Dr Lindsey thank you very much for your presentation. It's so meticulously nuanced and it really delves into the linguistic features at the same time offering a deep analysis of character. Linguistics has never been made this easy and practical!
The common people had the contents of their gob on display when they pronounced vowels yuk! Whereas, the well bred sophisticates distinguished themselves from the lower classes by speaking with their oral cavity modestly closed so you couldn’t see their black sugar corroded teeth. They also pronounced their vowels in more of a smile shape which changes the way you pronounce them. Got it guvna! Quite! Now what about the glottal stop and the swapping of consonants…. arks me wo’(t) I mean if you don’(t) know wo’(t) I’m tawkin abou’(t). Inni’(t).
@@RestWithin Why haven't you launched a cascade of "awesomeness" and peppered your communication with the word "like"...er... question mark?. You obviously take pride in being wordy but we netizens must avoid idiomatic English like the plague. Why the faux-plebian lingo? Is you is a patrician or a pleb? I think we should be told. Mine's a pint of Krug, squire...
@@ajarnwordsmith628 I will remain an enigma, since I don’t believe in judging people by anything that superficially speaking appears to distinguish them, (we are complex creatures after all is said and done), except to reveal that I prefer that the word “awesome” be reserved for our creator, Almighty God.
I feel like King Charles’ accent is what people think we sound like and what is mostly used in TV shows and films when in fact William and Harry is more typical of well spoken English people. Then Harry has a slight American accent on some words
As an American, I think more Love Actually Aoan Rickman, Emma Thompson, or hiw the Harry Potter kids sounded in the movies. Maybe because I live in an area with a distinct accent, even for America, I always assumed the Queen, other Royals, and Lord's and Ladies had a more...it sounds awful but stuck up accent. Not that ARE stuck up. Just sound it
@@faeriefire99 oh they do sound more stuck up than the majority of us but I still feel like people think we all sound posher than we do! Or maybe it’s the lack of regional accents? I didn’t mean to generalise
As a Canadian with a linguistics background I found this fascinating! I'm not sure how this found its way onto my feed but I certainly appreciated the thoroughness with which you presented the different sounds which differed between King Charles and Princes William and Harry. Looking forward to more! Thanks!
I actually live in Rochester, New York on Lake Ontario. I have taken both French and German for years and I am fluent in both of these languages, as well as English, although I have actually been employed as an emergency department R.N. for 20 plus years, and as a critical care R.N. before then.. It is interesting noting the Rochester R and the Rochester accent on some Rochesterians, but not on others. When I used to travel down to visit the New York City Guardian Angels with other Rochesterians., I was told that I "sounded nothing like the other Rochesterians" . whom I had traveled with. . They told me that I sounded more like a Canadian. Both The English Guardian Angels and Canadian Guardian Angels agreed that I sounded like a Canadian.
As an American, I’m always amazed at how the Brits manage to form way more accents in their little country than we formed in ours. It seems like the Brits have a different accent every few miles.
I don't know if that's particularly true. I live in Texas and I took a vacation to California where everyone knew I wasn't from there based off my accent alone. I remember seeing people from NYC and Philly knowing each other wasn't from their respective cities just by how each pronounced "water". Don't sleep on how varied US accents are either. I would bet almost each state would have some differences and we know for certain different regions do
You haven’t seen all the accents in America I’m guessing because it can shock you and make you say wow 50 states and 2 cities in each states over 100 cities in 1 country
@@UnlimitedProduction1 Yup from east to west to north to south in America it’s quite unique from 1-2 states away drastically different or one of a kind I will admit.
Accents are formed Historically when a group of people are isolated from others geographically. Add to that that the United Kingdom is composed of 4 countries and has been conquered by Romans, Anglo Saxons, Vikings and more it’s easy to see why they have not only different languages historically but accents too.
When Tony Bliar’s speaking voice was being retrained away from RP to SSB, it was done because he essentially did not represent British people but needed to sound as if he did. After Camero, this stance softened and reverted back to a more ‘natural’ RP because they didnt care whether or not anyone thought they represented British people.
@@kjh23gk Tony Blair had the chameleon quality that is taught in NeuroLinguistic Programming of adjusting his speech to his surroundings. You can se this on old news clips. Among Londoners he sounded Sarf Lunn'n, in his constituency he was almost Geordie and campaigning in Scotland he said "Aye" a lot.
You'd be amazed... I'll try to find the YTVideo of a specialist in American accents and there differences from one city / town to the next. Most of us can't hear it but the locals can tell when you are "from out of town" 😂🤣
I don't like it. Honestly, I don't wanna learn an accent that ESL materials inculcate in us to pronounce like a British speaker from 1940/1950, while consuming music, series, films from your country. If I take a TOEFL (English language certification from your country) and make a merger between TRAP and DRESS (knowing that TRAP in RP used to be close to the vowel of DRESS), I probably won't pass or it'll be a defect of a non-native. Sincerely, a non-native speaker who had prescriptivist native teachers.
In fact Americans often use British RP speakers for “canned messages” such as in lifts (elevators) and shuttle trains because they are so much more easily intelligible.
been watching videos about phonetics for a while now but this is the first channel where I saw this little trick with looping of vowels/consonants a few times to demonstrate their quality. works really well. great content. thanks for your work
The dedication of people like you to analyse such small differences in speech.. And I mean, the dedication in editing this video... Also, I'm glad you said why the kings's sons sound less posh.
Ive also noticed that the late queens accent was markedly different from that of her 4 children. I'm a native speaker of Australian English. I've always found Charle sand his siblings easy to understand but the Queens' accent has always required a bit of effort on my part. hre modulation also was different form that of her children. I guess the Queen's style of speaking is becoming quite rare as her generation passes on.
@@ebrucelik9689 Queen Elizabeth II was not Scottish. She was born in London and spent most of her childhood in England QEII's mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (yes, her mother's name was Elizabeth) was Scottish.
As a man in his early 60s, I speak an almost perfect RP from another age, most of the voices I heard as a child were formed in the 20s and 30s from a very rarified circle. Whilst William and Harry have what my uncle would have described as quite slovenly accents, the difference between Charles and his two brothers is also quite marked. That being said BBC broadcasts from the 30s sound far more clipped than the King.
Recordings of Cockney music hall stars from the late 1890s to the 1910s show them to have very clipped accents, while definitely being Eastenders. Het instead of the modern Cockney 'airt, raight instead of roight etc
Rarified circle is why it's so elitist and condescending. It's fortunate that it has died such a death that's it's almost died out. Even the younger Royals don't speak it.
My grandad spoke the Geordie dialect and I could barely understand a word he said. My mother was from County Durham and sounded like you would expect someone from that part of Northern England to speak. I grew up in rural America, and talk like a hybrid mutant, my children were born and raised in China and speak Mandarin with Shanghainese accents half the time, so at this point there’s no sense at all in linguistic continuity in the family.
I'm a rhotic English native speaker from the US Deep South and was taught to enunciate every sylable and not be lazy in my speech like many of my peers. Since I been on the internets, I've come to realize that not only do many/most Brits not verbalize 'r's but they drop a whole variety of consonants. I had not noticed turning 't's into 's's. At least it's not Australian. Highly educational video; thank you.
I have sung in church choirs for many years and it was emphasized to enunciate and never drop that T on the end of a word. Not to make it heavy, but not drop it. So it's carried over to my regular accent so this Indiana born and raised girl is often asked where in Massachusetts she was born!
I'm Australian. What's your problem with Australians? Have you been here? Ever listened to the diverse variety of Australian voices or realised what a beautiful rich country it is? Or are you happy supporting the old American cliché of an ignorant American southern hick with a voice like a melon going through a mechanical cheese grater?
This was great !My name is Catherine but for years here in the UK people have called me Cafrin 🤷🏽♀️ hehe, trying to explain this one phenomenon to my friends who are only learning English was a task in itself !
I here this so much when watching British television! To me it's like the total opposite of hearing RP (where I assume they are well educated and rich), versus those who pronounce th as f (or v, as in Bruvva), where I assume they are uneducated and working class. Is there any connection?
@@AlphaGeekgirl Haha dangerous territory... At one point the thought was that there was a class difference, and a difference in Education. The North/South divide regarding class, education and accents has always been very obvious.. perhaps until now though? 🤷🏽♀️ Personally as a native speaker, but also speak other languages and have lived in other countries that speak English, it is all down to habit, how our parents talk and where we live mainly. My accent has changed so much over the years, I am a mimmick and I have just picked up different ways of speaking over the years. It was mainly to "fit in" in all honesty. Having an Australian/type accent in the Midlands meant I had to answer questions I didn't want to so I dropped it very quickly as a young person and started to speak like the other people around me. Well at least I thought I had done a good job but in my late teens , every now and then someone would ask if I was Australian and just explained that I was born in PNG and lived there until I was nearly 9. My telephone voice is articulate and to some sounds "posh".. I lived in Plymouth for four years and I picked up the long "aa" as in paaasty haha. And the over-pronounced R of the South-West, it gets strong whenever I am back down there, but mainly to take the micky out of my friends 😋😉😁😆 "ERE Bey ! Yerr but no but!" To them I will always be a "Northerner".. Leicestershire (where I have lived for at least half my life now) is different to Burton upon Trent (where I have also lived) and I picked that up too from living there and from my Dad. My mum is French /Italian and has no regional accent (and she does not speek zi Eengleeesh lak ziz " 🤣) Her accent is a Standard English and only the odd word she might say differently , or her lack of any regional inflections would make anyone think she be a Native. She says anyone who speaks English for decades like Jean Paul Gautier or Gerard Derpardieu should have better accents and they are just lazy 😂 On the same vein, if I want to wind my mum up, I just "parlay Fransay com saaah" Hehe My sister lives in Australia now and it doesn't take long for my "drawl" to return when I speak to her boyfriend.. Again though, I have to really concentrate, lest I drop back to generic Midlands, with a touch of South-West haha! I also love playing with as many accents as I can, Black Country and Brummie, Scouse, Geordie, Scots , Ireland and N.Ireland (the hardest of all !!!) Cultural changes have meant that we can accept that an accent and education aren't always connected perhaps?... Just my interpretation anyway !
