British Accents

British Accent Pronunciation

Before taking a look at the different regional British accents, it is important to clarify what is meant by an accent:

An example of different accents is Standard British and Standard American:

British Accents by Region

Depending on where someone in the UK is from, they can have different regional accents. Some British accents are as follows:

Fig. 1 - A distinctive accent in the UK is Geordie, spoken by people in Tyneside/Newcastle.

Types of British Accents

It would be impossible to include every British accent here, so let's look at some of the most distinct/ well-known British accents and their most prominent features.

Received Pronunciation

Received Pronunciation, also known as "RP," is regarded as the "Standard British" accent. It is mainly spoken in London and South East England; however, it is also the accent most commonly used in formal schooling and media (such as news broadcasts). Typical characteristics of the RP accent include:

• Non-rhotic (dropping the /r/ sound unless a vowel comes after it). For example, the /r/ is not pronounced in words such as "father," "car," and "butter."

• Long /ɑː/ vowel sounds, e.g., in words like "car," "bath," and "fast."

• Linking r sound - adding an /r/ sound if a word ending in "r" is followed by a vowel sound. For example, "four eyes" sounds like "four rise." Doing this helps to connect the speech and makes the words flow better.

Scouse

Scouse (more uncommonly known as Liverpudlian) is the accent spoken by people from Liverpool. Liverpool is a port city and a place for ships to transport goods to and from other countries. Due to mass trade and immigration around the mid-19th century, the scouse accent became largely influenced by Welsh and Irish people. Some distinct features of Scouse include:

• When the /k/ sound is at the end of a syllable, it becomes fricative. Fricative refers to a type of consonant sound made by pushing the airflow through a small space. This produces friction in the breath, which creates a harsh but breathy sound.

• Tapped /r/ sound, which is made by quickly tapping the tongue against the back of the top teeth. Similar to a trill but not as strong of a sound.

• When the /t/ is at the end of a short word, it often sounds like a breathy /h/.

Geordie

Geordie is the accent spoken by people in Tyneside and Newcastle. If you have ever heard of the TV show "Geordie Shore," this is the accent they use! Some characteristics of the Geordie accent include:

• The vowel sound /uː/ is used instead of the /aʊ/ sound. For example, words like "brown" and "town" sound more like "broon" and "toon."

• The consonant sounds /k/, /t/, and /p/ are often pronounced with a glottal stop after them. A glottal stop is a consonant sound produced by stopping air flow in the vocal tract. For example, "plotting" is pronounced like /plɒʔɪn/ instead of /plɒtɪŋ/.

West Country

The West Country accent is mostly spoken by people in the South West of England. Unlike most other British accents, it is a rhotic accent. This means that no matter where an /r/ sound falls in a word, it will always be pronounced.

For example, "farmer" is pronounced with all the r's instead of "fahmuh."

Scottish, Northern Irish, and Welsh

Scottish, Northern Irish, and Welsh accents have all been influenced by their own native languages. As a result, this creates different varieties of English, each with its own unique pronunciations and features.

In Scotland, the official languages are:

• Scottish Gaelic

• Scots

• English

In Ireland, the official languages are:

• Irish (Gaeilge)

• Ullans (Ulster Scots)

• English

In Wales, the official languages are:

• Welsh

• English

Scottish Accent

There are different Scottish English accents, such as Edinburgh Scottish, Glaswegian, etc. One of the thickest and most distinctive Scottish English accents is Glaswegian, used by people from Glasgow. Some features of the Glaswegian accent are:

• Similar to Geordie, Glaswegian uses glottal stops. For example, instead of pronouncing the t's in "water bottle," they are replaced with a glottal stop, i.e., /wɔːʔə bɒʔl/.

• Often, the /r/ sound is rolled, e.g., in words such as "girl" and "group."

Northern Irish Accent

Northern Irish English is also comprised of different accents. A few examples include:

• Derry accent

• Belfast accent

• Tyrone accent

One of the most recognized Northern Irish accents is the Belfast accent, spoken by people from Belfast. A couple of the most prominent features of the Belfast accent are:

• Rhotic r - pronouncing the /r/ sound no matter where it is in a word (unlike most other British accents).

• The use of /ɔɪ/ instead of the /aʊ/ vowel sound. For example, words like "now" and "how" are pronounced more like "noigh" and "hoigh" (close to an "oy" sound).

Welsh Accent

Welsh English also has a few different accents; for example, the accents in South Wales, North Wales, and Cardiff differ slightly. The most recognizable feature is the rising and falling intonation in sentences. Because of this, Welsh accents are generally said to be quite melodic (meaning they sound song-like).

Australian vs. British Accent

The standard Australian accent has been influenced by both British and American English. Australian English does not have as wide a range of different accents as the UK, but it does have distinct characteristics that differ from each British accent.

Fig. 2 - The standard British and Australian accents both follow features of Received Pronunciation.

One difference is the length of the vowel sounds. Standard Australian has longer vowel sounds than Standard British, meaning the duration they are pronounced for is longer. For example, syllables can be lengthened from one to two, i.e., "fear" is pronounced more like "fee-uh" instead of "feer."

Another difference is the use of the tapped /t/ sound in Australian English (similar to American English). A tapped /t/ sound is made by the tongue quickly tapping behind the front teeth. For example, take the word "water," Instead of pronouncing a hard /t/, Australian English uses a softer sound similar to a /d/, i.e., "wader."

British Accents in America

Have you ever watched old American shows and noticed how different they sound? This is because the Standard American English accent used to sound more similar to British English! This was known as the Mid-Atlantic accent, and it included features of both American and British English accents.

Nowadays, there are more distinct differences between the standard British and American accents. One of the most noticeable differences is the use (or non-use) of the rhotic /r/ consonant. Although there are exceptions, most British accents (including Standard British English) are non-rhotic, meaning the /r/ sound is not pronounced in a word unless a vowel follows it. On the other hand, most American accents are rhotic, so they do use the /r/ sound even if a vowel does not follow it.

Another difference is the use of the long /ɑː/ vowel sound of Standard British English versus the shorter /æ/ vowel sound of Standard American English. For example: