How to Understand British Pronunciation

People say that one of the easier examinations in the International English Language Test System (IELTS) is the Listening subtest. This may be true, as the answers in all 40 questions of the test are found in the recordings. All a test taker needs to do is to listen to the recording and pick up the answer from there. Easy breezy. Despite this, many people still fail in the Listening test. The primary problem is the accent. Filipinos, in particular, are exposed to the American accent but are only somewhat familiar with British accent, which is commonly utilized in the IELTS.

In order to bridge this gap, here are some insights on the British accent that would help test takers understand what speakers are saying.

1.       In the British accent, the “r” is the middle or at the end of a word usually disappears. For instance, most  British would pronounce “mother” as “muhthuh” or “paper” as “peypah”.

2.       In the British accent, the “t” is pronounced with the tongue pressed against the back of the mouth instead of on the back of the teeth. This is why “better” is often heard as “be’uh”

3.       In the British accent, some words with the vowel a are pronounced with a broad a sound. In American English, for instance, the “a” is can’t is pronounced the same way as cat. In British pronunciation, however, “can’t” is pronounced the same way as the “a” in “father”.

The above-mentioned insights are some of the characteristics of the British accent. Even though it gives you an idea as to how the accent differs from American accent, which we are more used to, it is not enough. Here are a couple of tips to help you understand how British people speak.

1.       Watch movies and/or which make use of the British English accent. It does not matter whether it is Pride and Prejudice, the Harry Potter series, or Closer. What matters is that you expose yourself to the language, in a fun way.

2.       Get a British friend and talk and talk and talk. Nothing beats the real thing. Speaking with a certified Brit will not only make you familiar with the accent, it will also help you be familiar with the slang.

The British accent may be tough for many people, but only because it is not what most are used tp. The trick is to expose yourself to it, as much as you have exposed yourself to the American accent.

Good luck!