Telemundo Online 2014: Channel Works to Feature Mexican Accents on Telenovelas
Spanish across Latin American countries can vary greatly.
So far, this has been reflected in the telenovelas that Telemundo produces. But the channel has previously been criticized about the fact that not everyone sounds alike. At Univision, a Mexican accent is the norm.
Telemundo is now working to change that with its upcoming telenovela, "Reina de Corazones."
Eugenio Siller, who is the lead male on the show, said you will be able to see the difference, notes El Diario.
"What happened before, and Telemundo noticed, was that the diverse accents made the story feel less credible, so now it is very conscious of neutralizing the accents for every actor," he said. "From wherever they come from, they will be put into a small workshop with an accent reduction teacher."
He said a Mexican accent is the most easily accepted, but for a company that is based in Miami, it's a little out of place. Though Mexicans are prevalent in areas like Homestead, they are definitely not the biggest Hispanic community in Miami.
Plus, in real life there isn't just one type of accent for everyone, regardless of what language is being spoken.
This is also another way to perpetuate that being Latino means being Mexican.
For example, Laura Ingraham recently said that children of Honduras are "complaining to the consulate of Honduras that the burritos and eggs they are being given in their holding areas are making them sick." She also used the 1990 Taco Bell slogan: "Yo Quiero Taco Bell." However, tacos and burritos, which are normally considered Mexican foods, are not particularly part of the Honduran culture.
Of course, there are reasons to want to have one accent throughout a show.
It can be jarring when different people from the same family have different accents. And sometimes some regions do not pronounce every single letter, making the dialogue harder to understand.
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