{"id":51305,"date":"2024-05-07T16:15:50","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T14:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/?p=51305"},"modified":"2024-05-07T16:15:50","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T14:15:50","slug":"a-guide-to-english-accents-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/a-guide-to-english-accents-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to English Accents Around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Countries can have extremely different English accents despite sharing the same language. Just take the word \u2018water\u2019. Americans, Brits and Australians all have a unique way of pronouncing it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Our blog explores all the different English accents around the world and their main features. That way you\u2019ll have an easier time <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>placing<\/strong><\/span><\/em> people when you talk to them for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>Which countries speak English around the world?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">As English is so widespread, it\u2019s impossible to cover all the countries in one blog. But here\u2019s a list of the places that include it as an official language:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"list_styles\"><ul class=''>\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>The US<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Great Britain<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Canada<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Ireland<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Australia<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>New Zealand<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>India<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Pakistan<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Nigeria<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>The Philippines<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Singapore<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Jamaica<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Understanding English accents can be challenging, as people might say words in unexpected ways. To familiarise yourself, let\u2019s explore some of the different dialects and their features.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>The British accent \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Although we talk about the \u2018British accent\u2019, there isn\u2019t just one. You can find Scottish, Welsh and English dialects. There are even differences between cities as close as Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">We can\u2019t be sure, we think there are probably around <a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/a-brief-guide-to-different-british-accents-and-dialects\/\">40 British dialects<\/a> and accents in total.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">The accent you often hear on television is called \u2018received pronunciation\u2019 or just RP. Lots of British people think it\u2019s a bit <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>posh<\/strong><\/span><\/em>. You might know this accent from celebrities like Emma Watson, Hugh Grant and Rowan Atkinson.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">However, many British accents have the following features in common:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"list_styles\"><ul class=''>\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>No \u2018r\u2019 at the end of words<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Long vowel sounds<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>A <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>glottal stop<\/strong><\/span><\/em> in the middle of words<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">If you want to hear some examples of British accents and practise your listening skills, watch Teacher Tom\u2019s video:<\/p>\n<div class=\"element_size_\"><iframe title=\"20 British Accents in 1 Video\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/u_BDG9JtGw8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>The Irish accent \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px;\">Ireland and Great Britain may be close but their accents couldn\u2019t sound more different. The Irish accent is very melodic with a lot of rises and falls. No wonder they have some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/improve-your-english-accent-with-these-6-great-songs\/\">most popular songs<\/a> out there. <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\">Some famous people with Irish accents are Saoirse Ronan and Cillian Murphy. You probably also know Liam Neeson and Jamie Dornan, but they\u2019re from Northern Ireland so they sound a little different.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\">What are some <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>telltale signs<\/strong><\/span><\/em> of an Irish accent?<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"list_styles\"><ul class=''>\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>\u2018Th\u2019 sounds like \u2018t\u2019 or \u2018d\u2019.<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>The vowels \u2018e\u2019 and \u2018i\u2019 can have a faint \u2018y\u2019 sound.<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>\u2018R\u2019 has a strong pronunciation.<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>The US accent \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">The US is enormous so it should come as no surprise that pronunciation varies between places. Not sure what we mean? Just think about the difference between Matthew McConaughey\u2019s Texan accent and Robert DeNiro\u2019s New York one.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">No matter where you go, the US accent often has these features:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"list_styles\"><ul class=''>\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i><em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Nasal<\/strong><\/span><\/em> vowels before the letters \u2018m\u2019 and \u2018n\u2019.<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>\u2018T\u2019 often sounds like \u2018d\u2019 in the middle of words.<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Emphasis on <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>diphthongs<\/strong><\/span><\/em> in words like \u2018ride\u2019 and \u2018now\u2019.<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">There are many influencers like Gabby Wallace you can listen to if you want to sound more American:<\/p>\n<div class=\"element_size_\"><iframe title=\"8 Ways to Speak English with an American Accent | Go Natural English\" width=\"769\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9Q9ItoUF3zI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>The Canadian accent \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">The Canadian accent often gets mixed up with the US one as they sound similar. However, there are a few <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>giveaways<\/strong><\/span><\/em> that tell you when someone\u2019s from Canada:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"list_styles\"><ul class=''>\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>The \u2018ou\u2019 sound is slightly raised so people may hear it more like \u2018oo\u2019.<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>A glottal stop in the middle of words (like the British accent)<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Vowel sounds come from the front of the mouth.<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>The Australian accent \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Despite the country\u2019s size, there are far fewer Australians than Brits or Americans. You\u2019re less likely to hear this accent when you\u2019re out and about.