British pronunciation

Of the two main English pronunciation models, American and British pronunciation, it's the latter many find most intimidating. Probably because of the perception that you need to speak in an upper-crust, snooty, posh kind of way to be believable. More so, the British accent varies greatly depending on which part of the United Kingdom you came from, so much so that even the British themselves sometimes have trouble understanding one of their own! It's easy for a non-native British English speaker to be confused regarding how to go about learning the language.

But don't fret. It's a common misconception that for one to learn British pronunciation, one must learn how to speak in a British accent. Although they play off each other, pronunciation and accent are two different things. Pronunciation is more of an umbrella term referring to the way syllables, words and word units are uttered; accent refers to standard ways of speaking within a subgroup of the population. Thus, for as long as you learn how to speak English in a way that the average Englishman would have no trouble comprehending what you said, you'll do fine in many interactions with British people.

Learn the standard British pronunciation, also called the RP English (Received Pronunciation English), BBC English, Queen's English or Oxford English. This is the accent commonly used in everyday interactions, and most spoken communications used in business are just variations of RP English. Sentence syntax may be relaxed and adapted for the modern man, which is, in fact, how many Brits actually talk.

The RP English pronunciation is characterized by the use of diphthongs for long vowels. Diphthongs ("di" means two; "phthong" means sounds) are vowels with two sounds, each one pronounced distinctly. For example, the "o" in the word "boil" is actually pronounced as if there's a letter "u" before the "o" (bu-oil). Pure is pronounced as if the "u" is an "eu" (pe-ure).

Unstressed vowels are also shorted in RP English than in other standard English pronunciations. In the word "collect" for example, the unstressed vowel "o" in the first syllable "col" would be pronounced faster by a native British English speaker than an American speaker. Similarly, syllables normally stressed in American English may be unstressed in British English, and vice-versa. The British, for example, would stress the first syllable in "migrate," while an American would not.

As with learning pronunciation in any language or dialect, the best way really is to get personalized instruction. Some native accents, for example, would have a harder time that others learning RP English. The focus of instruction would also tend to differ per native tongue. If you can get a professional to assess how you sound, you can be designed a pronunciation training program tailor-fitted to your specific needs.

Programs that can assist you to learn British pronunciation are all over the internet; so there's no reason why you can't learn from the comfort of your own home. A quick search on Google or Aol can unearth websites that offer basic instruction for free. Many advanced programs are also available for a fee, but as these are designed by language professionals, it just might be worth it to take out your credit card.

More pronunciation resources

• Phonemic chart for British pronunciation from the BBC.
• More of our pronunciation articles.