@@AlphaGeekgirl The short answer to your question is that once upon a time there was a difference in class and education. The Investment Banker in London would not speak the same as a Coal Miner in Newcastle.. However, times change !
@@markpalmer8083 I can understand someone saying that they prefer to listen to the King speaking. However, I would feel more comfortable having a conversation with someone who speaks like his sons.
As an Italian listener, I very much prefer King Charles's pronunciation, as it's clearer. I perfectly comprehend every single word He pronounces, while I often don't catch what the Princes say.
@@knoplef Yes, But well..I think it is different story between accent and mumbling which depends on speaker's style. what do you think what's the best way to comprehend mumbling?
The bit about chard is really making me laugh 😂😂😂 I grow a lot of chard and I was really confused when I saw that picture, wondering why William was talking about a very easy to grow and nutritious vegetable 🤣
A video on the ‘L’ vocalisation would be cool! My accent is northern and I notice where in that clip William says ‘child’ with one syllable I would put two, sort of like “chai-yuld”. Would be interesting to hear how it differs across different regional accents!
Regional accents are fabulous. There's a British telly chef called James Martin and I love the way he pronounces veg-it-abulls, when people from the south say vejtubls. One of my friends likes to read a book by the faaar, but my other friend pronounces fire as fai-uh, as in flamin ell faiuh.
@@jeanettegant75 Hahaaa! My dad says veg-it-abulls just like that, and I like reading by the fai-uh. Coincidentally, the phrase bloody hell faiuh indeed crops up often...!
I found this so interesting! As a child I attended preparatory school, and went on to attend a church school. In senior school I was always considered 'the posh girl' as the students were from very different backgrounds, and I was often bullied as a result. Throughout my adult life I've noticed that I have developed some accents and different ways of expressing language, often because people have given me a second glance when I'm speaking properly. It instinctively reverts back to my earlier pronunciation when I'm on the phone. Now I'm in my 60's I've noticed also that if I have a glass of wine my speech unconsciously reverts to its former style. I only know this because my close friends might occasionally comment and ask 'where that came from'. 😄 I believe there is a direct link between the Princes William and Harry's evolution in speech patterns and the common parlance of the British military. The Princes' speech directly reflects the hurried, slurred speech of British military personnel, particularly in Officers' Ranks. It is, perhaps a kind of shorthand. 🧐
Youngsters can be very cruel about any little differences. I put it down to jealousy. Yes it take time to realise it’s their fault not yours. All the best.
@@clovermark39 I wish it were true, my mother used to always say the bullies were jealous. Now, I’m sure that in many cases there’s an element of truth to that but in my mature wisdom years (right) I’ve come to believe that bullying is more a way to hammer out non-conformity and for insecure people to feel higher up the social scale. It’s a byproduct of us being social animals and, in particular, the ham-fisted way children negotiate this social battleground. Regardless, it’s awful and should be stopped by adults. Even though many bullied people went on to make that bullying into a motivator and strength many more don’t and even the successful bully victims would prefer to not have been bullied, I’d wager.
English is always changing, I was amazed when studying Chaucer how alien English appeared and even Modern English from the Tudor times requires great effort to read and understand.
Wow! I loved this content. I am Italian, but have a master degree in English and post-colonial literatures. What an impressive analysis you did here. It is so incredibly interesting, and absolutely on point. I am now sadly starting to get more used to King Charles' accent, and while I do miss the Queen's English a lot, I have to say that his pronunciation is quite unique and interesting. I am really looking forward to listening to his Christmas speech, and I am sure I will be enjoying it... I am finding it hard to getting used to this change; afterall her majesty was omnipresent in every single English book I've been studying English on since my childhood.
@@lizi.2503 Thank you, what a nice compliment! However, I suppose I can almost say that I learned English as a first language. I've been studying it since I was 5. I am 39 now, and I think you never stop learning afterall. I am married to an American, I have to admit, and we live in Italy. He moved here 16 years ago when we got married. I may be skilled grammatically, but unfortunately I pretty much lost my cute British accent due to him 😉 Fun fact: when I was discussing my master degree dissertation (of course it was in English), I started to speak with a British accent. My husband later said that he started to panick because he didn't think I could pull it off, as he rarely heard me speak like that. Pheew, it went well 😂 but yeah, I don't know how long I would have been able to keep it up.
one thing i hate about modern posh accents is the americanisation of the "T" sound that you mentioned in the t voicing section. a strong hard "T" is an indication of being posh, yet the opposite T sound in britain - the glottal stop- is an indication of the southern 'lower class' that posh people dont want to associate themselves with. therefore, they have adopted an american "D" sound instead, and it's the one speech pattern that makes my blood boil whenever i hear it.
Wow, this is so fascinating. Canadian here, I could tell there were differences but I didn't know why or what exactly they were saying differently. Thank you so much, that was wonderful. 💖
Yes, his was a characteristically upper class accent, which I can only imagine was developed by lessons in elocution. I can't imagine anyone spoke that way naturally. Even upper class people haven't spoken that way in years.
@@elisaastorino2881 his accent was quite natural. My grandmother was one of his distant cousins from Philadelphia’s Main Line and she had this kind of accent without any training or effort.
I love your analysis of mumbling. It's recently become a pet peeve of mine and I always feel like I can visually see the letters and syllables that they're not pronouncing
Megan Fox the English anthropologist says 'upper class' speakers traditionally swallow their vowels like this (hard to understand; goes with a 'plummy' rich voice. 'Lower class' speakers, she says, pronounce their vowels clearly instead (much easier to understand) and Received Pronunciation is 'middle class'. Of course I believe 'class' is a purely man-made invention and does not exist unless people make it and believe in it. But you know what I mean.
King Charles has a calm, melodious tone of voice and, once you understand his vocal quirks, easy to understand. His diction is not as clipped as the late Queen's, but that may be a result of her home schooling.
I like King Charles way of speaking. I could listen to his voice for hours. Articulate, yet melodious and soothing. There is a regality about his speech with a soft common touch.
I totally agree! It is not just a pity it is a shame and a terrible cultural loss with regards to the historically high standard of British English. Everything seems to get swallowed by the omnipresent pop culture: language and manners… it makes me sad and angry
@@piffpaff9674 it's normally though. As "pop culture" and day to day interactions change and evolve so does our language. As someone else mentioned one day our (wherever you may be) accents will be seen as archaic. It's part of life unfortunately. Nothing we can really do and there's no point in being upset about something we can't change.
Needed to watch this again and will need to watch this over and over again. Your transcriptions and time-stretched visualizations are _mind-blowing_. Thank you so much!
English is my second language and I agree. The Queen was just about the only posh accent I could understand until I became fluent in the language. There are still many accents I just can't understand at all. I smile and nod like an idiot hoping the whole time i should be nodding and smiling ! 😂
Dr. Lindsey, finding your RUclips Channel has been one of the best things in life. Thank you for the time and effort you put in to make such informative content. As always, I look forward to your videos.
Your editing is superb. Wow. I can only guess why the algorithm suggested your video (increased obsession with the Royal Family and a constant obsession with language learning) and I’m so glad it did.
This is such a magnificent channel. Thanks Dr. Lindsey! Your understanding of the subject matter is clearly deep, but it's always most impressive when that's married with a really delightful ability to present and teach.
I get why perhaps William would want not to speak RP so as to seem a little "less stuffy" and "relatable" to the masses but I actually wish he spoke it.
Exactly!! They have no idea how beautiful, classy and melodic that accent is. They see it as "stuffy" but it's not. I'm in the US and imo Charles has a beautiful accent. Wish I had it!! 😭😭 That darn Revolution! 😡
I always wondered why Charles had what I thought was an upper class British accent and his sons sound very different. Now I understand. I like the way Charles and the queen speak (or spoke.)
As an American who hears many different accents, I find that people who speak quickly are often difficult to understand. Your brief video explains why the different pronunciations occur and should be an example of why not speaking rapidly would increase comprehension. People especially speak their name extremely quickly and with an accent it becomes intelligible so I adapted a slower speech when introducing myself even though people never get my name correctly. Apparently the initial ‘t’ sounds like several other letters.
Names are a huge problem as they're so unpredictable. If you say "I went swimming in the...", the next word has to come from a small set of possibilities: pool, sea, river, ocean etc. But if you "my name is...", the next word can be practically anything, and we have only the sounds to go on. It shows how much we use context in understanding speech.
@@Cricket2731 Many repeat my name starting with K or a hard C, sometimes an SH, I suppose turning it into a name that they are familiar with. I don’t have people not understanding me, so I think names are just hard for everyone, especially with the unusual names.
