PERFECT YOUR RP ACCENT | Southern ENGLISH Accent Coach
Summary
TLDRIn this informative video, voice and accent coach Molly dives into the intricacies of mastering the Received Pronunciation (RP) accent, also known as the Queen's English. She covers the nuances of oral posture, consonants, and vowel sounds, highlighting common mistakes and providing tips for a more natural RP sound. Molly also discusses the accent's musicality, including its smooth, slurred speech and pitch patterns. Aimed at helping learners achieve a modern RP accent, the video offers practical advice and encourages practice for a relaxed and authentic delivery.
Takeaways
- 🎙️ The video is about perfecting the Received Pronunciation (RP) accent, also known as the Queen's English, which is traditionally associated with the south of England, the BBC, and British media.
- 👤 The speaker, Molly, is a voice and accent coach based in London, who grew up in Surrey and has a modern RP accent.
- 🗣️ The script discusses the evolution of RP into 'modern RP' or 'SSB', which differs from the traditional RP or 'heightened RP' heard in historical media.
- 👄 The importance of oral posture in accent training is highlighted, with the modern RP accent requiring a relaxed mouth setup for efficient sound production.
- 🔊 The script emphasizes the non-rotic nature of the modern RP accent, where 'R' sounds are not always pronounced, especially after vowels, unless they are between two vowel sounds or at the beginning of a word.
- 👅 Different pronunciation techniques for 'R' sounds are presented, including a labiodental fricative 'R' using teeth and lips, and a tongue-based 'R' without lip involvement.
- 💬 The script mentions the dropping of 'T' sounds in the middle of sentences in modern RP, which is more relaxed compared to the heightened RP.
- 🦷 The 'TH' sound in modern RP is made by placing the tongue between the teeth, contrasting with some London accents that might replace it with an 'F' or 'V' sound.
- 👅 The difference between 'light L' and 'velarized L' is explained, with the former used at the start of words and the latter at the end.
- 🎵 The schwa sound, a relaxed and neutral 'uh' sound, is a key component of the modern RP accent, often used in casual speech.
- 📈 The script touches on the musicality of the modern RP accent, characterized by a tendency to slur words together, a generally flat intonation, and a downward inflection at the end of sentences.
Q & A
What does RP stand for and what is its significance in the English language?
-RP stands for Received Pronunciation, which is also known as the Queen's English. It is significant as it is traditionally associated with the south of England, the BBC, and has been a standard in media for many years.
What is the difference between modern RP and heightened RP?
-Modern RP is a more relaxed and contemporary version of the Received Pronunciation, while heightened RP, sometimes referred to as period drama RP, is a more formal and exaggerated version that might be used in historical dramas or by the royal family.
Who is Molly and what is her background in relation to the RP accent?
-Molly is a voice and accent coach based in London. She grew up in Surrey, outside of London, in a middle-class environment and naturally speaks with a modern RP accent.
What is oral posture and why is it important for mastering the RP accent?
-Oral posture refers to the setup of the mouth when producing sounds within a particular accent. It is important for mastering the RP accent because it helps to manipulate the pharynx and articulators efficiently to produce the accent's characteristic sounds.
How does the speaker describe the ideal oral posture for the modern RP accent?
-The ideal oral posture for the modern RP accent is described as relaxed, with the tongue positioned behind the bottom teeth and minimal movement of the jaw and lips.
What are the two main ways to pronounce the 'r' sound in the RP accent?
-The two main ways to pronounce the 'r' sound in the RP accent are the labiodental fricative 'r', where the lips and teeth are involved, and the tongue 'r', where the tongue raises in the mouth without the involvement of the lips and teeth.
When is it appropriate to drop the 't' sound in the modern RP accent?
-In the modern RP accent, the 't' sound can be dropped when it appears in the middle of a sentence and is not at the end of a word or followed by a pause.
What is the difference between a light 'l' and a velarized 'l' in the RP accent?
-A light 'l' is produced with the tip of the tongue flicking behind the upper teeth and is used at the beginning of words, while a velarized 'l' is produced with the tongue raised towards the soft palate and is used at the end of words.
Why is the schwa sound important in the modern RP accent?
-The schwa sound is important in the modern RP accent because it represents a relaxed and neutral sound that is often used in casual speech, making it easier to transition between words.
