"English accent" redirects here. For the accent of England, see English language in England.
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.
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Spoken English shows great variation across regions where it is the predominant language. The United Kingdom has a wide variety of accents, and no single "British accent" exists. This article provides an overview of the numerous identifiable variations in pronunciation. Such distinctions usually derive from the phonetic inventory of local dialects, as well as from broader differences in the Standard English of different primary-speaking populations.
Accent is the part of dialect concerning local pronunciation. Vocabulary and grammar are described elsewhere; see the list of dialects of the English language. Secondary English speakers tend to carry over the intonation and phonetics of their mother tongue in English speech. For more details on this, see non-native pronunciations of English.
Primary English speakers show great variability in terms of regional accents. Examples such as Pennsylvania Dutch English are easily identified by key characteristics, but others are more obscure or easily confused. Broad regions can possess subforms. For instance, towns located less than 10 miles (16 km) from the city of Manchester, such as Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale, and Salford each have distinct accents, all of which are grouped together under the broader Lancashire accent. These sub-dialects are very similar to each other, but non-local listeners can identify firm differences. On the other side of the spectrum, Australia has a General Australian accent which remains almost unchanged over thousands of miles.
English accents can differ enough to create room for misunderstandings. For example, the pronunciation of "pearl" in some variants of Scottish English can sound like the entirely unrelated word "petal" to an American. For a summary of the differences between accents, see the International Phonetic Alphabet chart for English dialects.
and 26 Related for: Regional accents of English information
pronunciations ofEnglish. Primary English speakers show great variability in terms ofregionalaccents. Examples such as Pennsylvania Dutch English are easily...
the notion of there being one single mainstream American accent. The sound of American English continues to evolve, with some local accents disappearing...
delimiters. The English language spoken and written in England encompasses a diverse range ofaccents and dialects. The language forms part of the broader...
people of Scottish/British descent Dialect Glasgow dialect Hiberno-English Highland English Languages of the United Kingdom RegionalaccentsofEnglish Scottish...
similarities between the pronunciations (accents), vocabulary, and grammar of American English and Canadian English, the two spoken varieties are often grouped...
classify North American Englishaccents at the level of broad geographic regions, sub-regions, etc. The North American regionalaccent represented by each...
African-American accents across the United States have many common points with Southern accents due to the strong historical ties of African Americans...
Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there...
southeastern Nebraska), plus the accentsof highly educated Americans nationwide. Arguably, all Canadian Englishaccents west of Quebec are also General American...
many other dialects ofEnglish are spoken, which have developed independently from these standardized accents, particularly regional dialects. Information...
centuries. While other British Englishaccents from England have affected the accentsofEnglish in Wales, especially in the east of the country, influence has...
Boston accent Maine accent New England French North American Englishregional phonology § New England RegionalaccentsofEnglish speakers Regional vocabularies...
Library's 'Sounds Familiar' website Accents and dialects from the British Library Sound Archive AccentsofEnglish from Around the World Archived 29 April...
appear to put the stress accents at the wrong syllables, or accentuate all the syllables of a long English word. Certain Indian accents possess a "sing-song"...
Pronunciation accents (often classified along a continuum with local Estuary English), which together here are abbreviated "RP". However, other regionalaccents in...
collective set of different dialects and accentsof Modern English spoken in Southern England. As of the 21st century, a wide class of dialects labelled...
not present as with other Northern Englishaccents, for instance realising along as [əˈlɒŋɡ]. Like many other accents around the world, G-dropping also...
spectrum between the two accents with educated accents approximating cultivated accents but without quite the same level of elocution, while lower middle...
languages. The two dots accent (diaeresis or umlaut), the grave accent and the acute accent are the only diacritics native to Modern English, and their usage...
of pitch variation may also contribute to this "sing song" perception of the language variety. RegionalaccentsofEnglish speakers "Unified English Braille...
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