I’m also an American, but have lived in several places during formative times in my life, most significantly England and Northern Virginia. I find that I switch between a crisp sound where I tend to be very literal phonetically or a more Southern drawl, which can get quite thick at times. These are not “put on” accents, but I’ve noticed that where I am affects how I talk. I used to “speak Southern” more at when I worked at hospitals in Northern Virginia, where I had quite a few patients and coworkers with Southern accents. Now my “accent” is a mixture of everything I’ve picked up over the years. I don’t think I’m terribly hard to understand, but I’ve noticed that I have to slow down and spell the word when I am giving the name “Fernandez” to people, especially on the phone. 9 out of 10 of people think I’m saying “Hernandez”. I never would have thought “F” and “H” would sound so similar, even with the same vowel afterwards. And my first name “Tahlia”… even spelling it out doesn’t help me. I’ve become “Polly”, “Natalia”, “Tanya”… And it’s even worse if people only see it spelled out on paper! When people do get my name right, I find it interesting that 9 out of 10 people pronounce it so that the “Tahl” part of my name sounds like “talisman”. It’s actually pronounced “Tahl”, like in how “tall” a person is. And I have no idea why people pronounce my name that way so consistently, whether they only hear my name or they see it written. I don’t remember how the British pronounced my name when I lived in England as a young child, so these are the trends I notice in the US.
3:55 I'd love to hear more about the L vocalization. As far as I know, it presence at different points of history got reflected in spelling in many Romance languages, and is a regular phenomenon in most Slavic languages (reflected in spelling only in some of them). It's fascinating how common it is
interestingly most slavic languages vocalize it to a [w~u] but shtokavian serbo-croatian vocalizes it to [o] (in codae only like most slavic languages that do it, not universally like polish or some bulgarian varieties) like many english dialects
I'm German and I always used to think that in older clips, the English upperclass sounded like they had German accents. It always sounded jarring to me. I'm glad that RP sounds much less clipped, but I'm also of the opinion that the royal family shouldn't sound like the lads next door (hiding their privilege is futile anyway).
@@arivanilla you really are clueless. It's obviously that not her real accent. She struggles with it and so her sentences are affected. She really wants to sound very upper class posh.
@@megapangolin1093 while her husband accent is free flowing (cause he has spoken like that all his life) she desperately wants to sound posh. Meanwhile you can't be British cause if you were you would know the British have different accents
I was born in a bilingual family and grew up in France. My mum, who's British, has an RP accent and so have I, as I learnt English speaking with her. Since she has lived in France for more than 30 years now, her accent hasn't evolved, to the point that she sounds posher than Prince William haha. She never does that glottal stop, for instance
So glad the algorithm brought me to this stellar channel. Thanks for the fascinating lessons, Dr. Lindsey, and congratulations on your newfound virality!
As a Brit, I far prefer the way our King speaks over how either Princes William and Harry do. King Charles is far more regal, clear and well spoken than either of his sons. It’s almost a shame they didn’t take after him.
I've been adding a lot of refinements and nuance to my RP as an actor (I'm a standard American speaker, who has been mostly self-taught), and I found this video fascinating (also your videos on weak forms are just killer!). Thank you for not being afraid to get in depth. It means a lot to dialect enthusiasts, like me.
My sister and I were born in North Carolina, where we lived for 4years. Our family moved to New York state, where we lived for 15 years, then my sister moved to Florida and i stayed in New York. Recently, our. Cousin called me and asked about my sisters accent...he said she has a distinct southern drawl now. Two siblings grew up, grew apart, and their speech changed over the years. Much like william and harry are now doing.
I'd love to hear more about the background of L vocalisation! It's something I picked up even all the way over here in New Zealand, along with th-fronting, and I've been mocked, albeit in good humour, about these features by those that "properly" articulate these sounds. But I'd love to hear more about the context of these sound changes in the UK and where they're used!
King's English sounds the best aesthetically and I wouldn't replace it with anything. I thoroughly enjoy listening to both Queen Elisabeth and King Charles.
Seems that the English accent is quickly becoming Americanized, thanks mostly to social media and Hollywood. It would be interesting to hear Prince Harry’s accent years from now especially that he is living I the United States.
Whew! Excellent - detailed and nuanced. A little overwhelming, TBH trying to discern all the subtleties, but certainly fascinating. Thank you, Dr. Lindsey!
Hi. I love your videos and am always happy to see new ones. I would love to hear your thoughs on R's in RP - the way it transformed. I mean, in the past decades it sounded so much different; "trilled".. - even the late Queen would pronounce it that way when she was young. Other posh people, BBC journalists or actors from before, say, the 1980s would too - especially when Rs were followed by vowels - i.e. AmeRica, veRy tec. Nowadays, this seems to be gone almost entirely. I wonder what happened? Was that because of American English? Interesting...
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Interesting. As a non-Brit who randomly looked into the Royal family’s videos since the Queen’s passing, I prefer Charles’s accent and speeches. I recently listened to a speech by William and I was surprised how fast he talks and how he jumps/hurries thru syllables and words. I thought he was nervous, but I guess that’s just how he talks!
The real difference is in Charles 'everyday' speaking when he's not doing prepared speeches. His 'regular' speaking is quite atrocious and at times sound very slurred. Almost like listening to someone with a 'lazy' tongue.
I just discovered your videos and I can’t stop watching them! I majored in linguistics in university and my favorite subjects were phonology and phonetics. I’ve always had a huge interest in accents and speech so your videos are right up my alley.
My partner does TH fronting all the time… he often pronounces Three as Free so I’m often getting quantities mixed up with freebies which can be a nightmare!!!
Hi, Dr Lindsey, I hope you haven’t got bored covering the King! I should like to suggest a video covering the King’s predecessors: Queen Victoria (a very short recording exists of her voice, even though some argue it isn’t hers,) King George V (the first British Sovereign to broadcast through the wireless,) King Edward VIII, and King George VI. Perhaps one peculiarity of King George V’s accent I find interesting was his use of ɞʊ instead of ɘʊ generally found in RP.
William's English is VERY hard for me (non native and learned English with American shows) to understand. Without subtitles, is pretty hard for me. Very informative, your videos. Thank you!
William is hard to understand. In fact the point of upper class accents was to be universally understood. It was to retrain your voice to speak properly so anyone from any place could understand you. Queen Elizabeth II and Philip and Charles and Diana were absolutely universal in those perfect RP accents.
I was brought up by a Southern mother in Northern Lancashire. She made us use RP but we heard a Lancashire accent daily. I found that as a student in the south my accent was unplaceable but after working for years in Lancashire I now find my accent becoming more and more close to the more northern accent I heard daily. I do revert with little effort to something closer to RP if I am speaking to someone with that accent.
The concept of an ‘unplaceable’ accent is an interesting phenomenon in Britain. I’m Canadian, born to RP speaking English parents, and would say that my accent is slightly more transatlantic than the typical North American. I’m sometimes aware of a curiosity in UK RP speakers, as if they are trying to place me but can’t quite do it - not in terms of origin (I’m obviously North American) but possibly in terms of class. Not being ‘placeable’ I think can be an advantage in Britain, where accents perhaps still matter more than in some countries.
The Queen’s voice changed over the years as I noticed. My mother spoke what we called the Queen’s English and hated my accent soften when I moved to Australia where I am asked if I am English or educated Australian. I am told I speak French with a Parisian accent by French speaking friends which is a surprise. My English school friends now talk about Estuary English which was totally new to me. Linguistics are a fascinating topic. I love how Prince William sounds and Prince Catherine is soft spoken. Sadly Liz Truss sounds what I was brought up to call common which is sad as I know it can attract prejudice! I found your post fascinating. Diolch, to throw in some Welsh. At least the King can speak that and Prince William will have to learn it fast! Wonder if that will change his voice tone and tempo.
My impression is that William is still uncomfortable speaking in public and he does rush. This is very common among people who are uncomfortable and can be improved with good coaching. He also has not yet learned to allow his audience a short time to finish their responses (clapping, for example) and recognize the response with a small gesture (nod, smile, ...).
This was extremely interesting, Many thanks. I'm Maltese, fluent in the English language, but often get trapped by the wrong pronunciation, which may be typical of speakers of English as a second language. I am now newly subscribed and would love to hear more.
I am Indonesian but I learn English and i enjoy knowing many ways on pronuncing words.I love british so well .Comparing between king Charles and his sons I prefer king Charles pronunciation because I am 50 .His English is so clear but knowing the difference pronunciatom like prince Harry and William is very useful and important so we will understand English in many ways of speak. Thank you so much for the video.By the moment I watch it and listen to your explanation I love it so well.Make me enjoy british even more.Your explanation is so clear and understandable.You are a great patient tutor.once again the very gratitude to you.
I like that in your videos, you never deride the speech of younger Brits by claiming it's "improper" but instead embrace the reality that languages change and evolve. Fascinating video!
I utterly love your videos. Bit of a challenge for you: if you could come up with only one sentence in English that would cover every single vowel sound, what would it be? I am a native French-Canadian living in Scotland. As an autistic person I find speaking quite difficult anyway. But I'm also trying to correct my vowels to be less nasally, and more RP. I'm not trying to sound English, but I'm trying to correct the sounds of my vowels. Having one sentence that I can repeat while on a walk that covers all the sounds of English would be incredibly helpful. I hope this is possible. Thank you very very much in advance, whatever the outcome. : )
The princes are also Etonians, while KC went up to Gordonstoun in Scotland, complete waste of money if they speak just like they’d come out of a Windsor comprehensive. 😂
MICHAEL JAMES Windsor Comprehensive???? Is there any such school? Comprehensive schools don't produce a distinctive accent like public schools do as the clientele is diverse. Or is is a fictitious construct? Are you using comprehensive to mean lower class, bad and not acceptable? The thing I find hard about many British accents is the speed: it is hard to identify the individual words even if you discern the meaning of the whole sentence. And for that the two generations are both guilty, even if the cause, as the presenter maintains, is different( relaxed or tense).
