How to fake a British or American Accent

English is sometimes a state of confusion for many learners with the large variety of accents, regional slang, and dialects to chose from. Do you speak more American or British or a little bit of both? Which of the major types of English do you find easier to understand, sounds nicer to you, and more difficult to understand?

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Facts about English:

English has a large number of native speakers.
About 500 million native speakers and 900 million non-native speakers in the world.
Only Mandarin Chinese and Spanish have more native speakers.
Below is the order of country with largest total number of English speakers.
The number in parentheses is the percentage of English speakers versus other languages in the country.

USA (96%)
India (12%)
Nigeria (53%)
UK (98%)
Philippines (58%)
Canada (85%)
Australia (92%)

How important is English where you live?

Is it difficult for you to practice your English in your area?

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Of course the United Kingdom is where English comes from and has the widest range of accents. The main accents of England are Northern, Midland, and Southern with each area having several variations.

According to Wikipedia.com, Received Pronuciation is believed to be based on the Southern accents of England, but it actually has most in common with the Early Modern English dialects of the East Midlands. This was the most populated and most prosperous area of England during the 14th and 15th centuries. By the end of the 15th century, “Standard English” was established in the City of London.

A mixture of London speech with elements from East Midlands, Middlesex and Essex, became known as Received Pronunciation, also known as the Queen’s English, considered to be the standard English pronunciation in Great Britain.

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Various Accents of the British Isles:

How to do a British Accent. Listen and practice saying the sentences below (double click to watch on Youtube):

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The /r/ sound. Are there more birds? BrE. /ɑː(ɹ) ðɛə(ɹ) mɔː(ɹ) bədz/ vs. AmE. /ɑɹ ðɛɹ mɔɹ bərdz/
The /r/ sound isn’t heard. Are there any birds? Between “there” and “any” an /r/ is heard /ðɛərˈɛni/
Daughter /ˈdɔːtə/ , brother /ˈbɹʌð’ə/ , shopper /ˈʃɒp’ə/, hot dog /hɒt dɒɡ/, talk /tɔːk/, law /lɔː/
Do you talk froth or are hot dogs against the law?
short vowels with a tight consonant ending: keep /kiːp/, pip , put /pʊt/, pet, pat /pæt/, putt /pʌt/, pot /pɒt/.

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The United States has over 350 different languages (half of those Amerindian languages). America has the largest number of native English speakers, about 2/3 of the worlds native English speakers live in the US. Despite 96% of Americans speaking English, English is not the official language of the US. It’s currently being debated whether it should be made official as the Spanish speaking population grows.

American English has a Standard or General American accent most closely resembling the North Midland or simple Midwestern accent. Other common forms include various Southern accents including the French influenced Cajun. The Northern Accents including the varieties of New York accents, Boston, and New England. These accents have roots from the original English. American accents are more standardized than British due to the larger influence of mass media and transient nature of American life helping standardize the accent. This compared to the long running British society that is historically more hierarchical than American society and with various accents developing over many centuries in isolation.

Various Accents of the United States:

How to do an American Accent:

r are there more birds. Every r gets pronounced.
cot sound the same as caught /kɔt/ and rhymes with got in American English. He got caught by the long arm of the law.
t and d. butter AmE /ˈbədər/ BrE. /bə’tə/, letter master, witty banter about the star spangled banner. Banter = banner (in rapid speech).
metal sound the same as medal /ˈmɛdl/ the medal for bravery was made of metal.

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Differences between American and British English:

The American accent is more nasal.
cot, dog, got, gone, off, and stop sound longer in American English /:a/ vs British /o/.
/a/ is different in fast AmE. /fæst/ vs. BrE. /fɑːst/ and after AmE. /’æftər/ vs. BrE. /ˈa:ftə/ .
Most Brits pronounce the /r/ before a vowel, not in car, turn, or offer
AmE, writer sounds the same as rider /ˈraɪdər/. BrE the /t/ and /d/ are distinct.
BrE has a /ju/ sound in the ‘u’ for duty, tune, new, illuminate, and enthusiastic
AmE fertile is /fərdl/ and missile /ˈmɪsəl/ in BrE the second syllable is long and stressed / fˈərt’aɪl/ and / mis’aɪl /

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Be careful how you use the language when you travel.

British phrases or words that may use that confuse Americans:

brilliant – BrE – great or fantastic in BrE . AmE – bright or intelligent.
smart – BrE – attractive or well-dressed. AmE – intelligent
cheers – BrE – thanks and for toasting. AmE – only for toasting a drink
fag – BrE – a cigarette. AmE – Vulgar and offensive word for homosexual
homely – BrE – cozy, AmE – ugly
pot plant – BrE- a pant in a pot or potted plant to Americans. AmE – a marijuana plant
rubber – BrE – a pencil eraser. AmE – a condom
wash up – BrE – to clean the dishes. AmE – to wash face and hands to feel more refreshed.
garden – BrE – what Americans call yard, the planted area around your home. AmE – where food or flowers are grown.
pissed – BrE – to be drunk. AmE – vulgar slang to be angry.
tick off – BrE – to check something off a list. AmE – to make someone angry.

American words that confuse Brits:

pants – AmE – trousers, jeans, or slacks. BrE – underwear
bugger – AmE – something that bothers you, not vulgar. BrE – vulgar, sodomite
bummer – AmE – slang, disappointment. BrE – vulgar term for homosexual.
fanny pack – AmE – a bag you wear around your waste. Brits call it a bum bag. BrE – vulgar, fanny is an intimate part of a woman’s body. It AmE it’s not vulgar and means your behind or butt.
shagging flies – AmE – to catch fly balls (balls that go really high) in baseball. BrE – shagging is slang to have sex.

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About Football vs. Soccer: Why do Americans call football soccer and why do Americans call their sport football when they mostly use their hands?

Answer: Football originated in England and developed as a sport there. Rugby football formed from the older form of English football at the Rugby School in the UK. Rugby is a direct descendent of English football where you can use your hands and tackle (to bring someone to the ground with force). In Aussie Rules and American Football you can also use your hands and tackle, which comes directly from rugby. So Americans call American football “football” because of it’s origins from Rugby football. The American use of “soccer” comes from the “soc” in “association football,” which is what football is sometimes still called in the UK.

How to be sure you’re using it correctly.
1. If you’re speaking to, or are, a N. American:
You can use “football” when referring to the American sport. Use “soccer” instead of “football” for the English sport.

2. If you’re speaking to, or are, someone from a place other than N. American. Use simply “football” or “soccer” for the English game. Most people in the world prefer “football,” most in the English-speaking world are very familiar with the term “soccer.”

3. Or simply use “English football” and “American football” to be perfectly to clear to most anyone anywhere in the world.

Also keep in mind that generally a football match is the English game, and a football game is the American. A “football pitch” is where the English game is played and a “football field” is where the American game is played.

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For Fun, American vs. British Slang.

Learners keep in mind that this is difficult for even native speakers and they are trying to confuse each other with the slang. The point is that even native speakers don’t always understand each other so mutual respect and sensitivity to others is necessary when communicating across cultures.