Why is the Boston accent so darned difficult?

[xiphias]

It's well-known that good Boston accents in films are few and far between. When you list actors who can do it, you've got Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Seth McFarland, Dennis Leary. Even Eliza Dukshu is only okay. And they're all FROM Boston. Heck, I can't do a good Boston accent, and I've lived here my entire life.

It's easy to list movies with terrible Boston accents -- but are there any actors who can do good Boston accents who aren't from Boston?

Comments

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

What do you mean, Eliza Dushku is only OK. She's FROM Boston!

That's my point. A Boston accent is difficult even for people from here. Like I said, I can't do one, and I've never lived anywhere else. My parents have never lived anywhere else; my grandparents have never lived anywhere else -- and none of us have "Boston accents."

All of us have the accent that is thought of as the "American accent" -- the American version of the British Received Pronunciation. The only discernible regional peculiarity is that I refuse to pronounce "aunt" as "ant".

And, as Lis pointed out, "Dushku isn't from Boston. She's from Watertown." And she DOES have a decent Watertown accent -- just not a good Boston accent.

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

Very true. And looking back at her time in Buffy, you can really hear the difference.

I've never heard you speak, but I believe you're a Barny.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

So what is the "Barny" accent?