Alan Palmer's Language Chat podcasts

Hello everybody.

Many people I speak with who learn English would like to know how to “improve” their English accent.

It’s always difficult for me to advise on this subject.

Every nationality has a certain accent when they speak English, including the English themselves.

For those of you who are interested in the way we speak in Britain, here is a good website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/

To help answer the question, I’ve made a list of things to think about and I’ll discuss them a little here.

What is an accent?

http://www.buzzin.net/english/accent.htm

This website says:

Accent refers to a speaker's style of pronunciation.
It may signal the regional or social identity of the speaker.
Accent does not refer to the content of what is said


So, this means that most of the time accent is not important for conversation.


Regional Accent
A “Geordie” accent is the regional speech style used by speakers in the North East of England.
A “Cockney” accent is the speech style used by some people in the London area. 'Book' might be pronounced as 'Bewk' in northern England, but 'Back' in southern England.
Similarly, the term 'car' might be pronounced as 'kaar' and 'caw' in these two regions.

Use
Every geographical area has its own characteristic and recognisable accent which is used by a group.
Everybody speaks with an accent. Those people who speak with an accent called received pronunciation [RP] are just using the accent of prestige.
It is quite common for a person to speak Standard English with a regional accent.
Accent is not the same thing as dialect. The term dialect refers to grammar and vocabulary as well as pronunciation. That is, it describes the content of speech.

Fewer than six percent [yes! - 6%] of the UK population speak Received Pronunciation (RP). Perhaps this statistic is surprising when we consider what prestige it has held historically and currently.

RP was once itself a regional accent - that of the East Midlands. It acquired its status because East Midlands speakers converged on London as it became a centre for merchants. In other words, London became the power base and the financial centre, and the East Midlands accent became the spoken standard.
This prestige accent developed alongside the regional accent of the London area. The co-existence of these two accents still exists today. The “ Cockney” accent is spoken in the East End of London by many original Londoners, whilst RP is spoken by many politicians and by upper-class people who live and work in the same area.
The Cockney accent is a regional accent, and RP is class-based.
Many regional speakers feel uncomfortable about their accent. This perpetuates the deference and prestige given to RP.
Recent studies have shown that RP speakers will often be chosen for jobs, despite the superior skills of regional-speaking competitors.
Some presenters on radio and television are employed even though they have strong regional accents. However, they tend to be used on programmes which are not very prestigious, such as weather forecasts, arts programs, and regional news bulletins.
Accent can still be a very powerful indicator of status, and it is often an emotive item in social interaction.
Speech varies subtly between individuals using the same accent. Because of this, a broad description is all that can be achieved. This applies to the classification of other accents too.

(more on the website http://www.buzzin.net/english/accent.htm)

My feeling is that many people from other countries want to have an “RP” accent. My opinion is that the most important thing is clarity of speech. In other words, as long as other speakers understand, then is it so important?

Of course, when a British person speaks English to an American, the American will know it is an English person speaking.

Some nationalities are good at disguising accents. Dutch people often sound a little like an American when they speak English.

How do we “improve” an English accent?

My feelings are that we should try to:

Speak as clearly as we can when we are talking. Clear speaking is always appreciated
Speak a little slower than we would want to – it does make a difference
Speak with clear vowel sounds: A E I O U
Speak with good endings to words: clocK, workinG, gardeN, studiO, floweR
Speak with the correct stress on words (use a dictionary to check the intonation) WELcome, frusTRAtion, LANGuage.

Often English people like to hear different accents. They like the sound of a foreign accent. It often has a charming sound, an appeal. Even small mistakes are forgiven.

So, now you know a little more about accents, you can visit the websites I have given you and make your own mind up. I only write about my own opinions, so you must always form your own opinion. That is why I prefer to call my podcasts “guides”

I am on holiday now for two weeks, but when I am back on the 19th August I will try to make a podcast for you just after then.

In the meantime, have a great August (summer in the northern hemisphere, and for those of you in the southern hemisphere, I hope it is not too cold)

Bye for now