Do you have to switch on the subtitles when watching an English movie or series because you can’t understand what the actors are saying? That’s because people from different parts of the world have different English accents. They are speaking the words you have learned and know, but the accent is getting in the way. Recognising and understanding different English language accents can make your life so much easier. After all, there are no subtitles in real life! So, take a trip around the world to learn about the different English accents and how you can learn them.
What is An English Accent?
English accents are a unique thing. It is how people coming from different parts of the world pronounce the same English words differently. This has increased over the years as people have immigrated to different countries, causing the English language to undergo a huge transformation. Important factors, like native or regional language, play a big role in how a person develops an accent and which accent it is. That is why a person from Manchester sounds completely different from a person in Canada when speaking English. They bring a little flavour of their native or regional language into this globally recognised language!
The Most Common English Accents Worldwide
There may be over 160 English-language accents on our planet, but there are a few that stand out from the rest because of the population, history, and cultural effects. Here are some of the most common English accents that you may come across when studying abroad:
British Accent
One of the most common accents to be recognised when walking down the street in the UK is the famous British accent. Did you know that there isn’t just one but many of them? Yes, you read that right, there are approximately 40+ unique British accents, for example, Cockney, Welsh, Geordie, Scottish, Yorkshire, Scouse, Brummie, Northern Ireland and Midland.
American Accent
When you think of Hollywood movies and the cool New York City vibes, you are sure to hear the famous American accent. Just like British, there are 30 major accents, including Boston, Southern, Southern American, Midwest, Texas, Maine, and so many more, but the most common one you will hear is the General American accent.
Australian Accent
Australia is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase 'hey there, mate'. Isn't it? That is because the word 'mate' has been associated with the Australian accent for years through movies and TV shows. The Australian accent is also said to be one of the most laid-back, unique, and easy-to-spot accents. Plus, unlike other English accents, there are only three main categories: general (the Aussie accent), broad (slower with a more nasal tone), and cultivated (formal, British sounding).
Canadian Accent
In Canada, the most commonly spoken English accent is Standard Canadian. It is, on some levels, a little similar and overlaps with the General American accent, but it has its own distinctive qualities that make it different. Depending on the region in Canada, you may also hear other dialects, such as Marine, Ontario, Newfoundland, and British Columbia.
How Can You Learn an English Accent?
You can learn a brand new English accent and improve the way you speak by taking the following steps:
Mimic English Speakers: Search for English speakers with accents you can understand and then repeat words and phrases exactly how they say them. Keep practising until you have perfected it.
Record Yourself on Your Phone: Record yourself when practising your accent. Later, listen and compare it with the English speaker to find areas for improvement.
Take Formal Training Classes with RPI College: Our General English courses can help you improve your overall communication skills, including reading, writing, speaking, listening, and comprehension. Our classes are a blend of students who come from different parts of the world and speak different languages. By enrolling in our English courses, you will be learning with them and will be exposed to different accents. You will have multiple opportunities to practise regularly and improve your speech so that others can understand you.
Tips for Understanding Different English Language Accents
Understanding so many different English language accents can be difficult, but these tips prepared after a lot of research can help you get started:
Practise Active Listening: Listen carefully and pay attention to how the same English words are pronounced with different accents by people from around the world.
Discover New Accents Regularly: Search for audible and visual media from different regions and backgrounds through movies, music, podcasts and news to understand new English accents.
Ask Your RPI College Instructors for Clarity: Don't be afraid to raise your hand in the class and ask your teacher to repeat themselves or explain if you don't understand a word or a phrase.
Practise Speaking in Different English Accents: When you hear someone speaking in an accent you like, find an audio or visual version of it to mimic them. Just hit play and pause as needed to understand the speech and practise to improve.
Remember, the goal is to understand different English accents so that you can easily communicate with anyone who speaks English, no matter which accent they speak with. Enrol in RPI College’s English courses to make this journey easier with guidance from our experienced teachers, who are trained to help you not only learn English but also understand and master your own English accent, no matter what part of the world you’re from. After completing an English course with us, you can say goodbye to subtitles and finally understand those actors! Join us today.
Source: English Path
Read More PostsNorth Vancouver, often referred to simply as the North Shore, is a picturesque and vibrant area that sits just across the Burrard Inlet from downtown Vancouver. Known for its stunning natural landscapes, welcoming community, and excellent educational opportunities from language schools such as RPI College, North Vancouver offers a unique environment for international English language students looking to immerse themselves in Canadian life. Here’s a guide to what you can expect while studying in this beautiful part of the world.
1. A Tranquil Learning Environment
North Vancouver is the perfect place for students who prefer a quieter, more relaxed setting to focus on their studies. Unlike the bustling downtown core, North Vancouver offers a peaceful environment, surrounded by nature. The area is characterized by lush forests, serene parks, and breathtaking mountain views, creating an ideal backdrop for studying English. The slower pace of life here allows students to concentrate on their English language courses while enjoying a calm, stress-free atmosphere.
