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US vs UK English for learners | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| mjhowie1992 Diglot Newbie AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5184 days ago 24 posts - 27 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Mandarin | Message 129 of 136 04 December 2011 at 2:10am | IP Logged | ||
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In my opinion (I am a native Australian English speaker), I believe that UK English might be easier to pronounce for a
foreigner. It seems to have less specific consonants as used in US English, primarily the continuous usage of the alveolar approximant /ɹ/. That being said, there is more difference in vowels' dipthongs which might prove some difficulty. I guess it just comes down to which one one needs to learn given their geographical proximity to either the UK or the US. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Camundonguinho Triglot Senior Member Brazil Joined 4753 days ago 273 posts - 500 votes  Speaks: Portuguese*, English, Spanish Studies: Swedish | Message 130 of 136 05 December 2011 at 12:39pm | IP Logged | ||
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I don't think UK English is easier to pronounce (unless you mean a rhotic accent, like the Scottish one or the ones used in the Southwestern parts of England).
If an accent is non rhotic there are multiple issues that make it complicated like: 1. a linking R 2. an intrusive R I know many Europeans, and most of them prefer the American English. You may say Portugal uses the British spelling in EU, but also they write with the American spelling in NATO communication. So, it's 50:50. UK English is not really obligatory in Europe. Come on, even British pop singers sing in American English. UK English sounds too provincial (provincial in the sense of: regional, instead of global). Edited by Camundonguinho on 05 December 2011 at 12:44pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Volte Tetraglot Senior Member Switzerland Joined 6443 days ago 4474 posts - 6726 votes Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 131 of 136 05 December 2011 at 3:33pm | IP Logged | ||
Up til here, I agreed with you. UK English doesn't sound more provincial than any other variety I can think of (and no, I'm not a speaker of UK English). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| napoleon Tetraglot Senior Member India Joined 5020 days ago 543 posts - 874 votes Speaks: Bengali*, English, Hindi, Urdu Studies: French, Arabic (Written) | Message 132 of 136 05 December 2011 at 8:21pm | IP Logged | ||
<<In a very posh British RP Accent: Picture Brian Sewell>> ;-) What ho! I say old fellow, most non-native learners of RP are not encouraged to emulate native quirks like the intrusive R. Just my two pennies' worth. :-) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Марк Senior Member Russian Federation Joined 5060 days ago 2096 posts - 2972 votes Speaks: Russian* | Message 133 of 136 05 December 2011 at 8:35pm | IP Logged | ||
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Unfortunately we can study only one of two standart variants. This applies to
pronunciation too. For example, I liked Scottish accent as I heard it. Especially the pronunciation of vowels. I'm thinking of starting pronouncing "cat" as [kat]. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tezza Groupie United Kingdom Joined 5682 days ago 41 posts - 64 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 134 of 136 05 December 2011 at 11:38pm | IP Logged | ||
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Regardless of whether you chose to imitate US or 'British' English, either way you'll be fine. BUT if you do plan on coming to the UK then at least learn the UK vocabulary as people will definitely understand you if you say 'diapers' but you will be instantly corrected... it's just how it is. If you ask for candy in a shop you will get smiled at and corrected at best and at worst you'll be frowned upon and laughed at. I personally don't mind hearing foreigners speak in an American-ish way (I say this because to be honest, as much as people try to sound either American or British... the vast vast vast majority of non-natives I've heard still just sounded foreign... again it's just how it is, not trying to put anyone down or anything) but I can't understand why people who are clearly much more likely to visit the UK or even residing in the UK would want to go out of their way to sound American, and vice versa.
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| Camundonguinho Triglot Senior Member Brazil Joined 4753 days ago 273 posts - 500 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, English, Spanish Studies: Swedish | Message 135 of 136 08 December 2011 at 8:21am | IP Logged | ||
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It's because most British people hate the variant foreigners learn: RP aka the Queen's accent.
You shouldn't get an upper class accent if you're a poor working class professor or a struggling student on loans. It would sound fake, absurd, completely out of place. And rich foreigners don't give a damn about their accent. Most of them don't even speak English. They can hire the best interpreters whenever they please. Edited by Camundonguinho on 08 December 2011 at 8:26am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tezza Groupie United Kingdom Joined 5682 days ago 41 posts - 64 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 136 of 136 08 December 2011 at 6:11pm | IP Logged | ||
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Most British people hate the accent that foreigners learn? I genuinely don't think that's true, I don't know anybody who has ever said anything like that. People only tend to dislike listening to foreigners if it's a huge effort to understand them, aside from that people might laugh at some outdated or weird uses of words, but always in good fun (if it happens at all). I've never heard anyone insut someone just for using an incorrect word or having an upper-class accent... although to have an upper class accent you'd have to sound very posh and have no trace of your native accent, which is surely extremely rare. Edited by Tezza on 08 December 2011 at 6:12pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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