Dear Dr. Lindsey, thank you very much indeed for your highly informative great videos. It is the first time I hear a British linguist talking about the changes in current spoken English… I do prefer the wonderful accent of the older generation like HM King Charles, I like Prince William but I do not like his generations‘ „common“ pronunciation. But in the end we non-native speakers are totally confused by the development of the spoken English language and it turns out to true what my English teacher once told me: You never get finished with learning the English language no matter how hard you try to master it…
I prefer the RP because it's so much clearer. I got tired of trying to tell fellow Toastmasters that the audience does not have a rewind button; once they've missed what you've said the spell is broken. I'm wondering, too, whether people who are hard of hearing find RP easier to lip-read.
I do not think so. It's rather that someone speaking slowly and thoughtfully is easier to understand than someone speaking rapidly and casually regardless of whether it is RP or whatever accent.
I've been in a locally produced short film with an actress who is deaf. I picked up some basic sign language so far, but she told me the most important thing for lip reading is to speak relatively slowly (I think King Charles has about the right pace) and to make sure you're looking right at them. Turning your head even a little makes it harder to see the mouth shapes.
The 'stiff upper lip' of old RP speakers would have made them harder to lip-read. E.g. the avoidance of lip-rounding in the MOUTH vowel, which people make fun of by writing 'house' as 'hice' (discussed in my Charles video, not in this one) would make it harder to recognize.
@@almostfm as someone who lip reads, I 💯 agree with you. First, and foremost, it’s so important to look directly at the person you are communicating with. We do need that straight on line of sight. Second most important is to go slow. Third is to enunciate!!! Please please enunciate. For severe hard of hearing people, we rely on enunciation and the shape of your mouth with the words you are speaking. Thanks to all who give us your time in communicating. Being deaf/hard of hearing can be lonely and isolating in a hearing world.
@@leigh7507 Hi! I was referring the ‘mumbling’ that Dr Lindsey refers to in this video - somewhat like a sliding over letters so that they are indistinct.
I am French (most people think I am South African when they hear me for the first time). I try so hard to sound as native as possible, and this is soo very helpful! Love love love these videos!!! thanks a lot for putting them out there and not keeping them to the universities amphitheaters 🙃.
That's a risky thing to do, you can fall into the uncanny valley where the pronunciation is disturbing, while a French accent is perfectly pleasant to listen to. I'm learning Spanish and make an effort on good pronunciation, but go for "you made a real effort" rather than perfect mimicry. One thing I have to avoid is other English speakers in Spanish, the characteristic errors from ingrained thought patterns are an issue.
I'm South African, and I have worked very hard to remove my very distinct Eastern Western-Cape rural Afrikaans accent from my English, so now I have a more central urban Cape Town English (as apposed to the rural Cape Town or outer suburb Cape Town accents) and this has started to back-track into the accent I use in Afrikaans or Xhosa (which is more church Xhosa than usual Eastern Cape which my staff tend to have as an accent now). This all means people don't automatically switch languages when I speak English with them, which was embarrassing when I was still in High School.
I've just discovered your channel and I love what I've seen so far. I'd be interested to see a video about the way King George VI spoke purely because of the difficulties he had. I'd love to see how he formed his words and if there was a difference from others in the same time period.
I am an American and therefore find all British pronunciation unfathomable. I find this all fascinating. I still could never pronounce words like I'm from the UK or understand more than half of what my Facebook friend from York says, but some of that is sayings (he claims more than I think is pronunciation, although differant pronunciation of an unexpected word is more difficult to discern). Thank you for this series
Thanks very much for your videos that I enjoy thoroughly. I’d love it if you please made a video on the new Princess of Wales’ accent and speech, which I believe has changed over time quite a bit.
And someone from Chicago I would love for you to analyze Regional dialects and accents in the United States. Although I'm sure your primary audience is British it would still be nice to take a tour around the entire world and the linguistic differences that exists in various places. Thanks.
Thank you for producing these wonderful videos. Your videos have introduced me to the subtle beauty of my own western Canadian and upper Midwestern American mixed accent. I see now that it is not ugly, as I have always regarded my own speech to be, but in fact is quite a complex and nuanced accent for a native English speaker.
Really interesting. You have a new subscriber :) Elizabeth's speech always struck me as extremely old-fashioned (for obvious reasons, but it's so different from how we speak now). When watching her speech made when she was 21, the word 'service' stuck out to me. She spends hardly any time on the first syllable at all. Also, I can't help but think the 'mumbling' mentioned near the end of this video is a bad habit that could be improved with public speaking coaching!
Thanks for another brilliant video! And Yesss, would love a separate video on L-vocalisation! That's an interesting topic. I had some phonetics/phonology books that discussed it but I'd like You to explain it :)
I've been enjoying your videos. I am Dutch and when I speak English I choose between my "Americanish' and 'Britshy' (most English teachers in the Netherlands are Anglophiles so you get better grades in oral exams when you go for British instead of American pronunciation) Could you do a video what traps Dutch speakers fall into?
Dr Lindsey thank you very much for your presentation. It's so meticulously nuanced and it really delves into the linguistic features at the same time offering a deep analysis of character. Linguistics has never been made this easy and practical!
Well said!
@@edronc2007 Well said...yourself!
The common people had the contents of their gob on display when they pronounced vowels yuk! Whereas, the well bred sophisticates distinguished themselves from the lower classes by speaking with their oral cavity modestly closed so you couldn’t see their black sugar corroded teeth. They also pronounced their vowels in more of a smile shape which changes the way you pronounce them.
Got it guvna!
Quite!
Now what about the glottal stop and the swapping of consonants…. arks me wo’(t) I mean if you don’(t) know wo’(t) I’m tawkin abou’(t). Inni’(t).
@@RestWithin Why haven't you launched a cascade of "awesomeness" and peppered your communication with the word "like"...er... question mark?. You obviously take pride in being wordy but we netizens must avoid idiomatic English like the plague. Why the faux-plebian lingo? Is you is a patrician or a pleb? I think we should be told. Mine's a pint of Krug, squire...
@@ajarnwordsmith628 I will remain an enigma, since I don’t believe in judging people by anything that superficially speaking appears to distinguish them, (we are complex creatures after all is said and done), except to reveal that I prefer that the word “awesome” be reserved for our creator, Almighty God.
I feel like King Charles’ accent is what people think we sound like and what is mostly used in TV shows and films when in fact William and Harry is more typical of well spoken English people. Then Harry has a slight American accent on some words
As an American, I think more Love Actually Aoan Rickman, Emma Thompson, or hiw the Harry Potter kids sounded in the movies. Maybe because I live in an area with a distinct accent, even for America, I always assumed the Queen, other Royals, and Lord's and Ladies had a more...it sounds awful but stuck up accent. Not that ARE stuck up. Just sound it
@@faeriefire99 oh they do sound more stuck up than the majority of us but I still feel like people think we all sound posher than we do! Or maybe it’s the lack of regional accents? I didn’t mean to generalise
WHAAAAT? I CAN'T HEAR ANY DIFFERENCE AT ALL!!!! YOU'RE ALL WET.....
@@karenhayman3848 massive differences I their dialects. Different levels of posh but still different
@@Kay-ly3hb I'm sorry if I seemed cranky! And you very well may ne right. I guess I can really only speak for me 😁
Crazy that you are able to verbalise these differences...like we all knew they existed, but could not describe it xD
Linguists
It's called phonology. The study of (human) voice, φωνολογία.
As a Canadian with a linguistics background I found this fascinating! I'm not sure how this found its way onto my feed but I certainly appreciated the thoroughness with which you presented the different sounds which differed between King Charles and Princes William and Harry. Looking forward to more! Thanks!
I would LOVE to hear/see a video about Canadian accents!
Hello Tara how’re you doing and your family hope they’re all doing great
Where’re it from
I actually live in Rochester, New York on Lake Ontario. I have taken both French and German for years and I am fluent in both of these languages, as well as English, although I have actually been employed as an emergency department R.N. for 20 plus years, and as a critical care R.N. before then.. It is interesting noting the Rochester R and the Rochester accent on some Rochesterians, but not on others. When I used to travel down to visit the New York City Guardian Angels with other Rochesterians., I was told that I "sounded nothing like the other Rochesterians" . whom I had traveled with. . They told me that I sounded more like a Canadian. Both The English Guardian Angels and Canadian Guardian Angels agreed that I sounded like a Canadian.
Where’re you from ?
As an American, I’m always amazed at how the Brits manage to form way more accents in their little country than we formed in ours. It seems like the Brits have a different accent every few miles.
I don't know if that's particularly true. I live in Texas and I took a vacation to California where everyone knew I wasn't from there based off my accent alone.
I remember seeing people from NYC and Philly knowing each other wasn't from their respective cities just by how each pronounced "water". Don't sleep on how varied US accents are either. I would bet almost each state would have some differences and we know for certain different regions do
You haven’t seen all the accents in America I’m guessing because it can shock you and make you say wow 50 states and 2 cities in each states over 100 cities in 1 country
@@UnlimitedProduction1 Yup from east to west to north to south in America it’s quite unique from 1-2 states away drastically different or one of a kind I will admit.
With all the different accents in America, I'm not sure your premise is correct.
Accents are formed Historically when a group of people are isolated from others geographically. Add to that that the United Kingdom is composed of 4 countries and has been conquered by Romans, Anglo Saxons, Vikings and more it’s easy to see why they have not only different languages historically but accents too.
When Tony Bliar’s speaking voice was being retrained away from RP to SSB, it was done because he essentially did not represent British people but needed to sound as if he did. After Camero, this stance softened and reverted back to a more ‘natural’ RP because they didnt care whether or not anyone thought they represented British people.
And absolutely no-one would have guessed he was actually Scottish. 😂
@@kjh23gk Tony Blair had the chameleon quality that is taught in NeuroLinguistic Programming of adjusting his speech to his surroundings. You can se this on old news clips. Among Londoners he sounded Sarf Lunn'n, in his constituency he was almost Geordie and campaigning in Scotland he said "Aye" a lot.
