Do write to us with
your views about the English language and any questions you
may have.
| Dear Sir,
I first studied
English at secondary school thirty years ago. I am now
on a refresher course
as I have changed
job and need to use English in my work. My school teacher
taught me to pronounce English in a certain way. For
example, "hat" to rhyme with "let" and "cap" to
rhyme with "step". However, my current teacher
pronounces such words (for instance, map, tap, cat and
sat) in a rather flat way which emphasizes the "a" sound
of the word. When she says the word "bath", the
sound is flat and seems closer to "fat" rather
than "heart" (which is how I was taught to say
it). I am concerned to speak English as correctly as
possible. Should I follow my new teacher's style of pronunciation?
Yours faithfully,
Erhard Becker
Frankfurt
|
The editor's reply
Native British English speakers have different
accents, depending on the region they come from and their educational
background.
From the way she says the word "bath", I think that your
present teacher comes from the North of England.
Your first teacher was probably concerned
to teach you the form of spoken British English called "Received Pronunciation" (RP).
People sometimes call this "The Queen's English" or "Oxford English".
Received Pronunciation is regionally neutral. Native speakers
used to strive to speak RP as it denoted a certain social standing
and a good educational background. However, over the last few
decades, there has been a shift in social attitudes with a growing
acceptance of, and pride in, regional accents. Received Pronunciation
itself continues to exist but has been influenced by the social
changes. The flat vowel sound you mentioned in your letter, for
example, the flat /æ/ has come from the North of
England.
Your aim is to be intelligible when speaking English. If you
are happier using the pronunciation you were first taught, then
continue to do so, but be aware that you could sound a little
old-fashioned.
I suggest you discuss with your teacher how
to avoid picking up too strong a regional accent. Ask her to
teach you the standard
pronunciation of any new word she teaches you. Any good dictionary,
for example the "Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary",
will also provide you with guidance on how to pronounce words.
Listening to a range of English audio cassettes will familiarise
you with up-to-date spoken British English.
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