|
 |
US vs UK English for learners | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| miguelsantiago Diglot Newbie United States Joined 5681 days ago 36 posts - 36 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Portuguese | Message 73 of 136 21 May 2009 at 6:27am | IP Logged | ||
|
I can see that there are agreements but it's obvious that there are more DISAGREEMENTS among native English speakers.
To have the ability to turn abstract thoughts into words, hence transferring your abstract thoughts to another person, is a beautiful thing. People, being the only creative beings on Earth, can convey thoughts in many ways whether it be classified in the same language or not. I say if you take pride in your learning of English then yes go for the accent that is most pleasing to you. If you are learning English because you have to, learn the accent that is most practical. The type of English that is closest to you. If you're worried about people not liking your US/UK/other accent of English accent, then speak with a heavy yet understandable accent of your native tongue. That is perhaps very bad advice. Americans generally like to hear a foreign accent provided it's understandable. But I understand how people would like to speak their 2nd language "without an accent". For example I hate the "Gringo" accent in Spanish. It makes me cringe. But my Mexican friends don't mind it. But anyway I'm done talking. I hate politics. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Me has to learn Groupie Germany Joined 5558 days ago 64 posts - 75 votes  Speaks: German* | Message 74 of 136 07 September 2009 at 6:10pm | IP Logged | ||
|
Hello. During the last months I focused on English phonetics. Since I have few contact with natives and my major exposure to the sounds of the English language are movies and the internet I modeled my pronunciation after American English. Though I'm fairly familiar with its vowels the retroflex rhotic R causes problems. Sometimes it sounds forced and I would prefer not to pronounce it like in non-rhotic accents. Then again I don't want to retrain my vowels and a lot of (individual) pronunciations used in British English. Edited by Me has to learn on 07 September 2009 at 7:03pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| lancemanion Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 5573 days ago 150 posts - 166 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Thai Studies: French, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 75 of 136 07 September 2009 at 6:26pm | IP Logged | ||
|
Do many non-native English speakers model themselves after the local form of English in their location, rather than
US/British English? I remember hearing that an abc went to Singapore and was criticized for his accent because it sounded "uppity" or something like that. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Me has to learn Groupie Germany Joined 5558 days ago 64 posts - 75 votes Speaks: German* | Message 76 of 136 07 September 2009 at 6:59pm | IP Logged | ||
I think that's the rule to assimilate a foreign sound system to your own as long as you don't know better: In school I were taught British English in regard to vocabulary and some specific grammar (e.g. have got) but unfortunately the teachers didn't pay much attention to the pronunciation. Granted, sometimes they corrected obvious mistakes like mispronouncing TH or word stress but supposedly more subtle ones weren't addressed. Hence I used to replace English sounds I wasn't aware of (æ=ɛ, clear L in all positions etc.). I still have to concentrate not to mix them up. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Sennin Senior Member Bulgaria Joined 6035 days ago 1457 posts - 1759 votes 5 sounds | Message 77 of 136 07 September 2009 at 8:00pm | IP Logged | ||
|
I think BE is the best choice for people living in Europe. Maybe it's just my subjective feeling but there is something terribly impolite in trying to ignore the existence of the UK if you live in Europe. On the other hand, AE probably has the edge internationally, becasue of Hollywood movies and all.
British spelling is also closer to the French spelling, where a substitute word exists, making things easier for people who study both languages. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Me has to learn Groupie Germany Joined 5558 days ago 64 posts - 75 votes Speaks: German* | Message 78 of 136 07 September 2009 at 9:14pm | IP Logged | ||
I know this argument and I would definitely choose a British pronunciation if I have the opportunity to go to the UK. The problem is that I don't have a distinct accent, yet. I noticed it's easier for me to understand AE than BE because many Americans speak relatively slowly. That's why I like listening to Southern accents in particular. Non-standard BE is more difficult to understand because I don't listen to it as much as to AE variants. Moreover I've made the experience that British people tend to use more refined vocabulary. In other words I have to consult a dictionary more often when listening to a British person. I find it hard to imitate BE without making the impression of mocking the accent. While reading on this forum I learned I'm not the only one who has this problem. I guess I should expose myself more to BE for that matter. At the moment my pronunciation is messed up. Half a year ago I didn't care. Then I engaged myself in phonetics and accents. Edited by Me has to learn on 07 September 2009 at 9:16pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Z.J.J Senior Member China Joined 5609 days ago 243 posts - 305 votes Speaks: Mandarin* | Message 79 of 136 08 September 2009 at 11:19am | IP Logged | ||
|
Personally, I'd always prefer authentic languages to their variations, indeed, US deserves to be called a world superpower, but it hardly has anything to do with the language itself. Sometimes, it's even a pain, having to listen to American English on TV. As a whole, I'd rather learn British English than popular American English because the latter is spoken with a strong frivolous accent. No offence!
2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| FuroraCeltica Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6866 days ago 1187 posts - 1427 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French | Message 80 of 136 08 September 2009 at 3:05pm | IP Logged | ||
I would urge most learners to concentrate on US English. That is the language of most of the Enlgish language mass media. The difference between the US/UK accent is not big enough to cause learners a problem. The most serious thing they need to know is vocab differences (e.g. diaper vs nappy, faucet vs tap etc) 2 persons have voted this message useful |
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