How does the speaker describe the musicality or prosody of the modern RP accent?
-The speaker describes the musicality of the modern RP accent as having a smooth and slurred quality, with words often running together and a tendency to go down at the end of sentences unless emphasizing or asking a question.
What advice does Molly give for those who might be overdoing the RP accent?
-Molly advises to keep the accent relaxed and to avoid over-egging it, as doing so can make the accent feel caricatured or pantomime-like. She emphasizes that 'less is more' when mastering the RP accent.
Outlines
🎙️ Introduction to Perfecting the RP Accent
The speaker, Molly, a voice and accent coach based in London, introduces the topic of the video: perfecting the Received Pronunciation (RP) accent, also known as the Queen's English. Molly explains that while RP is traditionally associated with the south of England and the BBC, there are variations such as modern RP and neutral General Southern British English. She mentions that her own accent is close to modern RP, which she grew up with in Surrey. The video aims to guide viewers on how to perfect this accent by addressing common mistakes and key components such as oral posture, consonants, vowel sounds, and prosody.
🗣️ Understanding Oral Posture for RP Accent
Molly discusses the concept of oral posture, which refers to the positioning of the mouth for accent pronunciation. She explains that each accent has a unique way of using the pharynx and articulators. For the RP accent, she emphasizes the importance of a relaxed mouth, with the tongue placed behind the bottom teeth and minimal movement of the jaw and lips. Molly suggests practicing the schwa sound and the 'uh-oh' sound to achieve the correct posture. She also provides an exercise to practice days of the week with the new posture.
📚 Mastering Consonant Pronunciation in RP
In this section, Molly covers the pronunciation of consonants in the RP accent, focusing on the 'r' sound. She explains the difference between a non-rotic accent, where 'r' is not always pronounced, and situations where 'r' should be pronounced, such as at the beginning of a word or between two vowel sounds. Molly also describes two ways to pronounce 'r': labiodental fricative, using teeth and lips, and a tongue-based 'r' sound. Additionally, she touches on the dropping of 't' sounds in the middle of sentences and the pronunciation of 'th' and 'l' sounds.
🎼 Vowel Sounds and the Schwa in Modern RP
Molly delves into the vowel sounds characteristic of the modern RP accent, highlighting the schwa sound, which is a relaxed and neutral 'uh' sound. She points out that the schwa is frequently used inRP, making words like 'for' and 'Gump' sound similar. Molly also discusses other vowel sounds, such as 'strut', 'trap', 'bath', and 'palm', noting the differences betweenRPand other accents. She advises on the subtlety of diphthongs inRPand the importance of relaxation in pronouncing vowel sounds.
🎵 The Musicality and Prosody of the RP Accent
Molly talks about the musicality and prosody of the modern RP accent, which involves the resonance and intonation patterns. She suggests that modern RP tends to have a more chesty or throat resonance compared to other accents. Molly demonstrates the natural slurring of words inRPand the tendency to go down at the end of sentences unless there is a continuing thought. She also mentions the use of an intrusive 'r' to help with word transitions and emphasizes the smooth and flat nature of the accent, with minimal pitch variation.
📘 Final Tips and Conclusion on the RP Accent
In the final paragraph, Molly wraps up the video by summarizing the key points for perfecting the modern RP accent. She reiterates the importance of relaxation, minimal movement, and the smooth, slurred quality of speech. Molly offers additional resources for those interested in learning more about accents, including a free consultation and PDF guides. She encourages viewers to practice and listen to native speakers, emphasizing that 'less is more' when it comes to theRPaccent, and advises against overdoing it to avoid a caricatured impression.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Received Pronunciation (RP)
💡Oral Posture
💡Schwa
💡Consonants
💡Prosody
💡Non-Rhotic
💡Labiodental Fricative
💡Villarized L
💡Diphthong
💡Intrusive R
💡Accent Coach
Highlights
Introduction to Received Pronunciation (RP) and its association with the Queen's English and the south of England.
Explanation of the evolution of RP into modern RP and its variations like heightened RP and period drama RP.
Introduction of the speaker, Molly, a voice and accent coach based in London with a natural modern RP accent.
Discussion on the importance of oral posture in achieving the RP accent and its impact on sound production.
