A Basic Guide To British Accent Lessons

By Rosella Campbell


People want to learn how to speak like a British person for a number of different reasons. One of the most common is if you are an actor. Generally if there is a call for someone to be a Roman emperor or a space alien or another figure of authority for some reason talking as if you are from Britain seems to convey a sense of otherness. If this is what you are going for then there are various places you can find British accent lessons.

Before you contact a tutor you need to think about the variety of voice you are attempting to learn. The first images people have of Britain tend to be of London and England. However it is worth remembering that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all part of this group of countries while at the same time being countries in their own right.

Even within England itself there are a wide array of regional accents. How people speak in the North is very different to how people speak in the South. Even the Northern and Southern areas of England have distinct voices. For example people from Newcastle have a very different style of speaking to someone from Liverpool or Manchester.

In terms of the way people view how English people speak this kind of speaking is known as received pronunciation. It was generally felt when radio technology was first developed that people might be put off by stronger accents. Therefore a method of delivery was developed that was thought very clear.

What people often think of as the way people speak in Britain is a kind of speech known as received pronunciation. If this is the kind of voice you are going for there are various rules to follow. One of the most basic is to avoid making a rolling R sound when pronouncing the letter R.

Before going to classes it is worth immersing yourself in the culture as much as possible. Ideally you want to find as many up to date resources as possible. Inevitably accents change and like anywhere else in the world some slang words will go out of date. Therefore it is worth looking for recent shows and checking internet upload sites as these are often a good way of picking up on the most up to date way of speaking.

There should be a number of tutors and classes in your local area. However if you cannot find them then there are courses and videos available online. As with anything it is worth doing your research to see what lessons are the most effective.

These are all aspects that a class should teach you. Before going to a class it is worth checking to see the credentials of the person teaching. Ideally they should have travelled to Britain and lived there long enough to be aware of regional differences, slang terms and so forth. It is also worth watching British television shows, internet videos and so forth as this is an effective way of learning more about the culture and context of the language. Use your regular search engine to find tutors and language classes in your local area as well as learning more about the full range of English and British accents.




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