[This video is about pronunciation. The transcript won’t make sense without the audio!]

It by no technique came about to me that one day other folks would maybe maybe also favor to hear me discuss in a foreign language. That turned into once no longer the opinion when I studied physics. I’ve within the meantime subscribed to like a dozen English pronunciation channels and exhaust a style of time with the receive dictionary replaying words, so noteworthy so as that at this point I reflect my channel would maybe maybe aloof no doubt be called “Sabine learns English.”

Inevitably, I’m now giving English lectures to my English buddy who no doubt doesn’t know the leisure about English. However then, I also don’t know the leisure about German, rather then speaking it. And resulting from attempting into English pronunciation clicked some issues into dwelling that I roughly knew nevertheless by no technique consciously realized, we’ll originate the Fresh Year with a no longer too brain-intensive video on the variation between American and British English. And that’s what we’ll discuss this day.

I spent some years within the United States and a few extra in Canada, and when I came aid to Europe my English sounded like this.

I then purchased a British buddy. His establish is Tim Palmer, and him as the singing climate scientist.

Tim also has an curiosity in quantum mechanics and he’d secure very offended when I’d bellow quannum mechanics. And since I’m the roughly person that overthinks all the pieces, I’m able to now exactly checklist you what makes British other folks sound British.

However since my have confidence pronunciation is clearly of no inspire, I requested Tim to be taught you some sentences. And to symbolize the American pronunciation I requested the astrophysicist Brian Keating who righteous agreed.

Earlier than we be all ears to their speech samples, I need to be clear that needless to claim there are a style of assorted accents in each the UK and within the US, and it’s no longer like there’s simplest one comely pronunciation. However the diversities that I’ll be speaking about are somewhat in style as I’m obvious you’ll see in a 2d.

Now initially there are a style of words that are comely varied in North The United States and within the UK. Autos. Lorries. Cookies. Biscuits. Trash. Garbage. Gasoline. Petrol, and many others.

There are also some words that are inclined in each languages nevertheless don’t indicate the linked thing, equivalent to rubber or fanny. Ideal be cautious with those.

After which there are words that are the linked nevertheless are pronounced pretty differently, like /təˈmeɪtəʊ/ and /təˈmɑːtəʊ/ or /ˈvaɪtəmɪn/ and /ˈvɪtəmɪn/, or they’ve a beautiful varied emphasis, like /vækˈsiːn/, which in American English has the emphasis on the 2d syllable, whereas in British English it’s /ˈvæksiːn/ with the emphasis on the first syllable.

However besides that there are also some overall differences within the pronunciation. The doubtlessly most evident one is the t’s. Hear to this famous example from Brian and Tim and be all ears to those ts.

“Quantum mechanics isn’t as delicate as they are saying.”

In American English it’s somewhat overall to make employ of faucet ts that sound roughly like d’s. Bedder, delicate. Or roughly say over the ts altogether as in quannum mechanics.

In British English the ts are inclined to be noteworthy clearer pronounced. Better, delicate, quantum mechanics.

Whereas right here is I imagine the variation that’s basically the most challenging to raise up on, it’s no longer overall basically the famous distinction. I reflect basically the famous distinction is maybe that a style of “r”s are restful in British English, which technique they’re no longer pronounced at all. There are a style of words by which this occurs, just like the note “note” which in American English would maybe maybe be “note”. Let’s hear the following pattern and be all ears to the rs.

“The first stars have confidence been born about one hundred million years after the gigantic bang.”

In American English it’s possible you’ll have confidence first stars born. In British English, none of those has an r, so it’s first stars born. The Brits also topple those r’s on the kill of words.

“The plumber wasn’t any much less vivid than the professor.”

That sound which the Brits leave on the kill of an “er” note, is is known as the “schwa” sound and its phonetic spelling is an “e” grew to alter into by 180 levels. It’s basically the most typical sound in British English and it goes like this. E. That’s it.

Within the occasion you think that “Schwa” sounds roughly German that’s resulting from it’s roughly German. It goes aid to a Hebrew note, nevertheless the term turned into once equipped by the German linguist Johann Schmeller in 1821 to checklist how Germans no doubt pronounced words somewhat than write them.
The Schwa sound is all over in German too, to illustrate on the kill of words like Sonne, Treppe, or Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänsmütze.