Demonstration of how to achieve a relaxed oral posture for the RP accent, including the position of the tongue and lips.
Practice tips for the schwa sound, a key component of the RP accent, and its role in sentence flow.
Explanation of the non-rotic nature of the RP accent and its implications for R pronunciation.
Clarification on when to pronounce R sounds in RP, such as at the beginning of words or between vowels.
Description of the two types of R sounds in RP: labiodental fricative and tongue-based R.
Advice on the pronunciation of T sounds in RP, including when to drop T sounds in the middle of sentences.
Guidance on TH sounds in RP and the distinction between RP and other accents like London or General Southern English.
Discussion on the pronunciation of L sounds in RP, distinguishing between light L and velarized L.
Emphasis on the schwa sound in RP and its prevalence in everyday speech.
Analysis of vowel sounds in RP, including the importance of the schwa and its variations.
Explanation of the musicality of the RP accent, focusing on intonation and sentence rhythm.
Tips for achieving the smooth and slurred quality of the RP accent through sentence intonation and word blending.
Final summary of the key elements for perfecting the RP accent, including oral posture, consonant and vowel sounds, and musicality.
Encouragement for viewers to engage with the content, ask questions, and provide feedback on accents they would like to learn next.
Transcripts
hello everyone and welcome back to my
channel I hope you are doing well
[Music]
I am very excited for today's video
because we are going to be talking about
how you can perfect your RP accent now
in case you did not know RP stands for
received pronunciation this is otherwise
known as the queen's English it is what
you would have heard in the south of
England in the BBC and on lots of media
for years and years and years it sounds
a little something like this of the
guest is my last News Bulletin of the
year and the decade tonight also marks
the end of the international year of the
child and today children marched through
London to attend a Thanksgiving service
however as the generations have moved on
we now have these sort of different
tiers for what RP really means so in
that last extract that is technically RP
English however nowadays it might be
known as something such as heightened RP
or periodrama RP instead in fact what I
want to focus on today is what's now
known as modern RP or what Jeff Lindsay
would call SSB and there's also like
neutral General Southern British English
there are lots and lots of different uh
things that are all talking about the
same accent and that accent happens to
be one that I Am Naturally very close to
and I haven't introduced myself so if
you are new here my name is Molly I am a
voice and accent coach based in London
but I grew up in Surrey which is just
outside London in the south of England I
grew up in a middle class environment
and I would say I pretty much have what
a lot of people would term as modern RP
or when the usual people who maybe
aren't acting coaches and aren't working
in the industry would just call an RP
accent of today
so I'm going to be running you down how
to perfect your RP accent some of the
key mistakes that people make along the
way as well as the key components
including the Orville posture the
consonants the vowel sounds as well as
the prosody or musicality of how you can
perfect this accent so with all of that
let's crack on so the first thing I'm
going to address in this video is what
we call the oral posture now oral
posture is just referring to the setup
of your mouth in order to make the
sounds within this accent every single
accent has a slightly different way of
manipulating your pharynx and the
articulators in order to help make those
sounds as safely and as efficiently and
as truthfully as possible think of your
whole being as almost like a car and
it's just about adjusting that gear
stick to see how you can get in the oh I
mean I'm in the American vowel sound and
then oh I'm in the British vowel sound
and then and then you can just find the
right gear and hopefully when you get
that oral posture right it's just going
to be a lot easier to go into the right
direction in which you want to go with
the modern RP accent
mostly people like to overdo it so if I
was to go into a heightened RP accent
I'm almost imagining my mouth is like a
funnel so I'm thinking very very tight
in the front of my mouth and very large
in lots of space in the back of my mouth
like a yawn however in my accent
everything is a lot more relaxed you can
notice that as I'm speaking to you right
now my jaw and my lips are barely moving
I can really often feel my tongue is
right behind my bottom teeth so for a
lot of you you might have to really
think about your tongue moving quite far
forward in order to feel behind your
bottom teeth and everything just stays
really relaxed a good way we can get
into this relaxed posture is practicing
the schwa sound or the hesitation sound
in this accent uh
uh uh and just practicing that making
sure that your tongue is behind your
bottom teeth your lips are nice and
relaxed uh uh and you can also give her
uh-oh uh-oh uh-oh which is just quite a
