It has been estimated that in Britain alone there are more than 24 different regional accents. One of the reasons for this, is that until the 1930s, mass transport was limited. The population were more confined to regional areas where they developed their own accents.
For the new learner of the English language or the second language speaker, the key question to ask when undertaking online accent or speech training, is which accent is best to learn? Should I learn British accent or American?
British or American Accents?
Second language speakers of English are generally taught in two strands; either British English, based on Received Pronunciation (RP) or General American, based on American English. Let’s examine British English based on RP first.
RP emerged almost eighty years ago as a standard model of English speech, without specific regional dialect. It was mostly based on a Home Counties accent, whereby there was minimal regional accent. In larger more populous areas it is also logical that particular regional flavours or dialects will become less popular as a wider range of people work, interact together and need to be understood.
Examining the British RP based accent phonetically we find that it has 50 unique phonetic sounds and provides the most complete ‘standard’ of the English language.
Learning the American Accent
Like the United Kingdom, the United States also has many regional dialects of English, including Southern, New York and Californian, for example. However the accent that appears most neutral and is used on the major nationwide TV news networks is based on the Mid West accent and is descriptively termed ‘General American’.
Phonetically, the General American accent has 44 unique phonetic sounds. In this way it does not have as wider range as British RP. However the real question for learners of English, is which accent is best received on both sides of the Atlantic?
Preferences to Learn British Accent
As we’ve seen in the YouGov Poll, Received Pronunciation is the second most attractive accent in the UK, falling only behind Southern Irish, which is phonetically closer to the American Accent. However surveys in the United States show that British RP is perceived to be more attractive and sophisticated than local American accents. Further, the accent, due to its focus on absolute clarity, can be easily understood in the US.
Learn British Accent with SpeechSchool.TV
For this reason, SpeechSchool.TV teaches the British RP based accent, although the training is modified to provide International RP. This aims to provide the clearest most neutral form of English speech training. It is suitable for learners and speakers of English worldwide.