2. Proximity to Nature
One of the biggest draws of North Vancouver is its proximity to some of the most beautiful natural attractions in British Columbia. Outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty of opportunities to explore, from hiking and mountain biking to skiing and snowboarding. Grouse Mountain, known as the "Peak of Vancouver," offers year-round activities, including scenic gondola rides, wildlife encounters, and winter sports. The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, with its towering treetop walkways, is another must-visit for those looking to experience the area's natural beauty. There are also great hiking trails including the popular Quarry Rock hike near Deep Cove.
3. Strong Educational Institutions
North Vancouver is home to several institutions that offer high-quality English language programs tailored to international students. RPI College provides a range of courses designed to improve your English skills, whether you’re a beginner or looking to advance to a higher level. RPI College offers small class sizes, personalized attention, and support services specifically for international students, making it easier to adjust to studying in a new country.
4. A Close-Knit, Welcoming Community
North Vancouver has a strong sense of community, which is especially comforting for international students who may be far from home. The residents are known for being friendly and welcoming, making it easier to make new friends and feel like part of the local community. Many local events and festivals, such as the annual Shipyards Night Market and various cultural celebrations, provide opportunities to socialize, practice your English, and learn more about Canadian culture.
5. Accessible and Convenient
Despite its tranquil setting, North Vancouver is easily accessible and well-connected to the rest of the Greater Vancouver area. The SeaBus, a passenger ferry, provides a quick and scenic commute to downtown Vancouver, allowing students to enjoy the best of both worlds. Public transit in North Vancouver is reliable, making it easy to get around and explore the area. Whether you need to commute to your language school, go shopping, or meet up with friends, you’ll find the transit system convenient and student-friendly.
6. Cultural and Recreational Activities
While North Vancouver may be smaller than its downtown counterpart, it boasts a rich cultural scene and plenty of recreational activities. The area is home to several art galleries, theaters, and museums, such as the Polygon Gallery, which showcases contemporary photography and media art. If you’re interested in history, the North Vancouver Museum offers insights into the region’s past. For those who enjoy staying active, there are numerous community centers, gyms, and sports clubs where you can participate in activities ranging from yoga to soccer.
7. Safe and Family-Friendly
Safety is a top priority for many international students and their families, and North Vancouver delivers on this front. The area is known for its low crime rates, clean environment, and well-maintained public spaces, making it a safe and secure place to live and study. The family-friendly atmosphere also means that if you’re planning to stay long-term or bring your family along, North Vancouver provides an ideal environment for both students and their loved ones.
8. Conclusion
North Vancouver offers international English language students a unique blend of natural beauty, a supportive community, and excellent educational opportunities. Whether you’re here to improve your English, experience Canadian culture, or simply enjoy the stunning surroundings, North Vancouver is a place where you can achieve your goals while feeling right at home. With its tranquil environment, proximity to nature, and welcoming atmosphere, North Vancouver is more than just a place to study – it’s a place to thrive.
Read More PostsLearning English can be a great way to meet new people but learning with friends can also increase your chances of success. Here are five ways in which learning English as part of a group will help you reach your goals.
Momentum
When you learn something alone, it’s easy to take a break. After you take that break, though, it’s tempting just to quit. When you learn as part of a group, the energy of the other members will help you keep going when you feel like you are losing momentum.
Accountability
Stating your goals in front of a group of people is a great way to help you commit to achieving them. It’s a lot more difficult to quit studying while preparing for an IELTS exam when you feel like that would be letting a group of people down than if you can quit quietly with nobody knowing about it.
Fun
Learning as part of a group is fun! You get to share ideas with other people, find out new ways of looking at things, and undoubtedly share a few jokes along the way. You can also conversate and have discussions with one another, practicing what you have just learned.
An Extra Pair of Ears
Practising alone is great, but when it comes to conversation you really need two or more people. It’s also useful when you are practising pronunciation to have someone who can check how you sound.
Share Resources
Even though you don’t need expensive textbooks to learn English, it can sometimes be difficult to find the best resources to learn from. Being part of a group means you can share these resources and spend more time on actually learning English.
So, those are my five reasons why it’s better to learn English with friends. Do you have a friend learning English are the moment? If so, share this article with them to let them know how important they are!
Source: EF Education First
Read More PostsEveryone loves a bit of code, and acronyms and abbreviations are great little tools that make communication faster and more fun, especially when trying to type fast on a slippery smartphone. And in English, you really can’t get away from them.
Here are 15 that you’ll encounter often and that every English speaker should know.
But first, a quick cheat sheet:
- Abbreviations are shortened versions of words and sometimes end in a period (for example, accomm. for accommodation or adj. for adjective).
- Acronyms are pronounceable, so you read them out as if they’re a name and are formed by using the first letter of each word in a phrase (such as NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
- An initalism is when the word is pronounced letter by letter, such as the UN (the United Nations). (Fun fact – “the” is usually added before an initialism but not an acronym, as in “I’m an interpreter at the UN,” or “I have an interview at NASA.”)
RSVP – Please reply
As with so much of English, this comes from French. RSVP stands for “Répondez s’il vous plait”. You’ll see this request on invitations to weddings and other parties. And yes, please do reply – that way, the bride or host knows exactly how many salmon fillets to order.
