about different accents that has you record your voice. In Hyrule they seem to have one common language that everybody speaks, but do you think different races/cultures would sound different? Would the people in Kakariko sound like Southerners, would gerudos sound like hispanics? Would zoras sound like they're talking underwater *shot* You get the idea.

I think gorons would probably be loud and gruff sounding, and I do believe that gerudos would have a hispanic sound. I mean, just look at the Gerudo Valley song. It screams southwest. You are now picturing Ganondorf speaking bad spanglish. You're welcome Twilis would have an exotic accent, maybe far eastern...

What are your ideas?

 

[Moonstone]

I also think the Gorons would sound gruff. Some would have loud, booming noises, others normal or quiet, and always gravelly. Zora's would have fluid voices, probably not the bubbly voice of being underwater (unless they happen to be underwater). They would have laughter that laps up like waves, and voices as smooth as a lake or steady river.

I'm not sure I picture Gerudos speaking Spanish, but I do imagine them with a more clipped tone, like that of annoyance. Some might have more languid speech, speaking sensually, like a lover. Ganondorf's voice would be deep and falsely calming.

 

[Justac00lguy]

Never actually thought of this, lol.

Hylians
I would think the Hylians would have a stereotypical posh British accent as the Kingdom has a lot of similarities to medieval Britain. So the upper class would be more so posh; however the more working class Hylians would have more of a slang cockney accent.

Kakariko Inhabitants
I'd imagine Kakariko Village, with it having a southern-like twist, to have a Texan accent. Maybe it's the barns and whatnot, but I like to think of them as being pretty laid back Texans going about their daily life.

Gerudos
The Gerudos to me seem quite Middle Eastern; I think Keith mentioned this another post and it honestly makes a lot of sense giving their skin tone, clothing, weaponry etc. Specifically, I'd imagine them having an intimidating Turkish accent.

Gorons
Gorons, with their size and all, would be Russian. This one was harder, but I always imagine them speaking in 3rd person Russian for some odd reason.

 

[Dragoncat]

I'm not sure I picture Gerudos speaking Spanish, but I do imagine them with a more clipped tone, like that of annoyance. Some might have more languid speech, speaking sensually, like a lover. Ganondorf's voice would be deep and falsely calming.

I never said Spanish, I said hispanic accent. Like...someone who had Spanish as their first language speaking English. But that works too.

 

[Snow Queen]

I don't think so. Hyrule is so squashed together, and the races and tribes probably associate so often that they probably share the same accent.

 

[Évariste]

Can races have some individuals speaking with different accents? I'm not sure how well-populated the Zelda universe is, but maybe there exist Gorons or Zoras that exist in places outside Hyrule?

I tend to picture each race as maintaining the same accent though. I picture Zoras as having Australian accents and Gorons as having Scandinavian accents. Not as sure about the rest...Hylians sound pretty American in my biased mind, but not southern or Boston or Minnesotan or like they're subscribing to any other regional habits.

 

[Deleted member 14134]

I imagine that each race would have it's own language and certain leaders/members of each race would know "Hylian" but have rough accents to go with it.

 

[ihateghirahim]

We're analyzing the speaking accents of a game series with no voice acting.

 

[Moonstone]

We're analyzing the speaking accents of a game series with no voice acting.

I prefer it this way. Without voice acting, we can imagine for ourselves how the people of the world speak.

If there was voice acting, I don't think we'd be having this conversation.

 

[Justac00lguy]

We're analyzing the speaking accents of a game series with no voice acting.

Yeah that's where imagination comes in my friend.

 

[Therapist Bill]

I could definitely see Hylians & Gerudos having different accent. Like Justacoolguy said I would guess something middle-eastern for the Gerudo, a little intimidating maybe too seeing as how they are this little more isolated and tight knit group of people. The Hylians I could also see having a more posh sounding classic accent the higher up your social status goes, with cockney being at the bottom. Now for the different races, I'd like to think that the Gorons and Zoras have their own language all together. I mean, we are talking about one race that is technically talking rocks and the other which is beautiful humanoid fish people. For these, I'd love to see them have very exotic accent, can't think of what I could compare with in modern day society. Although I do also think it would be cool if their very way of talking reflected their race too, Gorons could be very rough & deep in their accents while Zoras more sensual and calm.

^^ ^^ ^^

 

[Shadsie]

Actually, they do have accents - if you pay attention to the written dialogue. Maybe I'm channeling the manga here, but I seem to recall in Ocarina of Time the Gorons punctuating sentences with "Goro" and the Zoras with "Zora." I think this is meant to convey a kind of accent for those peoples.

Additionally, in Twilight Princess, if you notice Fado's speech patterns, he has a bit of "country" inflection. He kind of speaks like a redneck or old timey farmer. I think he may represent an "extreme" end of how people in Ordon talk. Most of them read fairly bland and normal, but, perhaps, they have a slight country or "southern" (or perhaps for Japan, kansai / Osaka accent ) inflection. And Shad... Shad speaks with kind of archaic words, in a nerdy manner - a kind of high-intellectual manner with speech that isn't often used anymore. (Kind of like me sometimes, actually. I like big, obscure words). I always imagine him with a slightly British accent, but that's just me. Midna, of course, speaks a kind of "simlish" (at least that's what TV Tropes calls it). Her spoken sounds when she dialogues sounds strange, which I think is meant to convey "foreign / otherworldly accent" when she's apparently speaking Hylian (or Twili that happens to be the same as Hylian).

Fi of Skyward Sword has a high-pitched robot/GPS-guide accent, if you notice. The "robot" sense of it comes across in the written dialogue as well as the way she sounds. The robots in Skyward Sword crack and pop and "bzzzt!" when they speak, which, while it's just their gears and systems whirring, kind of creates a "robot-accent."

So, yeah, I think there are a lot of accents already present in the various eras of Hyrule - Accents are canon!

... Not to mention full-on language barriers between eras, as seen whenever anyone in Wind Waker's Hyrule speaks Old Hylian...

 

[TatlTails]

Am I the only one who thinks Gorons sound Jamaican? I always pictured them as just a little bit Jamaican, with their 'Brother' thing and the noises they make when they uncurl from their little balls. But that's just me.

Hylians I thought were American, Zoras a bit British, and Gerudos kinda Arabian.

 

[Salem]

I dread to think about it.

 

[Dio]

Gorons would have a slight Jamaican accent. Gor Ebizo's is particularly strong, the way he says 'brudda' and has dreadlocks.

I imagine Zora's and Hylians to have a range of British accents.

Gerudo's, definitely a Turkish accent, however Ganondorf would have a cultured Hylian/British accent, this would be to put people at ease when talking to them, lulling them into a false sense of security.