BRITISH ACCENT!!!

Adam   Monday, September 15, 2003, 19:00 GMT
Emm Sammy... There are plenty of ways of learning British english/accent besides moving there.

Throughout this last three years I've been listening to British speakers/tapes/online radio and been taught in British English at school for PET and First Certificate.

I can say I now speak Estuary accent quite well, therefore lots of people have asked me whether I'm British.

And what's that of "being yourself"?... I still can be myself if I speak other language and other accent... I'm the same person with the bloody same interests, skills, point of view, intelligence, etc.
Antonio   Monday, September 15, 2003, 19:20 GMT
Adam: Where are you from mate?
Adam   Monday, September 15, 2003, 20:58 GMT
Spain
Doug   Thursday, September 18, 2003, 01:14 GMT
I'm playing a part in play for Christmas at our church. It's a spinoff of "A Christmas Carol," entitled "The Gospel According to Scrooge." We are supposed to use British accents. My accent is from California, USA. I have one line in the play. Does anyone know of a site on the Internet where I can type out a sentence and have it vocalized or translated into phonetic spelling for the British pronounciation?
kerrick   Thursday, September 18, 2003, 01:59 GMT
Hi, Doug:

I'm British and my accent is somewhere between Estuary and RP. I don't think there's any website that would do American-British pronunciation translation for you.

If you like, you can e-mail me the line and I can e-mail you back a WAV recording with my pronunciation of the line.
kerrick   Thursday, September 18, 2003, 02:06 GMT
Doug, my e-mail address is britannic_valour@yahoo.co.uk
(Don't delete this post. I'm not afraid of spam going to this address because I have two addresses and this is not the one I use for important stuff.)

Just a note, my service will be free of charge. I'm doing this out of my good heart. lol.
Salman   Thursday, September 18, 2003, 18:42 GMT
Hello !
I love England very much ! I think it's the country were modernisation started with, as all the inventions took place in the most beautiful place in the world(England). By the genius scientists, So I always belive in oringinallity ! And so I also belive that the true English is the British English. The rest all accents and grammers are adopted ones !! I was just wondering that if you could tell me how I can learn the PURE British accent in olden style ! because every body can understand that way and that is the correct way! , the new ones are very heard to understand spacially the ''Cockney'' accent of North London! at the moment, my accent is very bad(like Russian accent) please guide me through ! sending me an e-mail to ( truly_salman@hotmail.com ) would be of great help! Thanks a lot.....bye!!
mjd   Thursday, September 18, 2003, 23:23 GMT
Salman,

Much luck to you on your quest to learn the British accent. However, you wrote: "The rest all accents and grammers are adopted ones !!"

Accents aren't adopted, rather they evolve. The British accent of today has evolved from the "olden style" to which you referred. Accents and language itself are not static at all; in fact, they're quite dynamic. While I speak American English, I'll have no one tell me that I'm not a native speaker of English (those who make this claim are guilty of the utmost snobbery).

Like I said.....good luck with the British accent. I'd recommend watching the BBC and listening to British radio.
wassabi   Friday, September 19, 2003, 05:09 GMT
just listening to the accent will give you an idea. you could also try sounding a bit posh (no offense to anyone,its just the general way brits sound, to my canadian ears)
Ryan   Friday, September 19, 2003, 06:49 GMT
I don't care if Brits say I don't speak English as long as they don't say that the way I speak is somehow inferior. No language is better than any other.

Ryan
mjd   Friday, September 19, 2003, 07:01 GMT
I would have a problem if someone were to say that I don't speak English. I mean it's pretty much an absurd statement (I'm not accusing anyone of saying this. No one on the forum has). One needn't look any further than what I've typed here.....it certainly isn't Ancient Greek.
kerry hyder   Monday, September 22, 2003, 05:14 GMT
can someone please tell me how to get a "hugh grant" accent?
who ever said grant's got a middle class accent is crazy! who can ever not like the way he tals!
Jamie On   Monday, September 22, 2003, 13:24 GMT
I'm sure you could get "4 Weddings" on tape or something.. just practice mimicing his accent...

:- ) You'll sound like a loveable toff in no time!
Priya   Wednesday, September 24, 2003, 03:27 GMT
Hello all,
I need a help, a clarification indeed.

1.What is the real meaning of the word "appreciation"?
and in
2.which context it should be used?
I believe that it should be used by the speaker to people younger to him and not older to him.....ex: "I appreciate what u have done!"
3. Does what i am saying applies to British accent and it is different for American accent.
Please clarify!
Thank u in advance for ur response!
Reg
Priya
mjd   Wednesday, September 24, 2003, 04:06 GMT
Priya,

The word "appreciate" has nothing to do with differences in age. It means to be grateful or thankful towards another person because of his or her actions.

Example: "I appreciate all of the trouble you went through driving me to the train station."

It can also signify understanding the plight or position of another.

Example: "It's a difficult situation he's in. I can appreciate his position, but I'm not going to budge when it comes to what I believe in."