ASAP – As soon as possible
“Can you get this in ASAP?” reads the email from your boss. Depending on the project, this may or may not cause panic – but in any case, you don’t have much time to think!
AM/PM – Before midday (morning) and after midday (afternoon)
There’s a huge difference between 5 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon – and these little terms have it covered. Remember, don’t use them if you use 24-hour time (6 PM is the same as 18:00) and be careful to set your alarm correctly. A “morning” alarm that goes off at 7 PM doesn’t help anyone!
LMK – Let me know
Casual, friendly – perfect for the end of a text. LMK shows that you are expecting confirmation or more information.
BRB – Be right back
Sometimes when chatting, something demands our attention be it the doorbell, a cat wanting to be let out or an irresistible caffeine craving. Don’t sweat it – just let your friend know you’ll BRB.
DOB – Date of birth
“What IS my DOB?” you might have wondered the first time you saw this. After all, it does sound like a poorly chosen item of clothing or foul type of medicine. Well, rest assured you do have a DOB – we all do. You probably celebrate yours each year with far too much cake, ice cream and requisite silly hats.
CC/BCC – Carbon copy/blind carbon copy
Although they refer to the age of email, these terms take their names from the analogue years, when copies were made using carbon paper. Quick etiquette tip: when adding people to the CC email field, remember they “can clearly” see who else has received the email. (And don’t “reply all” unless you REALLY want to!)
TBA/TBC- To be announced/To be confirmed
Remember your friend whose wedding invitation you need to RSVP ASAP to? Be careful if it says venue TBA or groom TBC. It means she doesn’t have everything organized just yet!
ETA – Estimated time of arrival
“See you on Tuesday, ETA 9 PM.” You might see this when someone is traveling but is unsure of when their flight gets in.
TGIF – Thank goodness it’s Friday
Sung by workers worldwide each Friday afternoon – the weekend is here!
FOMO – Fear of missing out
And with the weekend can come a some pretty serious FOMO. Imagine: You’ve been invited out but don’t feel like going. But, at the same time, you know it’ll be fun and that you may regret not going. So, you agonize over what to do.
IMO – In my opinion (or IMHO – in my humble opinion)
We’ve all got a few opinions. This is how you can express them.
N/A – Not available, not applicable
Use this when filling out a form to show that particular section doesn’t apply to you.
AKA – Also known as
This little beauty is used to refer to someone or something by another name – often a nickname, such as how your bro (might) refer to his newborn baby (“This is Eddie, aka ‘The poop machine'”), or how Chile refers to a much-loved footballer, Alexis Sanchez, aka ‘El Niño Maravilla’.
DIY – Do it yourself
People who are interested in completing tasks themselves rather than hiring professionals (aka DIY-ers) exist in all walks of life. From fixing electronics and upholstering furniture to completely renovating their homes, as you can imagine, DIY projects can result in as many great successes as horrible messes!
Source: EF Education First
Read More PostsThe history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders - mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from "Englaland" [sic] and their language was called "Englisc" - from which the words "England" and "English" are derived.
Old English (450-1100 AD)
The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar languages, which in Britain developed into what we now call Old English. Old English did not sound or look like English today. Native English speakers now would have great difficulty understanding Old English. Nevertheless, about half of the most commonly used words in Modern English have Old English roots. The words be, strong and water, for example, derive from Old English. Old English was spoken until around 1100.
Middle English (1100-1500)
In 1066 William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy (part of modern France), invaded and conquered England. The new conquerors (called the Normans) brought with them a kind of French, which became the language of the Royal Court, and the ruling and business classes. For a period, there was a kind of linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. In the 14th century English became dominant in Britain again, but with many French words added. This language is called Middle English. It was the language of the great poet Chaucer (c1340-1400), but it would still be difficult for native English speakers to understand today.
Early Modern English (1500-1800)
Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact with many peoples from around the world.
This, and the Renaissance of Classical learning, meant that many new words and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Printing also brought standardization to English. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London, where most publishing houses were, became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary was published.
Late Modern English (1800-Present)
The main difference between Early Modern English and Late Modern English is vocabulary. Late Modern English has many more words, arising from two principal factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution and technology created a need for new words; secondly, the British Empire at its height covered one quarter of the earth's surface, and the English language adopted foreign words from many countries.
Varieties of English
From around 1600, the English colonization of North America resulted in the creation of a distinct American variety of English. Some English pronunciations and words "froze" when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English is. Some expressions that the British call "Americanisms" are in fact original British expressions that were preserved in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain (for example trash for rubbish, loan as a verb instead of lend, and fall for autumn; another example, frame-up, was re-imported into Britain through Hollywood gangster movies). Spanish also had an influence on American English (and subsequently British English), with words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that entered English through the settlement of the American West. French words (through Louisiana) and West African words (through the slave trade) also influenced American English (and so, to an extent, British English).
Today, American English is particularly influential, due to the USA's dominance of cinema, television, popular music, trade and technology (including the Internet). But there are many other varieties of English around the world, including for example Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English, Indian English and Caribbean English.
Source: English Club
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