However let’s reach aid to English and discuss pretty bit extra about those rs. Not all r’s are restful in British English. You have them in the starting up of words, comely?, nevertheless you also have them between two vowels. As an illustration, wherever, in American English has two rs in British English you topple the one on the kill nevertheless have the one within the heart. Wherever.

The “r” shedding is fully easy to be taught whenever you’ve wrapped your head around it resulting from there are in style ideas for it. In my knowing I receive the British pronunciation more uncomplicated for the reason that English “r”s don’t exist in German, so whenever you happen to maybe can keep away with them, gargantuan.
Okay, nevertheless comely shedding the r’s won’t develop you sound just like the queen, there are about a extra issues. Let’s hear yet every other pattern. This time, be all ears to the vowels.

“I believed I caught a frigid after I fell into the water.”

So you hear the 2 varied ts in “water” again, nevertheless extra prominently you hear the British employ “ooo” the save the Americans employ a sound that’s closer to an “aaa”. W/ooo/ter. W/aaa/ter. This one can be somewhat easy to be taught resulting from it’s a in style thing. Seriously extra delicate is the following one. Another time be all ears to the vowels.

“You bought this imperfect. It’s doubtlessly no longer imaginable.”

What you hear there could be that about a of the “a”s in American English are “o”s in British English. Those two sounds have confidence a varied phonetic spelling, the a is spelled like this, and the o is the upside down of this. The adaptation is most evident within the note “no longer” which in American English sounds extra like “no longer”. Identical thing with imaginable which becomes imaginable. And I did ask of Brian to speak pr/a/bably nevertheless he pronounced it doubtlessly, which is challenging. As I stated there’s lot of regional adaptations within the pronunciation.

I have confidence stumbled on this one somewhat delicate to be taught resulting from there’s yet every other “a” sound for which this shift does no longer happen, and that has a phonetic spelling which appears to be like to be to be like pretty like a huge Lambda. Conversation turns into dialog, consciously into consciously, nevertheless firm stays firm. God turns to god nevertheless nothing stays nothing. Certain, that’s de facto confusing. And in that note “confusing” the pronunciation doesn’t exchange for the reason that first syllable is unstressed and the o becomes a schwa. Which would maybe be confusing.

One final distinction. This took me a really prolonged time to see nevertheless whenever you comprehend it it’s no doubt obvious. English famously has a style of diphthongs; those are combos of two vowels. As an illustration “I” that’s no doubt two vowels “a” and “I” — aaii.
Or “ey” as in consume or minute one. That’s an e and an i. eeeiiii. Desire.

Most of those diphthongs are pronounced shining noteworthy the linked in British and American English, excluding for the əʊ as in “no”. In American English that’s extra like an əʊ whereas in British English you originate cease to an “e”, əʊ. No. No. Fully. Fully. And many others.

Let’s hear how Brian and Tim reveal this.

“I don’t know the procedure slowly it’ll fade.”

As I stated, whenever you comprehend it, it’s fully obvious isn’t it. And whenever you happen to ought to favor to sound Canadian you have the American ou, nevertheless employ the British european for the aʊ. So out change into out. About change into about. Without without. However be cautious, resulting from whenever you’ve purchased that european on your about it’s no doubt exhausting to keep away with.

The shift from the American ou to the British european can be confusing resulting from many dictionaries employ the linked phonetic spelling for every sounds. And also, you don’t construct it if there’s an “l” coming after the əʊ. So to illustrate “pole” doesn’t change into pole. No. So don’t construct it if an l is developing, excluding there’s an exception to the exception which is “other folks”.

And that’s it other folks, subsequent week we’re aid to speaking about science.

Demolish you understand by the manner that German almost grew to alter into the legit language within the United States? You doubtlessly did? Effectively that’s an urban legend, it by no technique took place. America doesn’t even have confidence an legit language; it’s comely that English is really the most broadly spoken one.

Many thanks to Tim and Brian for their recordings, and many thanks also to Kate Middleton from SpeakMyLanguage for serving to with this video. I realized most of what I know about British English from Kate. While you desire inspire with your English, fade verify out her web page.