nice way of balancing out and thickening
out the vocal folds to get you also into
this gear uh-oh uh oh
so once you think you've found that oral
posture Everything feels relaxed and the
tongue feels like it's at the front why
don't you try saying for me uh-oh Monday
uh oh Tuesday uh oh Wednesday
uh-oh Thursday
uh-oh Friday
uh-oh Saturday
uh-oh Sunday and you should notice that
you hardly have to move anything at all
in order to make those sounds the next
thing I want to touch on is consonants
now if you have seen this video that I
will put up somewhere here you will hear
me talking about lots of jargon
including rotissity an accent is either
rotic or non-rotic this accent is an
example of a non-rotic accent meaning I
don't always pronounce the R's sometimes
they'll be on the page and I will choose
to avoid them especially if they follow
a vowel sound such as start car park
lark
remark
charts
restart oh all the words have gone from
my head but you get the gist any of
those types of words or these that I'm
going to put on the screen now
I'm not gonna bother pronouncing the r
sound for so rather than saying start or
start or start I'm gonna say start
so I'm just saying that s t art
sounds start car now this exception does
happen when an R is sandwiched between
two vowel sounds such as hero or carrots
I am then going to pronounce my R's hero
carrot and obviously when an R is at the
beginning of a word such as Roger Rabbit
ran then I'm also going to pronounce my
R's so make sure you do pronounce some
R's especially of the beginning of the
word or if they're sandwiched between
two vowel sounds but usually if you get
a vowel then an R we're going to ignore
it so when I do pronounce those R sounds
how am I doing so there are two
different ways you've got here first way
is what would be called a labiodental
fricative r and for that I mean that I
am using my teeth and my lips so labio
dental and fricative I mean like the
articulators are coming together but
leaving a slight Gap meaning that
there's quite a lot of breath and air
that can vibrate through them so I'm
literally going
I'm pouting my lips and I can feel my
top teeth on my lip on the inside ra
[Music]
that's maybe me picking up more of
London sounds but I would actually
highly argue that a lot of people will
say there are when living in the south
of England which is really what people
mean by this RP accent we'll say it like
that
however there may also be times when I'm
actually just using an R by using my
tongue and it's slightly raising in my
mouth so my lips are staying neutral my
tips my tips my teeth aren't getting
involved at all
Roger ran rabbit ER Roger ran rabbits so
your two options again are using your
teeth and your lips Roger or just using
your tongue Roger
usually it's a little bit of a mix
sometimes it depends who you're talking
to how comfortable you feel talking to
someone for me I associate those two
sounds just using the tongue as
something that feels a little bit more
formal and the lips are something that
feels a little bit more relaxed but play
with whatever feels the most natural to
you and whatever is suitable for why you
want to learn this accent another thing
I will mention are teas now if you gave
me a word on its own such as right
right notice I'm using a labio dental R
there right I am pronouncing that t
sound and I'm pronouncing that t Sound
by bringing my tongue behind my top
teeth on the alveolar Ridge
however if I then have that word in a
whole sentence and it's somewhere in the
middle of that sentence so I've got
somewhere to go on to such as am I right
in thinking that
am I right in thinking that am I right
in thinking that am I right in thinking
that you'll notice that I'm dropping
that t altogether again this may depend
so usually I would say when you have a
word on its own or a word finishes and a
sentence finishes with a word that ends
in a t then I would say pronounce it
however if you feel like it feels
unnatural to do that and going through a
whole sentence you'd actually rather
drop that t such as am I right in
thinking that then that wouldn't be
unusual to find in the modern RP accent
it's something that you wouldn't find in
heightened RP such as the crown or the
queen's English but nowadays it feels a
little bit more common and it's a little
bit more usual again I associate more
formality with pronouncing all of my T's
but more relaxed when I drop them
so that's up to you to play with let's
now talk about THS so to make a th sound
I'm going to bring my tongue in between
my teeth like so
I think that's the case
I think that's the case
I think that's the case now if you're
familiar or more usual with more London
sounds you might think I'd say I think
that's the case or all together let's
think about that and I probably would
say that to be honest
um quite a lot of times but that's
because I've lived in London for quite a
few years however before I moved to
London I don't think that was part of my
vocabulary so I wouldn't say it's part
of RP but you wouldn't be looked down on
I don't think if you were doing some
sort of General Southern English accent
and you added an f and a v rather than
the th but if you are going for strictly
RP modern RP sounds I'd only say bring
the tongue in between the teeth and