You'd be amazed... I'll try to find the YTVideo of a specialist in American accents and there differences from one city / town to the next. Most of us can't hear it but the locals can tell when you are "from out of town" 😂🤣
As a Speech Language Pathologist, the Science of Phonetics,
co- articulation, inflection and accent have always fascinated me. Wonderful video.
I’m American and I think RP is way easier to understand…I really hope RP isn’t dying. It’s just a gorgeously clear accent.
BBC English is the most euphonious and easily understood dialect in the UK, IMO as an east coast American.
I don't like it.
Honestly, I don't wanna learn an accent that ESL materials inculcate in us to pronounce like a British speaker from 1940/1950, while consuming music, series, films from your country. If I take a TOEFL (English language certification from your country) and make a merger between TRAP and DRESS (knowing that TRAP in RP used to be close to the vowel of DRESS), I probably won't pass or it'll be a defect of a non-native.
Sincerely, a non-native speaker who had prescriptivist native teachers.
Totally agree!
@@kennethbraun1568 before being defined BBC English it was called RAF English.
As my mother lived through the war she always called it RAF English.
In fact Americans often use British RP speakers for “canned messages” such as in lifts (elevators) and shuttle trains because they are so much more easily intelligible.
I can’t believe I’ve only JUST found your channel… what a GOLDMINE it is!! So educational, thank you!
been watching videos about phonetics for a while now but this is the first channel where I saw this little trick with looping of vowels/consonants a few times to demonstrate their quality. works really well. great content. thanks for your work
Yes, the looping makes it so much easier to catch.
The dedication of people like you to analyse such small differences in speech.. And I mean, the dedication in editing this video... Also, I'm glad you said why the kings's sons sound less posh.
Ive also noticed that the late queens accent was markedly different from that of her 4 children. I'm a native speaker of Australian English. I've always found Charle sand his siblings easy to understand but the Queens' accent has always required a bit of effort on my part. hre modulation also was different form that of her children. I guess the Queen's style of speaking is becoming quite rare as her generation passes on.
Charle ( as written 😊) or Charles? 😅
@@happylifeSteph
look again, the s wandered off to make out with the and. But don't look to close, you might make it blush.
@@jayhill2193 It's a "linking" s lool. A glide
What!? Prince William's accent is horrible. He skips pronunciations on certain parts of words too much! Bad habit
@@ebrucelik9689 Queen Elizabeth II was not Scottish. She was born in London and spent most of her childhood in England
QEII's mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (yes, her mother's name was Elizabeth) was Scottish.
As a man in his early 60s, I speak an almost perfect RP from another age, most of the voices I heard as a child were formed in the 20s and 30s from a very rarified circle. Whilst William and Harry have what my uncle would have described as quite slovenly accents, the difference between Charles and his two brothers is also quite marked.
That being said BBC broadcasts from the 30s sound far more clipped than the King.
Can you expand on this rarified circle? It sounds fascinating.
Recordings of Cockney music hall stars from the late 1890s to the 1910s show them to have very clipped accents, while definitely being Eastenders. Het instead of the modern Cockney 'airt, raight instead of roight etc
I'm old enough to already miss it as the norm, rather than the exception. 👀
Rarified circle is why it's so elitist and condescending. It's fortunate that it has died such a death that's it's almost died out. Even the younger Royals don't speak it.
@@markpalmer8083 disagree completely
My grandad spoke the Geordie dialect and I could barely understand a word he said. My mother was from County Durham and sounded like you would expect someone from that part of Northern England to speak. I grew up in rural America, and talk like a hybrid mutant, my children were born and raised in China and speak Mandarin with Shanghainese accents half the time, so at this point there’s no sense at all in linguistic continuity in the family.
I'm a rhotic English native speaker from the US Deep South and was taught to enunciate every sylable and not be lazy in my speech like many of my peers. Since I been on the internets, I've come to realize that not only do many/most Brits not verbalize 'r's but they drop a whole variety of consonants. I had not noticed turning 't's into 's's. At least it's not Australian. Highly educational video; thank you.
I have sung in church choirs for many years and it was emphasized to enunciate and never drop that T on the end of a word. Not to make it heavy, but not drop it. So it's carried over to my regular accent so this Indiana born and raised girl is often asked where in Massachusetts she was born!
I'm Australian. What's your problem with Australians? Have you been here? Ever listened to the diverse variety of Australian voices or realised what a beautiful rich country it is? Or are you happy supporting the old American cliché of an ignorant American southern hick with a voice like a melon going through a mechanical cheese grater?
This was great !My name is Catherine but for years here in the UK people have called me Cafrin 🤷🏽♀️ hehe, trying to explain this one phenomenon to my friends who are only learning English was a task in itself !
Cafrin 😂
@@jdlc903 yes... or even worse " Youwite Caffeh?"
😩
(Translation - Are you alright, Cathy?")
🧐🤨
Haha
I here this so much when watching British television!
To me it's like the total opposite of hearing RP (where I assume they are well educated and rich), versus those who pronounce th as f (or v, as in Bruvva), where I assume they are uneducated and working class.
Is there any connection?
@@AlphaGeekgirl Haha dangerous territory... At one point the thought was that there was a class difference, and a difference in Education.
The North/South divide regarding class, education and accents has always been very obvious.. perhaps until now though? 🤷🏽♀️
Personally as a native speaker, but also speak other languages and have lived in other countries that speak English, it is all down to habit, how our parents talk and where we live mainly. My accent has changed so much over the years, I am a mimmick and I have just picked up different ways of speaking over the years. It was mainly to "fit in" in all honesty. Having an Australian/type accent in the Midlands meant I had to answer questions I didn't want to so I dropped it very quickly as a young person and started to speak like the other people around me. Well at least I thought I had done a good job but in my late teens , every now and then someone would ask if I was Australian and just explained that I was born in PNG and lived there until I was nearly 9.
My telephone voice is articulate and to some sounds "posh".. I lived in Plymouth for four years and I picked up the long "aa" as in paaasty haha. And the over-pronounced R of the South-West, it gets strong whenever I am back down there, but mainly to take the micky out of my friends 😋😉😁😆 "ERE Bey ! Yerr but no but!"
To them I will always be a "Northerner"..
Leicestershire (where I have lived for at least half my life now) is different to Burton upon Trent (where I have also lived) and I picked that up too from living there and from my Dad. My mum is French /Italian and has no regional accent (and she does not speek zi Eengleeesh lak ziz " 🤣) Her accent is a Standard English and only the odd word she might say differently , or her lack of any regional inflections would make anyone think she be a Native.
She says anyone who speaks English for decades like Jean Paul Gautier or Gerard Derpardieu should have better accents and they are just lazy 😂
On the same vein, if I want to wind my mum up, I just "parlay Fransay com saaah"
Hehe
My sister lives in Australia now and it doesn't take long for my "drawl" to return when I speak to her boyfriend..
Again though, I have to really concentrate, lest I drop back to generic Midlands, with a touch of South-West haha!
I also love playing with as many accents as I can, Black Country and Brummie, Scouse, Geordie, Scots , Ireland and N.Ireland (the hardest of all !!!)
Cultural changes have meant that we can accept that an accent and education aren't always connected perhaps?...
Just my interpretation anyway !
@@AlphaGeekgirl The short answer to your question is that once upon a time there was a difference in class and education. The Investment Banker in London would not speak the same as a Coal Miner in Newcastle..
However, times change !
As an American, I didn't know anything about this. That being said, I strongly prefer the King's accent 👑
Same
What a stereotypical first sentence.
Great Britain's English pronunciation as well as American English pronunciation have deteriorated over recent History. People are less articulate
You prefer RP? How strange. It's so unnatural and cold.
@@markpalmer8083 I can understand someone saying that they prefer to listen to the King speaking. However, I would feel more comfortable having a conversation with someone who speaks like his sons.
As an Italian listener, I very much prefer King Charles's pronunciation, as it's clearer. I perfectly comprehend every single word He pronounces, while I often don't catch what the Princes say.
And of course the queen’s English was even better
I wonder if that may also be due to the speed of Charles' speech. The sons seem to talk at a much faster speed.
So do I.
It's okay though. The more you get exposed to different accents, the better you understand them. There's no standard, language evolves and adapts.
@@knoplef Yes, But well..I think it is different story between accent and mumbling which depends on speaker's style.
what do you think what's the best way to comprehend mumbling?
The bit about chard is really making me laugh 😂😂😂 I grow a lot of chard and I was really confused when I saw that picture, wondering why William was talking about a very easy to grow and nutritious vegetable 🤣
😂😂😂😂
A video on the ‘L’ vocalisation would be cool! My accent is northern and I notice where in that clip William says ‘child’ with one syllable I would put two, sort of like “chai-yuld”. Would be interesting to hear how it differs across different regional accents!
Would love to watch it as well. If possible, seeing it also contextualized for other languages (especially Asian languages)
2? I always thought it's one syllable [č∆ild] with emphasis on the wide [∆]
Regional accents are fabulous. There's a British telly chef called James Martin and I love the way he pronounces veg-it-abulls, when people from the south say vejtubls. One of my friends likes to read a book by the faaar, but my other friend pronounces fire as fai-uh, as in flamin ell faiuh.
@@jeanettegant75 Hahaaa! My dad says veg-it-abulls just like that, and I like reading by the fai-uh. Coincidentally, the phrase bloody hell faiuh indeed crops up often...!
Not everyone in the north speaks like that..I certainly don’t..😊🇬🇧
I found this so interesting! As a child I attended preparatory school, and went on to attend a church school. In senior school I was always considered 'the posh girl' as the students were from very different backgrounds, and I was often bullied as a result.
