Sunday, July 6, 2014

How To Choose British Accent Lessons

By Rosella Campbell


People want to learn how to speak like a British person for a number of different reasons. One of the most common is if you are an actor. Generally if there is a call for someone to be a Roman emperor or a space alien or another figure of authority for some reason talking as if you are from Britain seems to convey a sense of otherness. If this is what you are going for then there are various places you can find British accent lessons.

Before looking for classes it is important to be aware of the kind of voice you are trying to learn. Traditionally when people think of Britain they tend to think of England. However it is worth remembering that the United Kingdom also includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The important thing to emphasise is how to define Britain and the voices within the countries that make up the United Kingdom. It is easy to forget that this also includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well. Each of these countries has very distinct voices.

In terms of the way people view how English people speak this kind of speaking is known as received pronunciation. It was generally felt when radio technology was first developed that people might be put off by stronger accents. Therefore a method of delivery was developed that was thought very clear.

What people often think of as the way people speak in Britain is a kind of speech known as received pronunciation. If this is the kind of voice you are going for there are various rules to follow. One of the most basic is to avoid making a rolling R sound when pronouncing the letter R.

Before going to classes it is worth immersing yourself in the culture as much as possible. Ideally you want to find as many up to date resources as possible. Inevitably accents change and like anywhere else in the world some slang words will go out of date. Therefore it is worth looking for recent shows and checking internet upload sites as these are often a good way of picking up on the most up to date way of speaking.

There are various places that can help with vocal training and coaching. The chances are you can find them in your local area. A quick search using your normal search engine should bring up numerous results and let you compare different tutors and their lesson plans. Ideally it is also worth checking to see if they lived in Britain for any length of time as well as their teaching qualifications and experience.

These are all aspects that a class should teach you. Before going to a class it is worth checking to see the credentials of the person teaching. Ideally they should have travelled to Britain and lived there long enough to be aware of regional differences, slang terms and so forth. It is also worth watching British television shows, internet videos and so forth as this is an effective way of learning more about the culture and context of the language. Use your regular search engine to find tutors and language classes in your local area as well as learning more about the full range of English and British accents.




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