think of a
sound instead and then let's touch on
L's so there are two ways I can say an L
that is what we call a light L where the
tongue and tip of the tongue is flicking
behind my teeth
I use this L at the start of words such
as Larry lazy and lamb however there's
also a villarized out which is more of
an American L and Northerners always use
this L where I'm bringing my whole
tongue upwards towards my soft palate or
my Velar and it sounds something like
this oh oh
[Music]
I used this L if an L is nearing the end
of a word such as cool or cool or film
and I'm using this more swallowed-like
way of pronouncing my L's so if you had
the sentence I need to call Larry the
lazy lamb I'm using that velarized owl
on cool but Larry lazy lamb I'm keeping
really light now if we put the
consonants to one side and move on to
the vowel sounds vowel sounds meaning
any sounds where your articulators are
not getting involved there is one sound
in particular that we have already
covered but I would like to bring your
attention to which is the schwa now the
schwa is that uh uh uh sound that we
looked at earlier it's where everything
is really relaxed really neutral uh uh
uh and the reason I want to draw your
attention to that is because we will use
that all of the time when it comes to
the modern RP sound for example let's
take the sentence will you come back
here please Forrest Gump
will you come back here please for a
scump
I will probably say that in my most
relaxed fashion will you come back here
please for a scump
will you come back here please for a
scump as you can definitely hear in a
bit of you in uh come and Gump I'm
definitely using it so that uh sound
happens all the time let's take another
sentence let's say when I go to the
shops when I go to the shops you'll
notice that I'm not saying when I go to
the shops I'm saying when I go to the
shops that's because when you're
thinking about this accent in whole
sentences quite a lot of the time
because we're moving on to another word
just like how we drop the T in write in
the previous example I'm almost going to
replace certain vowel sounds such as two
with this uh sound so that it just feels
a little bit easier to roll off of the
tongue
other vowel sounds that might be quite
key to this accent and are quite similar
to the schwa include strut strut strut
and this sound my tongue is quite far
forward I'm relaxing my jaw a little bit
but not quite as much as I think a lot
of people will usually want to when they
do the British accent for example you
can say the sentence the dull young
monks the dull young monks that is
really similar to the schwa sound in
fact I would probably argue that it is
the schwa sound sometimes it can differ
slightly and Michael Jordan open a
little bit more you may also notice a
difference when I say trap bath and palm
so bath and palm in this instance of the
same sound r r is opening whereas trap
is nice and wide whereas if you're from
the north of England you probably say
trap and bath as the same vowel sound
whereas I say trap bath and palm you
also have a sound such as nurse which is
a really good word to practice if you
naturally have a rotic accent and how to
get into a non-rotic accent for example
let's take the sentence the bird fed the
worm on the church the bird fed the worm
on the church bird worm church I'm
saying that all the same so I'm not
saying warm or warm I'm saying worm it's
almost like a u sound in that another
lexical set that might be interesting
for you to practice could be Fort North
fours again I'm saying the same sound in
that or thought North Force I'm not
pronouncing those R sounds but I am
elongating that sound and I'm slightly
rounding my lips thought North fours for
all of those sounds as well similarly
one that a lot of people struggle with
is foot and goat they're two different
sounds but I really want you to think
about just relaxing everything here foot
foot foot
I am literally not moving my lips at all
foot foot foot foot
quite similar for the diphthong goat I'm
hardly making it a diphthong goat goat
goat oh look at the goat's foot over
there oh look at the goat's foot over
there
when you get to a word like Goose you
can again afford to round your lips and
elongate it but most of our diphthongs
really are very very subtle such as near
in height and RP would have been
something like near near near
whereas I would just say near near near
and it's more as if there's an r
colorization in there that affects that
diphthong rather than a whole new vowel
sound of course those are just some of
the general vowel sounds that you would
need to practice but as long as you get
those ones down and you think about that
oral posture hopefully you're in that
gear to just start the force in driving
obviously I don't know what accent you
have who is watching this thank you for
watching this by the way if you've got
this far please press a thumbs up and
don't forget to comment letting me know
what accent you'd like to perfect next
but because I don't know where you are
coming from it makes it quite tricky to
pick these vowel sounds so do leave me a
message if there are some words that
you're just not quite getting and I'll
try to reply with the right sentences to
help you out the last thing I want I