Throughout my adult life I've noticed that I have developed some accents and different ways of expressing language, often because people have given me a second glance when I'm speaking properly. It instinctively reverts back to my earlier pronunciation when I'm on the phone.
Now I'm in my 60's I've noticed also that if I have a glass of wine my speech unconsciously reverts to its former style. I only know this because my close friends might occasionally comment and ask 'where that came from'. 😄
I believe there is a direct link between the Princes William and Harry's evolution in speech patterns and the common parlance of the British military. The Princes' speech directly reflects the hurried, slurred speech of British military personnel, particularly in Officers' Ranks. It is, perhaps a kind of shorthand. 🧐
People can't help their backgrounds, 'posh', 'common' or whatever. All bullying is awful. Thanks for commenting.
@@DrGeoffLindsey That's so true. It took me a while to realise it's ok to just 'be me'. Blessings! 😊
Youngsters can be very cruel about any little differences. I put it down to jealousy. Yes it take time to realise it’s their fault not yours. All the best.
Code switching happens in all walks of life. I find it absolutely intriguing.
@@clovermark39 I wish it were true, my mother used to always say the bullies were jealous. Now, I’m sure that in many cases there’s an element of truth to that but in my mature wisdom years (right) I’ve come to believe that bullying is more a way to hammer out non-conformity and for insecure people to feel higher up the social scale. It’s a byproduct of us being social animals and, in particular, the ham-fisted way children negotiate this social battleground. Regardless, it’s awful and should be stopped by adults. Even though many bullied people went on to make that bullying into a motivator and strength many more don’t and even the successful bully victims would prefer to not have been bullied, I’d wager.
The KIng speaks the Queen's English, but Harry and William sound like regular Londoners.
English is always changing, I was amazed when studying Chaucer how alien English appeared and even Modern English from the Tudor times requires great effort to read and understand.
Yes, Charles speaks properly. His voice is enchanting and romantic. It is The Queen’s English. I aspire to speak like King Charles.
Wow! I loved this content. I am Italian, but have a master degree in English and post-colonial literatures. What an impressive analysis you did here. It is so incredibly interesting, and absolutely on point. I am now sadly starting to get more used to King Charles' accent, and while I do miss the Queen's English a lot, I have to say that his pronunciation is quite unique and interesting. I am really looking forward to listening to his Christmas speech, and I am sure I will be enjoying it... I am finding it hard to getting used to this change; afterall her majesty was omnipresent in every single English book I've been studying English on since my childhood.
You're Italian and you are more eloquent than most Americans who learned English as a first language.
@@lizi.2503 Thank you, what a nice compliment! However, I suppose I can almost say that I learned English as a first language. I've been studying it since I was 5. I am 39 now, and I think you never stop learning afterall. I am married to an American, I have to admit, and we live in Italy. He moved here 16 years ago when we got married. I may be skilled grammatically, but unfortunately I pretty much lost my cute British accent due to him 😉 Fun fact: when I was discussing my master degree dissertation (of course it was in English), I started to speak with a British accent. My husband later said that he started to panick because he didn't think I could pull it off, as he rarely heard me speak like that. Pheew, it went well 😂 but yeah, I don't know how long I would have been able to keep it up.
Ooh, that masters degree sounds very interesting!
Hello Elena
Ciao Elena
one thing i hate about modern posh accents is the americanisation of the "T" sound that you mentioned in the t voicing section. a strong hard "T" is an indication of being posh, yet the opposite T sound in britain - the glottal stop- is an indication of the southern 'lower class' that posh people dont want to associate themselves with. therefore, they have adopted an american "D" sound instead, and it's the one speech pattern that makes my blood boil whenever i hear it.
Wow, this is so fascinating. Canadian here, I could tell there were differences but I didn't know why or what exactly they were saying differently. Thank you so much, that was wonderful. 💖
I love Charles’ sonorous voice and RP accent. Anything else just sounds everyday.
Well said.
Agreed.
I never really heard him until the PJ, and of course, the events around the death of the legend, QEII. I LOVE listening to KCIII speak!
Indeed.
Yes. Me, too!
These have been my favorite videos! You mentioned how the queen’s vowels changed overtime. Can we get a video overview of her accent and its changes?
Ditto!
🙏🙏🙏🙏
It’s similar to the upper class American accent of Franklin Roosevelt. None of his descendants would dare appear in public speaking like that.
Yes, his was a characteristically upper class accent, which I can only imagine was developed by lessons in elocution. I can't imagine anyone spoke that way naturally. Even upper class people haven't spoken that way in years.
@@elisaastorino2881 his accent was quite natural. My grandmother was one of his distant cousins from Philadelphia’s Main Line and she had this kind of accent without any training or effort.
I love your analysis of mumbling. It's recently become a pet peeve of mine and I always feel like I can visually see the letters and syllables that they're not pronouncing
Megan Fox the English anthropologist says 'upper class' speakers traditionally swallow their vowels like this (hard to understand; goes with a 'plummy' rich voice. 'Lower class' speakers, she says, pronounce their vowels clearly instead (much easier to understand) and Received Pronunciation is 'middle class'. Of course I believe 'class' is a purely man-made invention and does not exist unless people make it and believe in it. But you know what I mean.
It is amazing how fluid language is. There's a lot of vocalization left out, yet we still fill in the blanks and follow along.
It's mostly just the English language, I think.
King Charles has a calm, melodious tone of voice and, once you understand his vocal quirks, easy to understand. His diction is not as clipped as the late Queen's, but that may be a result of her home schooling.
I like Charles' manner of addressing others. He does have a unique, mellifluous tone and even when upset, he sounds serene.
He always sounds like he has a bad cold to me. He talks through his nose mumbles a lot.
@@joannesmith2484Green.. not a colour that suits you..!!🤢👍🇬🇧
I like King Charles way of speaking. I could listen to his voice for hours. Articulate, yet melodious and soothing. There is a regality about his speech with a soft common touch.
@@Ionabrodie69 I have no idea what your issue is. He does sound like he has a stuffy nose. Always has IMO. Why that sets you off is a mystery.🤔
I actually really like the King's RP accent. It's softer than "SSP".
It's a real shame all the old accents a dying out.
"actually"
I totally agree! It is not just a pity it is a shame and a terrible cultural loss with regards to the historically high standard of British English. Everything seems to get swallowed by the omnipresent pop culture: language and manners… it makes me sad and angry
@@piffpaff9674 same here... from the other side of the Atlantic.
Thanks to RP several UK accents were dying
@@piffpaff9674 it's normally though. As "pop culture" and day to day interactions change and evolve so does our language. As someone else mentioned one day our (wherever you may be) accents will be seen as archaic. It's part of life unfortunately. Nothing we can really do and there's no point in being upset about something we can't change.
Am actually fan of The King Charles pronunciation
The King speaks beautifully, as a King should. William and Harry have moved downmarket and it's shocking.
I’ve never been into linguistics, accents or the physiology of speaking until I found this channel. This is fascinating stuff!
Needed to watch this again and will need to watch this over and over again. Your transcriptions and time-stretched visualizations are _mind-blowing_. Thank you so much!
I loved the Queen accent, it sounded the clearest for people around the World to understand.
I think they should bear that in mind since they are speaking not only to Britain but also to the world, especially the Commonwealth
English is my second language and I agree. The Queen was just about the only posh accent I could understand until I became fluent in the language. There are still many accents I just can't understand at all. I smile and nod like an idiot hoping the whole time i should be nodding and smiling ! 😂
for me Charles’s is the easiest. but i’m a Yankee, so there’s that
Dr. Lindsey, finding your RUclips Channel has been one of the best things in life. Thank you for the time and effort you put in to make such informative content. As always, I look forward to your videos.
Thank you, very flattering!
Ooh it's not for free, not a charity channel😂 every vlogger gets paid based on the amounts of clicks.
Your editing is superb. Wow. I can only guess why the algorithm suggested your video (increased obsession with the Royal Family and a constant obsession with language learning) and I’m so glad it did.
This is such a magnificent channel. Thanks Dr. Lindsey! Your understanding of the subject matter is clearly deep, but it's always most impressive when that's married with a really delightful ability to present and teach.
0:47 I am old enough to remember Monty Python's "Upper- Class Twit of the Year" sketch :)
I get why perhaps William would want not to speak RP so as to seem a little "less stuffy" and "relatable" to the masses but I actually wish he spoke it.
Exactly!! They have no idea how beautiful, classy and melodic that accent is. They see it as "stuffy" but it's not. I'm in the US and imo Charles has a beautiful accent. Wish I had it!! 😭😭
That darn Revolution! 😡
Hopefully they know it for State Events
I doubt it was a conscious choice. Probably William was just influenced by his classmates.
It is better particularly for non English speakers
@@trawlins396same
I always wondered why Charles had what I thought was an upper class British accent and his sons sound very different. Now I understand. I like the way Charles and the queen speak (or spoke.)
Agreed.
He didn’t explain why. I don’t think the average person works on their accent it’s typically learned from peers.
As an American who hears many different accents, I find that people who speak quickly are often difficult to understand. Your brief video explains why the different pronunciations occur and should be an example of why not speaking rapidly would increase comprehension. People especially speak their name extremely quickly and with an accent it becomes intelligible so I adapted a slower speech when introducing myself even though people never get my name correctly. Apparently the initial ‘t’ sounds like several other letters.
Names are a huge problem as they're so unpredictable. If you say "I went swimming in the...", the next word has to come from a small set of possibilities: pool, sea, river, ocean etc. But if you "my name is...", the next word can be practically anything, and we have only the sounds to go on. It shows how much we use context in understanding speech.
