www.WarrenMurphy.com

[Phil M.]

I seem to remember Chiun's accent being described as "Peter Lorre(?) doing Mr.Moto" or something like that. And Joel Grey does a stereotypical Asian-type accent in the movie.
I was just wondering (and I'm not nitpicking, it just occurred to me after almost 35 years of reading the books.) wouldn't Chiun speak english with an English accent?
He speaks so many other languages fluently. Maybe if the news you have hinted is about a movie or tv series (Please!), that could be addressed.

Of course, if some smart aleck has already mentioned this topic, they can point me to the link where it was discussed. I just don't remember reading about it. I cannot imagine the Master Erasmus having ANY deficiencies
I had always imagined him speaking like a native. And except for that one descriptive line, the books are written that way. Or at least that is my perception of them.
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[Leo]

I don't know about Chiun but Remo is described speaking North Korea with New Jersey accent. So the masterhood in Sinanju doesn't exclude place-of-birth accents.
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[Phil M.]

I am pretty sure that Chiun started learning the languages while he was still in his formative years. Children who learn languages by immersion usually speak like a native. I know that even thouh I have an east-Texas accent, the few phrases of conversational German that I learned to speak, while living there as a child, came out like a native. At least that's what the natives [i]told[/i] me. Maybe they were just being nice?

The point of the qustion, to Warren, was that the most perfect of persons, technique-wise, would seem to me, not to have the failing of a poor accent. How's that for a run-on sentnece?

Maybe Warren agrees with you. I just thought it was a good question. I do know for sure that the latinos in my area speak Spanish like natives. They also are evenly split between sounding like "valley-girls" and Texans when they speak the "Queen's english".
I cannot imaginer a Master of Sinanju learning anything imperfectly
(except, of course for Remo's bent elbow. And we know the reasons for that).
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[wbrian]

My belief is that while Chiun or any Master for than matter, [i]COULD[/i] speak any learned language with any accent they so desire, and that they in fact loathe needing to speak anything other than Korean. That being the case, they speak with a Korean accent to keep touch with their heritage and closer to perfection. However if push came to shove, Chiun could sound like a 19 Y/O Valley Girl if he needed to.

Later,
Brian

[Phil M.]

I have to admit, that point did not occur to me. It's like the Sinanju diet, it contains whatever the Master [b]wants[/b] it to contain.
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[SidCurtis]

I remember the books stating that Chiun had no discernable accent. He is perfection.

[Phil M.]

Sid,
You're right I think, except for that one early mention. And the books were written as if The Master Erasmus' accent was perfect. I hope they do it that way in the movie. Hopefully, they can find an American actor of Korean( what else?) descent. But Joel Grey would be just fine again for me. Except for the accent and the wardrobe issues, I thought he was excellent
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[f_pomeroy]

[quote="Phil M."]Sid,
And the books were written as if The Master Erasmus' accent was perfect.[/quote]

What would be the "perfect" accent? Brooklyn? Southern? California? New England? Canadian? British? Irish? Scottish?

All speak english!

Perhaps "perfect" means whatever dialect is being used in the part of the world the Master is in or being used by whomever he is conversing with.

[Phil M.]

ummm... I think I mentioned earlier in the thread that I though that he would speak with an English accent. Since he or an earlier Master worked for the Brits long before Remo ( or maybe America)was born. In context, it seems rather obvious. The Brits have been speaking it longer than anyone else. Hence the name "ENGLISH".
In EVERY book where Chiun must speak a non-Korean language, is he not perfectly understood?
And many times has made comments on how the actual native speakers have let the language deteriorate? I can think of several times that has happened.

I thought the point was clear that Chiun should speak EVERY language like the natives who developed it. I "hear" him that way. Like an English nobleman. Not like an "upstart, barely more than 200 years old".
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[Phil M.]

Some how I edited this out:
In my mind, Chiun speaks like the Emperor of the country who developed the language spoken.
if that makes it any clearer.
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