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">However, you probably know of some famous Australians. Chris Hemsworth and Margot Robbie were both born there and use their native accent when they\u2019re not shooting films.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Want to know if you\u2019re talking to an Aussie? Here are some common features of the accent:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"list_styles\"><ul class=''>\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Sentences and phrases often have a rising <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>pitch<\/strong><\/span><\/em>.<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>No \u2018r\u2019 at the end of words.<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Long vowel sounds.<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">If you\u2019re considering a move to Australia and want to <a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/9-tips-for-communicating-with-locals-in-english-speaking-countries\/\">chat with locals<\/a>, there are plenty of teachers out there. Pete Smissen is one good example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"element_size_\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>The New Zealand accent \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddff<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Non-native speakers often have difficulty grasping the Kiwi accent. New Zealand has very distinctive and unusual vowel patterns that sound totally different from North American, British and Australian pronunciations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Fans of the TV show \u2018Flight of the Conchords\u2019 will be familiar with the Kiwi accent. Actors Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi are also from New Zealand and frequently use their native dialect in shows and films.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Here are some signs you\u2019re talking to a native Kiwi:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"list_styles\"><ul class=''>\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Different vowel sounds, for example, \u2018fish and chips\u2019 is \u2018fush and chups\u2019<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>A rising pitch toward the end of sentences<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>\u2018R\u2019 is often rolled<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Watch a clip from Flight of the Conchords. Can you hear that the word \u2018message\u2019 becomes &#8216;missage&#8217; and the name \u2018Bret&#8217; becomes &#8216;Brit&#8217;?<\/p>\n<div class=\"element_size_\"><iframe title=\"Answer Phone Message - Flight of the Conchords\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kXTCEQo8tlw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>The South African accent \ud83c\uddff\ud83c\udde6<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">To the untrained ear, the South African accent may sound close to the Australian and Kiwi ones. However, it has many unique traits that set it apart.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"list_styles\"><ul class=''>\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Diphthongs like \u2018no\u2019 and \u2018go\u2019 are often one vowel sound.<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>Extra emphasis on some syllables.<\/li>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><li><i class='icon-circle'><\/i>A flatter tone through sentences.<\/li>\n<\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Charlize Theron and Elon Musk are both from South Africa but don\u2019t have strong accents as they\u2019ve spent so much time in North America. The presenter Trevor Noah speaks in a more typical modern dialect.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">The best way to familiarise yourself with different English accents is to spend time with people from different countries. Soon, you\u2019ll see patterns and find it easier to understand various words and phrases.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Getting English lessons is a great place to start. During the class, your teacher can introduce you to all the accents and explain the differences.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">See how Oxford House could help improve your pronunciation by <a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/english-courses\/\">booking a class<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"devider element_size_>\"><div style=\"margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:20px; \" class=\"divider3\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<h2><strong>Glossary for Language Learners<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Place (v):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> to know where something is from.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Posh (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> elegant or high-class.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Glottal stop (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> a sound made by stopping and breathing out suddenly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Melodic (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> song-like.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Telltale sign (phr):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> strong evidence that something is true.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Nasal (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> a sound made through the nose.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Diphthong (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> when you have two vowel sounds in one syllable.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Giveaway (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> something that reveals the truth.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Pitch (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> the tone of something, especially in music.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Untrained eye\/ear (id):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> not having the skill or experience to spot details.<\/p>\n<div class=\"devider element_size_>\"><div style=\"margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:20px; \" class=\"divider1\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><strong>Key<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">v = verb<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">adj = adjective<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">n = noun<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">phr = phrase<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">id = idiom<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Countries can have extremely different English accents despite sharing the same language. Just take the word \u2018water\u2019. Americans, Brits and Australians all have a unique way of pronouncing it. Our blog explores all the different English accents around the world and their main features. That way you\u2019ll have an easier time placing people when you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":51306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[]},"categories":[268],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51305"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51305"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51311,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51305\/revisions\/51311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51305"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=51305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}