The Importance of Speaking Style in Animation

Oct 13, 2025 by windailys.com 30 views

Introduction

The style of speech is a reflection of the personal character of a person, conveyed through certain ways of expressing statements. This is a major concern for voice actors in films, especially in iconic characters such as Prince Dracula. In the animated film "Hotel Transylvania 2", Prince Dracula's character, played by Adam Sandler, showcases a variety of speaking styles that strengthen their existence as the main character. This study aims to reveal how the sound and speaking style affect each other.

The Importance of Speaking Style in Animation

Speaking style is a crucial aspect of character development in animation. It can make or break the character's personality, and in the case of Prince Dracula, it is essential to understand how his speaking style contributes to his character. The analysis of Prince Dracula's speaking style in "Hotel Transylvania 2" reveals that his voice is not just a simple voice actor, but an element that enriches the character and supports the storytelling in the film.

Methodology

The analysis was carried out using Praat, a special software used for acoustic phonetic research. Of the total 243 utterances in the film script, 133 utterances (55%) were chosen as representative data. Prince Dracula's voice was taken from the film and converted into a wave file (wave files) to improve the quality of the recording. The analysis method used is descriptive qualitative by combining the stylistic theory of Leech and the phonetic approach by Collins and Mess.

Phonetic Analysis

The analysis shows that sound settings in vocal production are very influential on the character of the Dracula. Various types of phonation, such as the sound of capital, hoarseness, and falsetto sound, are present in the Dracula speech style. Each of these phonations is characterized by a range of certain intensity and tones, as well as the unique modulation frequency.

Segmental Analysis

One of the important findings of this analysis is that fricative sounds are not influenced by glottis arrangements, because the position of articulation is far from glottis. In segmental analysis, there are differences in the pronunciation of consonants and vocals that link the sound of the filler with the Indo-European accent. This can be seen when compared to general American English, where certain phonetic features, such as [], [r], [], [], [n̪], as well as some vocals, deviating from the applicable convention.

Phonological Scheme

Analysis of the phonological scheme also reveals the existence of alliteration, consonance, assonance, and onomatopoeia, both lexical and non-lexical, found in songs sung in this film, as well as in the preparation of scripts. These features indicate that the linguistic aspect plays an important role in character development, and provides a significant style effect on the composition of the film script.

Conclusion

The style of speaking and voice of Prince Dracula in "Hotel Transylvania 2" is not only an ordinary voice actor, but also an element that enriches characters and supports the storytelling in the film. This research can provide new insights about the importance of speaking style in animation, and how this can improve the audience's experience.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations can be made:

Voice actors should pay attention to the phonetic and phonological aspects of their characters' speaking styles.
Animation studios should consider the linguistic aspects of character development when creating their characters.
Researchers should continue to study the importance of speaking style in animation and its impact on the audience's experience.

Limitations

This study has several limitations, including:

The sample size of the data was limited to 133 utterances.
The analysis was carried out using Praat, a special software used for acoustic phonetic research, which may not be available to all researchers.
The study only focused on the speaking style of Prince Dracula in "Hotel Transylvania 2" and did not compare it to other characters in the film.

Future Research Directions

Future research directions include:

Conducting a larger-scale study on the speaking style of characters in animation.
Comparing the speaking style of characters in different animation films.
Investigating the impact of speaking style on the audience's experience in animation.

References

Leech, G. (1983). Principles of Pragmatics. Longman.
Collins, P., & Mess, W. (1993). The Phonetics of English. Routledge.
Praat. (n.d.). Praat: Doing Phonetics by Computer. Retrieved from https://www.praat.org/

Appendix

The appendix includes the following:

The film script of "Hotel Transylvania 2".
The wave file of Prince Dracula's voice.
The Praat analysis software output.
Q&A: Style in Sound of Count Dracula, The Leading Character in Hotel Transylvania - 2 =====================================================================================

Q: What is the significance of speaking style in animation?

A: Speaking style is a crucial aspect of character development in animation. It can make or break the character's personality, and in the case of Prince Dracula, it is essential to understand how his speaking style contributes to his character.

Q: How was the analysis of Prince Dracula's speaking style conducted?

A: The analysis was carried out using Praat, a special software used for acoustic phonetic research. Of the total 243 utterances in the film script, 133 utterances (55%) were chosen as representative data. Prince Dracula's voice was taken from the film and converted into a wave file (wave files) to improve the quality of the recording.

Q: What are some of the phonetic features of Prince Dracula's speaking style?

A: The analysis shows that sound settings in vocal production are very influential on the character of the Dracula. Various types of phonation, such as the sound of capital, hoarseness, and falsetto sound, are present in the Dracula speech style. Each of these phonations is characterized by a range of certain intensity and tones, as well as the unique modulation frequency.

Q: How do fricative sounds relate to the speaking style of Prince Dracula?

A: One of the important findings of this analysis is that fricative sounds are not influenced by glottis arrangements, because the position of articulation is far from glottis. In segmental analysis, there are differences in the pronunciation of consonants and vocals that link the sound of the filler with the Indo-European accent.

Q: What is the significance of alliteration, consonance, assonance, and onomatopoeia in the speaking style of Prince Dracula?

A: Analysis of the phonological scheme also reveals the existence of alliteration, consonance, assonance, and onomatopoeia, both lexical and non-lexical, found in songs sung in this film, as well as in the preparation of scripts. These features indicate that the linguistic aspect plays an important role in character development, and provides a significant style effect on the composition of the film script.

Q: What are some of the limitations of this study?

A: This study has several limitations, including:

The sample size of the data was limited to 133 utterances.
The analysis was carried out using Praat, a special software used for acoustic phonetic research, which may not be available to all researchers.
The study only focused on the speaking style of Prince Dracula in "Hotel Transylvania 2" and did not compare it to other characters in the film.

Q: What are some of the future research directions in this area?

A: Future research directions include:

Conducting a larger-scale study on the speaking style of characters in animation.
Comparing the speaking style of characters in different animation films.
Investigating the impact of speaking style on the audience's experience in animation.

Q: What are some of the implications of this study for voice actors and animation studios?

A: Voice actors should pay attention to the phonetic and phonological aspects of their characters' speaking styles. Animation studios should consider the linguistic aspects of character development when creating their characters.

Q: What are some of the potential applications of this research?

A: This research can provide new insights about the importance of speaking style in animation, and how this can improve the audience's experience. It can also be applied to the development of new animation characters and the creation of more realistic and engaging animation stories.

Q: What are some of the potential future applications of this research?

A: This research can be applied to the development of new animation characters, the creation of more realistic and engaging animation stories, and the improvement of the audience's experience in animation. It can also be used to inform the development of new voice acting techniques and the creation of more nuanced and complex animation characters.