How to Learn British English Pronunciation

British English has different sounds than other forms of English.

Learning an accent is far easier than learning a different language, but it still comes with its own challenges. You may want to learn to pronounce British English for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you are performing in a play that requires you to speak with a British accent. Perhaps you are planning a trip to Great Britain. Or perhaps you just want to amuse your friends at parties. Whatever your reason, there are several ways to go about it depending upon how serious you are and how accurate you accent needs to be.

Instructions

1. Hire a dialect coach. Theaters often hire dialect coaches to work with actors who must adopt new accents for a performance. Contact a nearby theater and ask them whether they know of any dialect coaches or people who can teach accents. Contact the coach directly and let him know exactly what you need. She can then arrange to give you private lessons until you've learned the British English pronunciations you need.

2. Watch British television. Such sites as Hulu and YouTube have episodes of British television. Pick a series that represents the British accent you want to learn and watch all of the episodes. Occasionally halt the video and try to repeat what someone says. Have the series playing in the background while you are doing other things around the house so that you are getting both conscious and subconscious exposure to it.

3. Download pronunciation tips from the BBC. These programs offer videos, explanations, quizzes and audio examples.

References

• BBC: Learning English: Pronunciation Tips
• Pamela Vanderway's Dialect 411: Speech Class: Vowels and Consonants

Resources

• Production Hub: Dialog and Dialect Coaches