British Accents!

The United Kingdom is probably the most dialect-obsessed nation in the world. With countless accents shaped by thousands of years of history, there are few English-speaking nations with as many varieties of language in such a small space.

Here is a list of the most important types of British English. While this is not a complete list by any means, it will give you an overview of the accents and dialects most often discussed on this site and elsewhere.

 Received Pronunciation

Received Pronunciation, or RP for short, is the instantly recognisable accent often described as ‘typically British’. Popular terms for this accent, such as ‘The Queen’s English’, ‘Oxford English’ or ‘BBC English’ are all a little misleading. The Queen, for instance, speaks an almost unique form of English, while the English we hear at Oxford University or on the BBC is no longer restricted to one type of accent.

RP is an accent, not a dialect, since all RP speakers speak Standard English. In other words, they avoid non-standard grammatical constructions and localised vocabulary characteristic of regional dialects. RP is also regionally non-specific, that is it does not contain any clues about a speaker’s geographic background. But it does reveal a great deal about their social and/or educational background.

Cockney

Cockney represents the basilectal end of the London accent and can be considered the broadest form of London local accent. It traditionally refers only to specific regions and speakers within the city. While many Londoners may speak what is referred to as "popular London" they do not necessarily speak Cockney. The popular Londoner accent can be distinguished from Cockney in a number of ways, and can also be found outside of the capital, unlike the true Cockney accent.

 

Midlands English

The Midlands is renowned for its distinctive dialects from the Derbyshire drawl to Nottingham's no-nonsense style of talking. Despite the fading of old traditions and huge shifts in how we communicate globally, it appears that dialect and accetns are still going strong in the Midlands. Much of the dialect developed in rural communities and in the industrial heartlands of the region. Mining communities in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire were renowned for their use of dialect. At a time when regions are losing some of their traditional dialect, the East Midlands is keen to retain its cultural identity and linguistic style.

 

Northern English

These are the accents and dialect spoken north of the midlands, in cities like Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool. Related accents also found in rural Yorkshire, although there are some unique dialect features there that I won’t get into now.  

 

Welsh English

 It is spoken fluently by over half a million people in Wales, that’s over 20% of the population. It’s called Cymraeg, and is a language with entirely regular and phonetic spelling. Its place names may look complicated but once you know the rules, you can learn to read and pronounce Welsh fairly easily. Its Celtic language is closely related to Cornish and Breton and is one of Europe’s oldest living languages; the Welsh we speak today is directly descended from the language of the Sixth Century. Welsh is a living language, used in conversation by thousands and seen throughout Wales. 

 

 

Come to Great Britain and get ready to adventure into a nation where diversity is massive and mostly when it comes to accents!