And Which British Accent Should I Learn?
Across the world, millions of English learners are happily studying away, listening to their teachers who probably have or are teaching about the RP (Received Pronunciation) accent. Little do they know, when they eventually meet a native speaker, they are probably going to come across one of the many British accents…..
The UK. Such a small area of land, but with so many accents that confuse even native speakers of the language. With this in mind, what hope does a learner have?
Actually there is no need to worry. I am here today to give a quick overview to clear up some confusion.
How many British accents?
This is a difficult one. Accents tend to be grouped by location…..but in actual fact people move around a lot these days and this muddies the water a bit. As people move around the country for work or just general relocation reasons, we find that a lot of the population mixtures of accents. These all come from the way they were brought up, the experiences they have, etc. With this in mind, let’s take myself as an example:
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-My mum is a Brummie (from Birmingham)
-My Dad is a Cockney (from Bow in London)
-I lived in Essex until 14
-I then lived in Devon from 14-18
-After that, I moved to Cardiff (Wales) for university
-And now I live in Japan and my best friend is American
All of these people and the experiences I have had in each location have effected my pronunciation. Subsequently, they have each had an affect on the British accent that I have.
To keep it easy, let’s pretend that no-one moves from their hometown. We can then say that there are around 40+ accents in the UK. For the most part, these accents have mostly been named after the locations where a large portion of people are found using them. See the picture provided for a listing of them.
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But why are there so many British accents?
There are a number of factors that have contributed to the development and maintenance of regional accents in the UK:
- Geography: The UK is made up of many different regions with their own unique dialects and accents. In general, the physical distance between these regions has meant that accents have evolved independently of each other.
- History: The UK has a long and complex history, with different groups of people settling in different regions over time. These groups brought their own languages and dialects, which influenced the development of local accents.
- Social class: Historically, social class has played a significant role in shaping the many British accents and dialects in the UK. Different classes often had their own distinct way of speaking, and these differences were passed down through generations.
- Education: Differences in education and access to schooling can also affect accent development. In some areas, access to education was limited, leading to the preservation of local accents.
To sum up, all of these factors have contributed to the development and preservation of a wide range of accents across the UK, making it a linguistically diverse and fascinating country.
In future posts, I will go deeper into the each area listed above, as well as a look into each accent.
Which British accent should I learn?
To be honest, it’s up to you.
Whilst an accent like RP is probably the easiest to understand, it may not be the one you want to go for. As a matter of fact, the idea of multiple accents being within the UK comes as less of a shock these days, and many accents are becoming more well known through celebrities and the internet. For example, a few notable accents you may of heard are:
-Cockney (Think Adele or Jason Stathom)
-Scouse (The Beatles or Steven Gerrard)
-Welsh (Gareth Bale or Charlotte Church)
-Glaswegian (Robbie Coltrane or James McAvoy)
-Belfast (Rory McIlroy)
-Estuary (Ricky Gervais)
The key thing to remember is that you will be practicing a lot if you are looking to change your pronunciation, so the key is to find something you enjoy. Additionally, if you are someone who is looking to move to, or are living in a certain area of the UK, then perhaps you will want to choose and accent that is close to where you will be/are living.
Whichever British accent you choose, it’s going to be a great journey. I’m certain you will reach your goal! Keep up the hard work!
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