Sunday, July 6, 2014

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 looking for classes it is important to be aware of the kind of voice you are trying to learn. Traditionally when people think of Britain they tend to think of England. However it is worth remembering that the United Kingdom also includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The important thing to emphasise is how to define Britain and the voices within the countries that make up the United Kingdom. It is easy to forget that this also includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well. Each of these countries has very distinct voices.

What people tend to consider a British style of speaking is what is commonly referred to as received pronunciation. This particularly came to prominence with the invention of radio as it was felt that people with stronger regional dialects would be harder to understand. While it is true that there are more diverse voices in the British media now generally speaking the voices tend to be softened in order to be accessible by a broader audience.

In recent times attitudes have changed. There are more diverse range of accents on television and radio. However there are still aspects of people needing to speak clearly. For example it is worth comparing the difference of how an actor speaks in a British TV show to how they speak on an American TV show.

Indeed one of the big rules is often to ensure that letters are fully pronounced. For example the letter T should be said in words such as duty. Another good example is the word herb. In an American accent the H would be silent but in Britain the H is usually pronounced. Exceptions for this include the Cockney accent where you have a short pause known as the glottal stop where the letter would be.

There are various places that can help with vocal training and coaching. The chances are you can find them in your local area. A quick search using your normal search engine should bring up numerous results and let you compare different tutors and their lesson plans. Ideally it is also worth checking to see if they lived in Britain for any length of time as well as their teaching qualifications and experience.

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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