Hey there!
Have you ever been impressed by the way some Brits speak, with such ease and fluency? That's the magic of Received Pronunciation (RP), also known as Queen's English. This week, we're exploring this fascinating accent, looking at features like connected speech and the subtle schwa /ə/ sound. Get ready to discover the tricks behind this popular British accent!
Let's break it down:
Connected Speech
In RP, words don’t just stand alone - we tend to link them together while speaking. Connected speech is characterised by the following:
Connecting the final sound of one word to the first sound of the next word: e.g. go out turns into g'out (/gəʊ aʊt/)
Elision (dropping or omitting sounds): e.g. you and me turns into you'n me (/jʊ ən mi/)
Assimilation (changing sounds due to the influence of other sounds around it): e.g. good boy turns into gooboy (/ɡʊb bɔɪ/)
Weak Forms (reducing vowel sounds in unstressed words): e.g. I need to go turns into I need t'go (/aɪ niːd tə ɡəʊ/)
Word Stress and Intonation
The way we stress words in a sentence can change its meaning completely. For instance:
I didn’t say he stole the money
Depending on which word you emphasise, the meaning changes:
Stress on I: I'm assuming someone else said it, but not me
Stress on didn't: I'm denying saying it
Stress on say: I implied it but did not say it (maybe I implied or thought it)
Stress on he: I'm implying that someone else stole it
Stress on steal: he did not steal it, but maybe he borrowed it
Stress on money: I'm implying that he took something else (not money)
The Schwa Sound /ə/
The schwa /ə/ is the most common vowel sound in English and is crucial for a natural-sounding RP accent. It appears in unstressed syllables, in the beginning, middle or end of the word. Mastering this sound can significantly enhance your fluency and help you blend in when talking with native speakers.
Some example words are:
better /ˈbɛtə/ quicker /ˈkwɪkə/ faster /ˈfɑːstə/ stronger /ˈstrɒŋɡə/ | about /əˈbaʊt/ computer /kəmˈpjuːtə/ doctor /ˈdɒktə/ surprise /səˈpraɪz/ |
Are you ready to take your understanding of the RP accent to the next level? Our latest YouTube video dives deep into these concepts, offering plenty of examples to help you master your pronunciation!
Don’t miss out on the chance to sound like a true Brit! Watch the video here and start elevating your English today!
All the best and see you in the next one!
Benjamin & Cami