Subtitles section Play video
-
In this American English pronunciation video, we're going to go over some of the differences
-
in vowel sounds in American English and British English.
-
Today I'm going to make a video with another awesome English channel on YouTube, MinooAngloLink.
-
The reason why I'm collaborating with them is because they're in the UK. So, together
-
we're going to talk about some of the differences between American English and British English
-
pronunciation.
-
Hi Minoo, can you tell me a little about your channel and AngloLink?
-
Hello everyone. My name is Minoo and my YouTube channel is called AngloLink. On this channel,
-
I teach British English, and I base my lessons on what I find to be the most challenging
-
areas of English grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary for my learners. So, I hope you
-
will come and have a look at some of my lessons.
-
Great. Let's start with the OH diphthong. This is the sound we use: OH. The sound used
-
in British English, however, is the schwa and the UH as in PULL sound. We so 'know',
-
know. And in British, it's 'know'. You can see in the pronunciation on the left, the
-
British pronunciation, that there's less jaw drop for the first sound, than the American
-
pronunciation on the right. Jaw drop is one of the topics I have to work a lot on with
-
my students.
-
Know. [6x]
-
Let's take a look at a sentence. Don't go alone. Each of these words has the OH as in NO diphthong
-
in American English. Don't go alone. In British English, Don't go alone. [4x]
-
The AH vowel. In American English, there are many words that have the letter O representing
-
the AH as in FATHER vowel. For example, hot, honest, mom, top. The AH vowel has a good
-
bit of jaw drop and totally relaxed lips. In British English, however, in these words
-
where the O represents the AH, there's a different vowel sound. There's more lip rounding and
-
less jaw drop. For example, I say 'hot'. Minoo says 'hot'.
-
Notice how much more Minoo's lips round for this sound. In American English, the corners
-
of the lips are completely relaxed, and the jaw drops a bit more.
-
Hot. [6x]
-
Honest. [6x]
-
An example sentence: Hot or iced coffee? Both 'hot' and 'coffee' have the AH vowel in American
-
English.
-
Hot or iced coffee? [2x]
-
Now let's talk about the AA vowel. In American English, when this vowel is followed by a
-
nasal consonant, it's no longer a pure vowel. With [n] and [m], we have an extra 'uh' sound
-
after the vowel. If it's followed by [ŋ], the AA vowel changes altogether and sounds
-
more like the AY as in SAY diphthong. Check out the video I made for more information
-
on this topic. Let's look at some example words. First, AA+N. Can, can, can. Do you
-
hear that extra 'uh' sound? Can. It's what happens as the tongue relaxes down in the
-
back before the tip raises for the N sound. Can, can. Now, let's hear Minoo say it. Can.
-
The vowel is more pure there, right from the AA into the N sound.
-
Can. [6x]
-
An example with M: ham, ham. Again, you can hear the UH sound as my tongue relaxes down
-
in the back before the lips close for the M sound. Ham, ham. Minoo says it:
-
Ham. [6x]
-
And now when the AA vowel is followed by the NG consonant sound, like in the word 'thanks'.
-
When we say it, thanks, it's much more like the AY diphthong than the AA vowel. Thanks. [3x]
-
Minoo says it:
-
Thank, thanks. [3x]
-
And finally, let's talk about the UR vowel. This vowel is in words like girl, world, first,
-
hurt, person, worst. But in British English, the R sound isn't included. For example, I
-
say 'first'. Minoo says:
-
First. [6x]
-
I say 'worst'. Minoo says:
-
Worst. [6x]
-
I say 'girl'. Minoo says:
-
Girl. [6x]
-
So there you have four differences in American vs. British English. If you liked this video,
-
click here or in the description box on YouTube to see a video I made with Minoo on her channel.
-
The topic is consonant differences in American and British English. It also has a list of
-
words with both British and American English pronunciation.
-
That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.