want to talk a little bit about is
porosity or the musicality of the modern
RP accent so we were practicing with the
sensation of uh-oh uh-oh before and
that's because I think a lot of modern
RP speakers kind of transition from
either a head resonance or a bit of a
chesty resonance not a lot is happening
in The Mask especially if you compare
our accent to uh more American or
Australian or even Northern a lot of it
sits a little bit further back in the
body and the throat and in terms of the
musicality I want you to have a think
about this so I'm going to speak a
little bit of an extract I'm just going
to tell you about what I am up to for
the rest of today and as I'm speaking
can you pretend your hand is a little
bit of a I don't know conductor and
you're going to go up when I go up down
when I go down and I'm going to try and
not think about it whatsoever so see if
you can follow along and you can tell me
about what you notice about the
musicality so for the rest of today I am
going to finish this video and then I
think I have two more clients today
actually I have three more clients uh
two of which are returning one is a new
client which I'm really excited to talk
about they want to do accent work and
then I've got two people on for audition
prep I've just kind of got to catch up
on lots of things this is the first
chance I've had to sit down and actually
film a YouTube video because I've been
dashing about on Tech rehearsals and
things like that so I'm just catching up
on all of my social medias I have a
YouTube video going up tonight and I've
also written my newsletter for next week
so it's really like an ad mini clienty
day which is nice it's good to have that
once in a while rather than leading
group scenarios
so what did you notice some things you
may have seen is that I tend to go down
at the end of my sentences unless I've
got a continuing thought another thing
that is very common in the RP accent is
we like to slur all of our words into
one quite often I will not take a breath
until the very end of a sentence so for
example if I had a sentence such as
let's talk it through or let's draw it
out I would say let's talk it through
let's talk it through let's draw it out
let's draw it out and you'll notice in
that second sentence I'm actually adding
what we call an intrusive R in order to
help me transfer my lips and my
articulators from that W to the eye draw
it out because it's like I'm slurring
all of my words together which give the
accents some sort of smooth quality if I
was coaching this with a lab and effort
I'd probably give it something like a
wave where it's going in and out but
it's not quite as light as what we
associate the heightened RP accent to be
it's a little bit heavier it sits a
little bit lower in the body however it
keeps that slurriness and smoothness and
goes down at the end
I would also say there is some
inflection in the accent but remember
I'm also a vocal coach so I think I have
a tendency to intonate myself a lot more
than most people with this accent I
think it's actually quite a flat accent
um and when you do emphasize something I
think you can do it with pitch but I
think in the general scheme of things
I'm probably some who's a little bit
more animated than your general person
especially because I'm literally
speaking to a camera and so that always
can affect your accent as well so to sum
up the musicality some big tips you want
to take away are slur all of your words
together go down at the end of sentence
unless you're emphasizing something or
asking a question but in general it's
fairly flat and fairly smooth almost
like you're gliding on something
and that just about sums up all of the
tips and tricks I have in order to
perfect your modern RP or just RP accent
I really hope this has been helpful and
don't worry if you haven't got your head
around all of the tips and tricks just
listening to my accent if you are trying
to learn this accent is probably going
to be a really good place to start for
you and if you aren't quite sure of some
of the terminology I've used please do
refer to one of the videos I will link
up here as I have gone into far more
depth about all of the terminology I
have used in the past or you could also
sign up to a 30 minute completely free
consultation link using the link in my
bio all of my social media links will
also be down there as well as my PDFs
and I may have a PDF coming out very
very soon all about accents which you
should absolutely check out if you have
found this video useful like I said
please press a like And subscribe leave
a comment of any accents that you would
like to know in the future and more than
anything just in enjoy if there's one
thing I can give you advice on when it's
doing this accent is less is more we're
very relaxed in this accent everything
is really really chill and if you feel
like you're over egging it that's cool
that's a good place to go to but just
make sure you start to strip it back
otherwise it can start to feel a little
bit caricature and a little bit
pantomime-ish thank you so much again
everyone leave me a comment with what
you'd like to see next and I will see
you in the next video bye
関連動画をさらに表示
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)