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Category Archives: English Phonetics
The “Trubbow” with L-Vocalization
Listen to a three-year-old say “doll,” and it will probably sound like “dow.” Along the same lines, a young child’s “trouble” becomes “trubbow,” “fall” becomes “foe,” “bell” becomes “bew.” Or so it sounds to the average listener. This is what is … Continue reading
The Rhythm of English Accents
When people discuss accents and dialects, they usually talk about consonants, vowels, diphthongs and the like. I know I do. But what about the musicality of an accent? We all seem to have a unique rhythm to our speech, a … Continue reading
A Question about Foreign Accent Syndrome
I would be remiss not to mention this week’s news story about an Oregon woman who woke up from surgery speaking a different accent (Check out the stunning video clip of her speaking). This lady suffers from a rare condition … Continue reading
“Um” in Different Accents
All dialects of English have “filler” words. Just to name a few: er, ah, um, eh, or the increasingly common like* and you know. We humans are a hesitant bunch, and these words offer brief moments of reflection. What’s interesting … Continue reading
Dem and Dose: “Th” in City Accents
I’ve lived in New York City for thirteen years. In that time, I’ve learned that living in such an intense urban area has a palpable effect on how one communicates. You have to talk faster, talk louder, talk more frequently, … Continue reading
Is the glottal stop bad for you?
You may not know what a glottal stop is, but you’ve probably heard one. Already baffled? Let me explain. Ever talk to someone from London who pronounced butter something like “bu’uh?” With the t becoming a kind of “grunt?” The t … Continue reading
Posted in English Phonetics Tagged celebrity accents, class and accent, Cockney, phonetics, stigmatized accents 47 Comments
Short O: Separated by an Uncommon Vowel
Brits and Americans are perplexed by each other’s short-o‘s. The short-o, of course, it the curious little vowel sound in words like lot, rod and top. It’s is one of the English Language’s more inconsequential phonemes (you can write entire paragraphs … Continue reading
Good at Phonetics? It May be Genetics!
Any dialect coach will tell you that not everyone has a knack for picking up accents. Some people take to this kind of work immediately, while others struggle to recognize the most basic differences between accents. It’s a sad reality. … Continue reading
Stage Accents vs. Real Accents
As per recent discussions of American actors doing British accents, I’d like to make an important distinction: Authentic accents vs. stage dialects*. For about 90% of situations in which an American actor needs a British accent, that accent is probably … Continue reading
The Wild World of the English “R”
Compared to other languages, consonants in English don’t vary that much from dialect to dialect. Our vowels are all over the map, but our consonants don’t change much. For example, the English “m” hasn’t budged since the days of Old … Continue reading