RP, GEORDIE AND CARIBBEAN ACCENTS

Last Friday we learnt more about different accents. We analyzed specifically three accents: Geordie, RP and Caribbean. First of all I want to give a definition of what accent is. Accent is a distinctive manner of oral expression. As we know there a lots of different accents around the world, every country and region has a different one. It is important to be aware that sometimes even for people who speaks English as their mother tongue could be difficult to understand a speech given with a different accent, so do not get frustrated if you have some problems with it.

We are more familiarized with the RP accent, because it has been chosen as a standar pronunciation of British English for study purposes. Since we are English language students, we have an idea of how it is pronounced. It is said that this is the accent that rich and educated people use. One example is the Royal Family.

Some examples of RP accent

Ash [æʃ]

Year [jɪ ̞ˑə]

Night [na ̈ɪtʰ]

I found something that I consider interesting in the RP accent it is called the intrusive R. to an objective observer; the intrusive R is very prevalent in RP. It involves the “insertion of an r-sound at the end of a word in ending in a non-high vowel where the next word begins with a vowel.

Examples:

R pronounced

Put a comma [r]
The idea [r] of
I saw [r] it happen

R non pronounced

A comma may be added

Idea for
I saw them
On the other hand we have the Geordie accent which is one of the most distinctive accents in Great Britain. Most Geordie consonants sounds are similar to satndar English except for the “r” sound which is similar to French pronunciation, but what characterizes Geordie accent are the vowel sounds.

Examples:
1.- RP accent 2.-Geordie accent
Blood 1.- [blɐ ̠d] 2.- [blʊ ̞d]
Brother 1.- [ˈbɹɐ ̠ð ̞ə] 2.- [ˈbɹʊ ̞ð ̞ɐ]
One 1.- [wɐ ̠n] 2.- [wɔ ̈ ̝n]

Finally we analyzed the Caribbean accent. It emerged when slaves from West African and slaves owners, who speak English, needed to communicate. Some characteristics of it are:

TH-stopping in words such as think and three is pronounced using a sound and in words such as this and that using a sound

H-dropping initial is deleted in words such as happy and house

Consonant cluster reduction complex strings of consonants are often simplified by deleting the final sound, so that best becomes ‘bes’, respect becomes ‘respeck’ and land becomes ‘lan’ .

You can find more examples of this accents in this web sites.

RP
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A657560 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxBXWiaY90whttp://www.ic.arizona.edu/~lsp/RPEnglish.html

Geordie
http://www.bobjude.co.uk/greets/geordie50.htmhttp://www.bobjude.co.uk/geordie/index.html
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSHHbfY6MVc

Dictionary and history
http://www.englandsnortheast.co.uk/GeordieOrigins.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/northeast/series7/geordie_dialect.shtml

Caribbean
http://www.1destinyproductions.com/accents.php
http://accent.gmu.edu/