insights INSIGHT Accent and Pride ios_share
Accents are a source of pride and shouldn't hinder language learning.
Wanting a British accent can stem from desires for respect, inclusion, or impressing friends.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE Immersion and Mimicry ios_share
Immerse yourself in British media like TV, films, and podcasts.
Practice mimicking pronunciation when talking with native speakers or teachers.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE Shadowing and Recording ios_share
Use "shadowing" by repeating phrases from TV shows and podcasts, focusing on vowel sounds.
Record yourself speaking to identify areas for improvement in pronunciation.
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How to Learn British Pronunciation
Introduction
There are countless British accents in England, let alone in the whole world. Don’t worry too much about accents. Everyone has one (even native speakers) and it should be a badge of pride to show where you come from. However: Reasons to want a British accent:To be more respected at work To stop being treated like an outsider To impress your friends! British accents have a few things in common which we’ll look at later
General Advice
Get the foundations right when you start so you don’t cement your mistakes, but change will come over time. Watch lots of British TV shows, movies, and of course podcasts Talk with native speakers and try to mimic their pronunciation Getting a teacher would be even better because they can correct your mistakes It takes a long time, and many people don’t begin to develop their accent fully until they reach an advanced level, don’t give up! Specific Advice
Shadowing - repeat words from phrases you hear. Pay attention to vowel sounds. Watch your mouth in a mirror Pay attention to your tongue positionL - tongue touches top teeth R - tongue moves back in mouth, not touching Learn stress
I recommend https://forvo.com/ for pronunciation and https://www.merriam-webster.com/ for a dictionary.
PreSENT / PRE sent SUS pect / susPECT Record yourself and listen back
Specific Sounds
T sound - Very strong R sound - Not so strongCar, Park, Hair, Hard, Ear
American vs British
AdvertIZEment (USA) / AdverTISSment (UK) The ILE sound is different. MoBLE (USA) / MoBILE (UK) Words ending in "ation". Organisation
I recommend this poem called The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité
This poem shows the irregularities in English pronunciation. Try it for fun! It's very difficult though.
Recap : Having an imperfect accent isn’t the end of the world. We each have our own and should be proud of it. However, there's nothing wrong with wanting to improve, so I hope this helped.
Have a question? Send me a text
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