"T" can sound a lot like D. It also rhymes with V, B, P, C, E, G.
@@Cricket2731 Many repeat my name starting with K or a hard C, sometimes an SH, I suppose turning it into a name that they are familiar with. I don’t have people not understanding me, so I think names are just hard for everyone, especially with the unusual names.
@@tastx3142 I would keep your original name both spelling and pronounciation.
I’m also an American, but have lived in several places during formative times in my life, most significantly England and Northern Virginia. I find that I switch between a crisp sound where I tend to be very literal phonetically or a more Southern drawl, which can get quite thick at times. These are not “put on” accents, but I’ve noticed that where I am affects how I talk. I used to “speak Southern” more at when I worked at hospitals in Northern Virginia, where I had quite a few patients and coworkers with Southern accents. Now my “accent” is a mixture of everything I’ve picked up over the years.
I don’t think I’m terribly hard to understand, but I’ve noticed that I have to slow down and spell the word when I am giving the name “Fernandez” to people, especially on the phone. 9 out of 10 of people think I’m saying “Hernandez”. I never would have thought “F” and “H” would sound so similar, even with the same vowel afterwards.
And my first name “Tahlia”… even spelling it out doesn’t help me. I’ve become “Polly”, “Natalia”, “Tanya”… And it’s even worse if people only see it spelled out on paper!
When people do get my name right, I find it interesting that 9 out of 10 people pronounce it so that the “Tahl” part of my name sounds like “talisman”. It’s actually pronounced “Tahl”, like in how “tall” a person is. And I have no idea why people pronounce my name that way so consistently, whether they only hear my name or they see it written. I don’t remember how the British pronounced my name when I lived in England as a young child, so these are the trends I notice in the US.
Oh my goodness, I would LOVE to hear more about L vocalization! Been wondering about this :) Wonderful video, as always!
3:55 I'd love to hear more about the L vocalization. As far as I know, it presence at different points of history got reflected in spelling in many Romance languages, and is a regular phenomenon in most Slavic languages (reflected in spelling only in some of them). It's fascinating how common it is
interestingly most slavic languages vocalize it to a [w~u] but shtokavian serbo-croatian vocalizes it to [o] (in codae only like most slavic languages that do it, not universally like polish or some bulgarian varieties) like many english dialects
I'm German and I always used to think that in older clips, the English upperclass sounded like they had German accents. It always sounded jarring to me. I'm glad that RP sounds much less clipped, but I'm also of the opinion that the royal family shouldn't sound like the lads next door (hiding their privilege is futile anyway).
I prefer Kate’s accent over William’s. I think her accent sounds more like Princess Diana’s accent, which I found beautiful.
Kate's accent is so fake she struggles so hard to form complete sentences
@@egougwu1123 your comment is so weird. She sounds British and she speaks just fine. Sophie duchess of Edinburgh has similar accent they sound similar
@@egougwu1123 You cant be English, hers is a public school accent, quite normal here and she forms sentences better than her husband.
@@arivanilla you really are clueless. It's obviously that not her real accent. She struggles with it and so her sentences are affected. She really wants to sound very upper class posh.
@@megapangolin1093 while her husband accent is free flowing (cause he has spoken like that all his life) she desperately wants to sound posh. Meanwhile you can't be British cause if you were you would know the British have different accents
I was born in a bilingual family and grew up in France. My mum, who's British, has an RP accent and so have I, as I learnt English speaking with her. Since she has lived in France for more than 30 years now, her accent hasn't evolved, to the point that she sounds posher than Prince William haha. She never does that glottal stop, for instance
Please keep your good accents that way!
Sounds like your mother has style and standards. Good on her.
So glad the algorithm brought me to this stellar channel. Thanks for the fascinating lessons, Dr. Lindsey, and congratulations on your newfound virality!
As a Brit, I far prefer the way our King speaks over how either Princes William and Harry do. King Charles is far more regal, clear and well spoken than either of his sons. It’s almost a shame they didn’t take after him.
I've been adding a lot of refinements and nuance to my RP as an actor (I'm a standard American speaker, who has been mostly self-taught), and I found this video fascinating (also your videos on weak forms are just killer!). Thank you for not being afraid to get in depth. It means a lot to dialect enthusiasts, like me.
Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
3:42 The FOOT vowel is not [ʊ] as taught in conservative teaching materials: Childh[ɵ]d rather than childh[ʊ]d
My sister and I were born in North Carolina, where we lived for 4years. Our family moved to New York state, where we lived for 15 years, then my sister moved to Florida and i stayed in New York. Recently, our. Cousin called me and asked about my sisters accent...he said she has a distinct southern drawl now. Two siblings grew up, grew apart, and their speech changed over the years. Much like william and harry are now doing.
Wow, you've blown my mind!!!! As a linguist and ESL teacher I've found a gold mine here. 🤩🤩🤩
I'd love to hear more about the background of L vocalisation! It's something I picked up even all the way over here in New Zealand, along with th-fronting, and I've been mocked, albeit in good humour, about these features by those that "properly" articulate these sounds. But I'd love to hear more about the context of these sound changes in the UK and where they're used!
I prefer king's accent. He seldom drops syllables, hence he is much easier to understand.
Glad this came up, I’ve always wondered why the younger royals don’t talk old fashioned posh and even the late Queen toned down. Brilliant
Lesley 👋
King's English sounds the best aesthetically and I wouldn't replace it with anything. I thoroughly enjoy listening to both Queen Elisabeth and King Charles.
Seems that the English accent is quickly becoming Americanized, thanks mostly to social media and Hollywood. It would be interesting to hear Prince Harry’s accent years from now especially that he is living I the United States.
"The English accent"
Er, which one? Saying "the English accent" is like saying "the English city".
Whew! Excellent - detailed and nuanced. A little overwhelming, TBH trying to discern all the subtleties, but certainly fascinating. Thank you, Dr. Lindsey!
Hi. I love your videos and am always happy to see new ones. I would love to hear your thoughs on R's in RP - the way it transformed. I mean, in the past decades it sounded so much different; "trilled".. - even the late Queen would pronounce it that way when she was young. Other posh people, BBC journalists or actors from before, say, the 1980s would too - especially when Rs were followed by vowels - i.e. AmeRica, veRy tec. Nowadays, this seems to be gone almost entirely. I wonder what happened? Was that because of American English? Interesting...
Tapped R's are alive and well and living in Liverpool.
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I love the sound of the letter R. It fascinates me that different nationalities have SO many different ways of pronouncing it.
Interesting. As a non-Brit who randomly looked into the Royal family’s videos since the Queen’s passing, I prefer Charles’s accent and speeches. I recently listened to a speech by William and I was surprised how fast he talks and how he jumps/hurries thru syllables and words. I thought he was nervous, but I guess that’s just how he talks!
The real difference is in Charles 'everyday' speaking when he's not doing prepared speeches. His 'regular' speaking is quite atrocious and at times sound very slurred. Almost like listening to someone with a 'lazy' tongue.
I just discovered your videos and I can’t stop watching them! I majored in linguistics in university and my favorite subjects were phonology and phonetics. I’ve always had a huge interest in accents and speech so your videos are right up my alley.
Hi, my first video on your channel. How refreshing to hear critical analysis of a subject without judgement.
My partner does TH fronting all the time… he often pronounces Three as Free so I’m often getting quantities mixed up with freebies which can be a nightmare!!!
King Charles’s accent is quite polished and posh sounding.
I love it.
So do I.
Me too. But those princes sound...slovenly.
@@jayteegamble especially the sloppy way PW speaks
Hi, Dr Lindsey, I hope you haven’t got bored covering the King! I should like to suggest a video covering the King’s predecessors: Queen Victoria (a very short recording exists of her voice, even though some argue it isn’t hers,) King George V (the first British Sovereign to broadcast through the wireless,) King Edward VIII, and King George VI.
Perhaps one peculiarity of King George V’s accent I find interesting was his use of ɞʊ instead of ɘʊ generally found in RP.
I secons this. I found myself thinking about the "r" sound George vi used in his victory speech in the word "cruel," as if skipping over it.
I could have a go, but Simon Roper has already done this: ruclips.net/video/OMEf9AqI-b0/видео.html
@@DrGeoffLindsey Oh I'd love to see it done by you!
@@DrGeoffLindsey Please do it, sir!
That would be interesting! with an added value.
A gap of only one generation,uhm🤔,😂
An actor whose RP I love is Benedict Cumberbatch
You put so much work (and time, I'm sure) into your videos. Thank you! I always learn something from each one.
Hi Melissa how’re you doing and your family hope they’re all doing Great
@@nicolamclain7465 TROLL
William's English is VERY hard for me (non native and learned English with American shows) to understand. Without subtitles, is pretty hard for me.
Very informative, your videos. Thank you!
William is hard to understand. In fact the point of upper class accents was to be universally understood. It was to retrain your voice to speak properly so anyone from any place could understand you. Queen Elizabeth II and Philip and Charles and Diana were absolutely universal in those perfect RP accents.
I struggle with his awful pronunciations and I am English. Give me Charles or Kate speaking any day.
I adore your videos, Dr. Lindsey. Extremele educative, and it's a joy to watch you explain things.
I was brought up by a Southern mother in Northern Lancashire. She made us use RP but we heard a Lancashire accent daily. I found that as a student in the south my accent was unplaceable but after working for years in Lancashire I now find my accent becoming more and more close to the more northern accent I heard daily. I do revert with little effort to something closer to RP if I am speaking to someone with that accent.
