Divvy the UK up by region. Just like America, Britain has no one single accent, but several scattered across the land. Familiarize yourself with each. While you don't have to master mimicking them all, develop an ear to tell them apart so you can catch yourself later on should you slip in mid-sentence from one regional accent to another.
Listen to samples of each regional accent. Use sources that clearly identify where the speaker comes from, such as person-on-the-street features on the BBC news or even game shows when they introduce new contestants. Listen to interviews with public figures whose background is either widely known or easily researched online or with other reference material. Rely on current sources, since accents may change over time.
Think of American media and how well or poorly different mediums reflect the way Americans actually talk. Notice how newscasters and public speakers like politicians often adopt speech patterns found nowhere else in society. Watch the countless number of American actors who butcher other American accents in American-made TV and movies. Pick your sources for British accents with that in mind. If you do rely on TV or movies, choose British productions instead of American ones that just happen to feature British actors.
Be aware that American productions sometimes direct foreign actors to tone down their accents so American audiences have an easier time understanding them.
Also stick to films with contemporary settings, as opposed to period pieces, since accents and lingo may change over time. Find samples of Received Pronunciation. Learn the difference between regional accents and the RP, otherwise known as the Queen's English. Historically, British society used to place a great deal of emphasis on the RP as a way to judge each other's social standing. However, this bias isn't as prevalent as it once was, and fewer people strive to speak the Queen's English.
As the center of Britain's government, finances, and culture, London is where the RP is most likely to be heard. Test yourself. Once you feel like you have a grasp on recognizing various British accents, see how well your ear can pick them out. Ask a friend to find new audio clips of different British speakers. Try to identify each speaker's origin by their accent alone.
Part 2. Listen to your peers. Hang out with friends and acquaintances who grew up in the same region as you. Imagine that you're only hearing their accent and thus yours for the very first time. Pretend you're a recent transplant to the area who grew up somewhere else entirely.
Pay close attention to the way they pronounce and string words together. When you speak out loud in your own natural accent, pay attention to your body. Note how your throat, mouth, tongue, and jaw work together to produce sounds. Since Americans and Britons use their muscles differently to pronounce the same language, [10] X Research source familiarize yourself with how your own muscles produce vocal patterns that are uniquely American; this way, you can better identify those signatures creeping back into your voice when you attempt a British accent later on.
American tendencies include: Speaking with a wide mouth to the point of grinning or almost grinning. E-nun-ci-ate clearly. Use the correct sounds for consonants.
Pronounce each word distinctly. Start shedding a few of your American tendencies from your normal speech before adding British ones. Part 3. Study your British accent in depth. Whether it's a regional accent or the Queen's English, once you decide on one to develop, listen closely to video samples. Start with short clips of common phrases shared by Americans and Britons. Choose someone to imitate. Opt for a public figure who's been recorded extensively in interviews on a wide variety of subjects, which will likely increase the vocabulary that they use.
Choose someone of similar build to yourself so you can mirror them more exactly. Also find someone with the same temperament as you so that you have to "act" less; for example, if you're a quiet introvert by nature, imitating someone who's more bombastic would probably be more tiring and unconvincing. Watch the speaker talk. Since the difference in accents is largely produced by the way a speaker physically forms sounds, study the speaker's throat, mouth, tongue, and jaw as they talk.
Although it's hard to see, another British tendency is to make much more use of the tip of their tongue than Americans do. Copy the speaker. Using video samples, play clips of the speaker talking. Then repeat what they said in your British accent.
Use a mirror or a computer's camera to watch yourself as you do so. Match the way you set your face, throat, and mouth to that of the speaker. Mimic all of their body language as well to mirror them more closely. Play short clips at first. Find ones where the speaker is using simple, common phrases that you normally use, too, so you can spot the differences between their pronunciation and your own more clearly.
Expand your rehearsals. Once you've mastered mimicking short phrases, begin tackling longer speeches. Gradually increase the number of lines you repeat at one time. If you're watching an interview, practice lengthy answers individually. Then try answering multiple questions with lengthy answers, all in one go.
Continue building each rehearsal until you're performing the speaker's entire interview. Also start expanding your sources. Find material where the person you're imitating experiences strong, genuine emotions as they speak. Note how this effects their speech.
Record yourself. As you attempt speaking in your British accent for longer stretches, record each one. Play them back and listen for where your British accent weakens and your natural accent or some other British accent that slipped in there by mistake emerges.
Identify whether that was simply due to fatigue or if it's a common flaw that you're repeating elsewhere in similar circumstances. If replicating a particular sound gives you difficulty, select or come up with a phrase that makes heavy use of it, like a tongue-twister. Practice it repeatedly until you overcome this hurdle. Rehearse your accent with new material.
Pick a book to read out loud, preferably by a British author. Start reading small passages in your British accent. Work your way up to entire chapters. Record yourself as you read to play back later on and find where you've slipped. Part 4. Practice, practice, practice. Practice with a native Brit. If you know anyone who's British, use your accent in conversation with them, the sooner, the better. Identify mistakes you're making without realizing it as soon as possible, before they become too ingrained.
Test your accent on the unsuspecting. Once you feel confident that you can speak with a fluent accent, try it out on people who don't know you. So the question is, how can you talk in a British, or more specifically, an English accent? To start sounding more native and have a British accent , your best bet is to watch programmes on the BBC.
Try to observe the way their presenters use their mouth, their tongue, and watch the way their lips move. Not only should you pay attention to the sounds that are coming out of their mouth, but you should also focus on trying to figure out how these sounds are coming out. Which parts of their mouth are they using when producing them?
Try to imitate the way they speak. You could also record yourself saying the same sentences and compare your version to the original one. Some words are pronounced in very different ways in the UK to the US. Watching videos is a fast and convenient way to learn the ropes of any accent and to get the best British accent practise. Many professional voice coaches have published detailed tutorials, they give excellent pronunciation tips and will provide you with useful examples.
Using British slang words will help you sound more native when you practise speaking with a British English accent. Be careful as some terms can have drastically different meanings depending on which side of the pond you are!
This word is used before another one to amplify or exaggerate its meaning. Cheers is not only used when having a drink and clinking glasses. In the UK, it also often means thank you and even goodbye! This adjective is used to describe somebody who is very good looking and attractive.
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