Don't tell me to go live in England or something like that, I'm looking for some advice like how to pronounce some letters or words and what vocabulary to use and stuff like that.
2006-08-12 15:37:42 · 8 answers · asked by alex 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Definitely, the BBC. There should be some online video news reports on the web site. Also, NPR stations regularly air the BBC top stories.
Just be aware that there are several regional accents in England. Daphne from "Frasier" and the people from "The Full Monty" had a Manchester accent. The Beatles had a Liverpool accent.
But If you aim to learn the West End London accent, you'll do well. Or pick one BBC reporter online that sounds good to you, and listen to/repeat their material exclusively until you master it.
The secret to learning an accent is to understand how each vowel and consonant sound is different from the way you say them in your natural dialect. If you ever tried to speak with a Boston accent, you learned to drop the letter "r" when it was inside a word, and to tack it onto the end of words that usually end with an "a" sound. Martha become Mah-thur. Party becomes Pahh-dee.
Same thing with a British accent. Listen carefully and even make up a chart showing the difference for each vowel, then practice reading a newspaper out loud. That's how I learned to do a convincing Irish brogue.
Also--Americans keep their faces/jaws very loose and don't move their lips and cheeks much at all. You can hear it in our sloppy speech. Upper class Brits speak crisply. Over-enunciate in the beginning as you learn.
Good luck with acquiring your new accent.
2006-08-12 17:51:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Do a lot of listening to music done by the British. Watch a lot of Public Television...especially the British comedies.
Now keep in mind, that just like here in American there are accents, so to in England. You will get different ways to say the very same word depending upon where you travel.
Ever see "My Fair Lady"? Rex Harrison, the teacher of language, could tell by the use of words and accents not only where people were from but even down to the neighborhood and street.
2006-08-17 11:05:59 · answer #2 · answered by jimmaresa 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would go for a Scottish accent rather than an English one. The Scottish do pronounce words better. The English tend to add a lot of 'twangs' and change vowels.
2006-08-12 15:56:56 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In all seriousness, try watching BBC America or any British TV show and just work on imitating them. That's usually the best way to get an accent.
2006-08-12 15:41:24 · answer #4 · answered by Purdey EP 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Listen to the BBC & try to imitate it. Be careful not to pronounce the final 'r' in words. Concentrate on the vowel sounds and maybe even imagine you're Hugh Grant and try to copy him.
The best of British luck to you!
2006-08-12 15:42:36 · answer #5 · answered by J9 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
buy some learning cd's and be sure that it is from England
My friend bought a cd bout z German language and he told that
z cd is really a good way to learn accent like what u wont
p.s he is in Germany studying without any problem in language
2006-08-18 09:04:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
which type of british accent do you want?
2006-08-12 15:46:26 · answer #7 · answered by jimdan2000 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im british, pay me and i will teach you!
2006-08-12 15:52:37 · answer #8 · answered by him n her♥ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