The concept of an ‘unplaceable’ accent is an interesting phenomenon in Britain. I’m Canadian, born to RP speaking English parents, and would say that my accent is slightly more transatlantic than the typical North American. I’m sometimes aware of a curiosity in UK RP speakers, as if they are trying to place me but can’t quite do it - not in terms of origin (I’m obviously North American) but possibly in terms of class. Not being ‘placeable’ I think can be an advantage in Britain, where accents perhaps still matter more than in some countries.
The Queen’s voice changed over the years as I noticed. My mother spoke what we called the Queen’s English and hated my accent soften when I moved to Australia where I am asked if I am English or educated Australian. I am told I speak French with a Parisian accent by French speaking friends which is a surprise. My English school friends now talk about Estuary English which was totally new to me. Linguistics are a fascinating topic. I love how Prince William sounds and Prince Catherine is soft spoken. Sadly Liz Truss sounds what I was brought up to call common which is sad as I know it can attract prejudice! I found your post fascinating. Diolch, to throw in some Welsh. At least the King can speak that and Prince William will have to learn it fast! Wonder if that will change his voice tone and tempo.
Hello Vanessa
@@bendonaldson9026 TROLL
Liz Truss is common 😂
My impression is that William is still uncomfortable speaking in public and he does rush. This is very common among people who are uncomfortable and can be improved with good coaching. He also has not yet learned to allow his audience a short time to finish their responses (clapping, for example) and recognize the response with a small gesture (nod, smile, ...).
This was the best analogy of English accents. I’ve always found the way King Charles speaks as comforting.
This was extremely interesting, Many thanks. I'm Maltese, fluent in the English language, but often get trapped by the wrong pronunciation, which may be typical of speakers of English as a second language. I am now newly subscribed and would love to hear more.
My best friend is Maltese 🙂
@@daisyflower22 And now you have another Maltese friend. ☺
I am Indonesian but I learn English and i enjoy knowing many ways on pronuncing words.I love british so well .Comparing between king Charles and his sons I prefer king Charles pronunciation because I am 50 .His English is so clear but knowing the difference pronunciatom like prince Harry and William is very useful and important so we will understand English in many ways of speak.
Thank you so much for the video.By the moment I watch it and listen to your explanation I love it so well.Make me enjoy british even more.Your explanation is so clear and understandable.You are a great patient tutor.once again the very gratitude to you.
I like that in your videos, you never deride the speech of younger Brits by claiming it's "improper" but instead embrace the reality that languages change and evolve. Fascinating video!
I utterly love your videos. Bit of a challenge for you: if you could come up with only one sentence in English that would cover every single vowel sound, what would it be? I am a native French-Canadian living in Scotland. As an autistic person I find speaking quite difficult anyway. But I'm also trying to correct my vowels to be less nasally, and more RP. I'm not trying to sound English, but I'm trying to correct the sounds of my vowels. Having one sentence that I can repeat while on a walk that covers all the sounds of English would be incredibly helpful. I hope this is possible. Thank you very very much in advance, whatever the outcome. : )
These videos are so fascinating, it’s like a deep dive into something Tom Scott talks about for 10 minutes.
The princes are also Etonians, while KC went up to Gordonstoun in Scotland, complete waste of money if they speak just like they’d come out of a Windsor comprehensive. 😂
MICHAEL JAMES Windsor Comprehensive???? Is there any such school? Comprehensive schools don't produce a distinctive accent like public schools do as the clientele is diverse. Or is is a fictitious construct? Are you using comprehensive to mean lower class, bad and not acceptable?
The thing I find hard about many British accents is the speed: it is hard to identify the individual words even if you discern the meaning of the whole sentence. And for that the two generations are both guilty, even if the cause, as the presenter maintains, is different( relaxed or tense).
Yes, I have always loved Charles's voice. It's very nice to listen to.
I always thought mumbling is a pinnacle of english language mastery.
Dear Dr. Lindsey, thank you very much indeed for your highly informative great videos. It is the first time I hear a British linguist talking about the changes in current spoken English… I do prefer the wonderful accent of the older generation like HM King Charles, I like Prince William but I do not like his generations‘ „common“ pronunciation. But in the end we non-native speakers are totally confused by the development of the spoken English language and it turns out to true what my English teacher once told me: You never get finished with learning the English language no matter how hard you try to master it…
What a nice and thorough breakdown of language use with actual vidoe examples! Nicely done.
I prefer the RP because it's so much clearer. I got tired of trying to tell fellow Toastmasters that the audience does not have a rewind button; once they've missed what you've said the spell is broken. I'm wondering, too, whether people who are hard of hearing find RP easier to lip-read.
I do not think so. It's rather that someone speaking slowly and thoughtfully is easier to understand than someone speaking rapidly and casually regardless of whether it is RP or whatever accent.
You may prefer it but as a non UK person, itisn't "clearer".
I've been in a locally produced short film with an actress who is deaf. I picked up some basic sign language so far, but she told me the most important thing for lip reading is to speak relatively slowly (I think King Charles has about the right pace) and to make sure you're looking right at them. Turning your head even a little makes it harder to see the mouth shapes.
The 'stiff upper lip' of old RP speakers would have made them harder to lip-read. E.g. the avoidance of lip-rounding in the MOUTH vowel, which people make fun of by writing 'house' as 'hice' (discussed in my Charles video, not in this one) would make it harder to recognize.
@@almostfm as someone who lip reads, I 💯 agree with you. First, and foremost, it’s so important to look directly at the person you are communicating with. We do need that straight on line of sight. Second most important is to go slow. Third is to enunciate!!! Please please enunciate. For severe hard of hearing people, we rely on enunciation and the shape of your mouth with the words you are speaking. Thanks to all who give us your time in communicating. Being deaf/hard of hearing can be lonely and isolating in a hearing world.
Many women under the age of around 40 or 50 in the US uptalk a lot. Once I understood what the word meant I can't "unhear" it now.😄
I know. I can't stand it. The other thing they do is speak without moving their lips, as if they're constantly smiling, and it's just as irritating.
It would be interesting to compare the Princes’ pronunciation with that of their mother, Princess Diana. I think she used to use ‘ mumbling’ a lot.
She was very often hard to understand because of that, at least to this American.
Princess Diana also had a very quiet voice.
Softly spoken rather than a mumble
@@leigh7507 Hi! I was referring the ‘mumbling’ that Dr Lindsey refers to in this video - somewhat like a sliding over letters so that they are indistinct.
I am French (most people think I am South African when they hear me for the first time). I try so hard to sound as native as possible, and this is soo very helpful! Love love love these videos!!! thanks a lot for putting them out there and not keeping them to the universities amphitheaters 🙃.
That's a risky thing to do, you can fall into the uncanny valley where the pronunciation is disturbing, while a French accent is perfectly pleasant to listen to.
I'm learning Spanish and make an effort on good pronunciation, but go for "you made a real effort" rather than perfect mimicry.
One thing I have to avoid is other English speakers in Spanish, the characteristic errors from ingrained thought patterns are an issue.
I'm South African, and I have worked very hard to remove my very distinct Eastern Western-Cape rural Afrikaans accent from my English, so now I have a more central urban Cape Town English (as apposed to the rural Cape Town or outer suburb Cape Town accents) and this has started to back-track into the accent I use in Afrikaans or Xhosa (which is more church Xhosa than usual Eastern Cape which my staff tend to have as an accent now).
This all means people don't automatically switch languages when I speak English with them, which was embarrassing when I was still in High School.
The American dude at 8:00 who pronounces "asset holders" like "assholes" is my hero 🤣
I've just discovered your channel and I love what I've seen so far. I'd be interested to see a video about the way King George VI spoke purely because of the difficulties he had. I'd love to see how he formed his words and if there was a difference from others in the same time period.
I’d love to know more about how he learned to speak more fluently as well.
I am an American and therefore find all British pronunciation unfathomable. I find this all fascinating. I still could never pronounce words like I'm from the UK or understand more than half of what my Facebook friend from York says, but some of that is sayings (he claims more than I think is pronunciation, although differant pronunciation of an unexpected word is more difficult to discern). Thank you for this series
The Liz Truss section didn’t age well. “Our new Prime Minister” lol :/
Thanks very much for your videos that I enjoy thoroughly. I’d love it if you please made a video on the new Princess of Wales’ accent and speech, which I believe has changed over time quite a bit.
And someone from Chicago I would love for you to analyze Regional dialects and accents in the United States. Although I'm sure your primary audience is British it would still be nice to take a tour around the entire world and the linguistic differences that exists in various places. Thanks.
Thank you for producing these wonderful videos. Your videos have introduced me to the subtle beauty of my own western Canadian and upper Midwestern American mixed accent. I see now that it is not ugly, as I have always regarded my own speech to be, but in fact is quite a complex and nuanced accent for a native English speaker.
You're welcome. Lovely comment.
Really interesting. You have a new subscriber :)
Elizabeth's speech always struck me as extremely old-fashioned (for obvious reasons, but it's so different from how we speak now). When watching her speech made when she was 21, the word 'service' stuck out to me. She spends hardly any time on the first syllable at all.
Also, I can't help but think the 'mumbling' mentioned near the end of this video is a bad habit that could be improved with public speaking coaching!
I'm a New Zealander (of British descent) and I think this explains a lot of the differences between my grandads way of speaking and mine.
Thanks for another brilliant video! And Yesss, would love a separate video on L-vocalisation! That's an interesting topic. I had some phonetics/phonology books that discussed it but I'd like You to explain it :)
I've been enjoying your videos. I am Dutch and when I speak English I choose between my "Americanish' and 'Britshy' (most English teachers in the Netherlands are Anglophiles so you get better grades in oral exams when you go for British instead of American pronunciation)
Could you do a video what traps Dutch speakers fall into?
The Dutch don't fall into traps. They speak better English than most natives 💫