Who is the guy with an English accent in the cell at Demonreach?

[morriswalters]

Working on the assumption that Butcher doesn't throw out random noise, why does he point at that particular prisoner?  Is he perhaps the original Merlin?  Or someone else of importance?

[wardenferry419]

There are many theories on that one.

[pcpoet]

its James Marster being punished for not being available to do the voice work for the audio Cold days. 

[Arjan]

Working on the assumption that Butcher doesn't throw out random noise, why does he point at that particular prisoner?  Is he perhaps the original Merlin?  Or someone else of importance?

The original merlin spoke old welsh, why would he have a english accent?

[morriswalters]

The original merlin spoke old welsh, why would he have a english accent?

Well, because Dresden doesn't speak old welsh.

More seriously in my admittedly twisted reasoning, it places his origin, the UK.  He also uses the phrase, "Go away, boy."  And if my mind hasn't completely failed me, Ebenezer uses similar syntax a couple of times. As in this example from Changes.

“I want you to help save millions or billions of little girls, boy,” he said, his own voice dropping into a hard, hard growl. “Not throw them away for the sake of one.”

  And Ebenezer's diaries and those of the Master's in his line, begin with Merlin, don't they?

It's thin, and I'm open to other alternatives.

There are many theories on that one.

Can you point me at any?

its James Marster being punished for not being available to do the voice work for the audio Cold days. 

I could have sworn that in my audible copy, James Marsters was reading.  Who knew?

[Arjan]

Well, because Dresden doesn't speak old welsh.

More seriously in my admittedly twisted reasoning, it places his origin, the UK.  He also uses the phrase, "Go away, boy."  And if my mind hasn't completely failed me, Ebenezer uses similar syntax a couple of times. As in this example from Changes.   And Ebenezer's diaries and those of the Master's in his line, begin with Merlin, don't they?

It's thin, and I'm open to other alternatives.Can you point me at any?I could have sworn that in my audible copy, James Marsters was reading.  Who knew?

it was recorded again with Masters when he was available again. There are two different recordings of Ghost Story in circulation.

[groinkick]

The original merlin spoke old welsh, why would he have a english accent?

For the same reason Rashid speaks English.

[Arjan]

For the same reason Rashid speaks English.

Current welsh have a different accent when they speak english. And why would he take the effort of learning the accent? The language is usefull but...

To have an english accent that must mean that he was free until pretty,  recently and spent some time with english speakers. He must have been locked up pretty recently because even english from a few centuries ago would have sounded differently.

Unless there is some magic at play here. He does not speak an understandable language at all and the translation magic chose the accent because it was fitting.

[peregrine]

In much the same way that Harry is getting words from other monsters, threats, blandishments, etc... I'm pretty confident it's a magic translation thing.

[groinkick]

Current welsh have a different accent when they speak english. And why would he take the effort of learning the accent? The language is usefull but...

To have an english accent that must mean that he was free until pretty,  recently and spent some time with english speakers. He must have been locked up pretty recently because even english from a few centuries ago would have sounded differently.

Unless there is some magic at play here. He does not speak an understandable language at all and the translation magic chose the accent because it was fitting.

Whoever spoke to Harry did so telepathically.  Someone like that may simply have scanned Harry's mind, and just got the point across via thought, and Harry's mind decoded it into understandable words.

[Arjan]

In much the same way that Harry is getting words from other monsters, threats, blandishments, etc... I'm pretty confident it's a magic translation thing.

Or the same reason Toot speaks Russian. Intellect us for languages.

[Arjan]

Whoever spoke to Harry did so telepathically.  Someone like that may simply have scanned Harry's mind, and just got the point across via thought, and Harry's mind decoded it into understandable words.

That means the accent tells us more about Harry than about the prisoner.

[groinkick]

That means the accent tells us more about Harry than about the prisoner.

Yeah or the person just wanted to sound different.  Didn't Chauncy have an English accent?  I doubt he's British.

[Griffyn612]

Before sounded British in the GS flashback.

[morriswalters]

That means the accent tells us more about Harry than about the prisoner.

It might tell us that Harry is an anglophile.