The Right English Accent

■ Manner of articulation

By manner of articulation we mean the kind of closure or constriction used in making the sound. We classify English consonants according to three manners of articulation: stops (full stoppage of the airstream somewhere in the oral cavity between the vocal folds and the lips, as in [p], [b], [m]); fricatives (constriction of the airstream in the oral cavity producing turbulence and noise, as in [f], [v]); affricates (full stoppage of the airstream followed immediately by constriction, as in [tS], [dZ]). Table 2 summarizes the different manners of articulation.

In connected speech, English speakers often blend sounds together. When two words meet, one sound may influence the other. This process is called assimilation because one sound “takes in” or “adopts” some qualities of its neighbour.

✅ Example

“Good boy” can sound like /ɡʊb bɔɪ/ instead of /ɡʊd bɔɪ/ — here, /d/ changes to /b/ because it is followed by another /b/ sound.


👇 Types of Assimilation

1. Progressive Assimilation:
The first sound affects the next sound.
Example: “Dogs” → /dɒɡz/
(The /s/ becomes /z/ because of the voiced /ɡ/ before it.)

2. Regressive Assimilation:
The second sound affects the one before it.
Example: “Good girl” → /ɡʊɡ ɡɜːl/
(The /d/ becomes /ɡ/ because of the following /ɡ/ sound.)

3. Reciprocal Assimilation Reciprocal assimilation happens when two neighbouring sounds influence each other — both change slightly because of the other.
Examples
Did you → /dɪdʒuː/

✍ Importance of Assimilation

It makes speech faster and smoother.

It helps achieve natural, native-like pronunciation.

It shows how sounds change in connected speech.

✅ Examples in Sentences

1. “In Paris” → /ɪm pærɪs/
(The /n/ becomes /m/ before /p/.)

2. “That girl” → /ðæk ɡɜːl/
(The /t/ becomes /k/ before the /g/ sound.)

3. “Don’t you know?” → /dəʊntʃu nəʊ/
(The /t/ and /j/ merge to form /tʃ/.)


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The best way to learn English is to use it; speak, write, and think in English as much as you can.
/ðə best weɪ tə lɜːn ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ɪz tə juːz ɪt | spiːk | raɪt | ənd θɪŋk ɪn ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ əz mʌtʃ əz juː kæn/


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In spoken English, we often drop certain sounds to make speech quicker and smoother. This process is called elision. It helps words flow together naturally in connected speech.

👇 Meaning
Elision means leaving out a sound or syllable when speaking. It happens because pronouncing every sound clearly can make speech sound slow or unnatural. Native speakers often elide (omit) sounds to maintain a natural rhythm.

✅ Examples

1. Next day → /neks deɪ/ (the /t/ in “next” is dropped)

2. I’m going to → /aɪm ˈɡənə/ (the “to” sound becomes /tə/ or disappears)

3. Camera → /ˈkæmrə/ instead of /ˈkæmərə/

4. Friendship → /ˈfrenʃɪp/ (the /d/ is dropped)

👉 Types of Elision

1. Consonant Elision – when a consonant sound is omitted.
Example: sandwich → /ˈsænwɪtʃ/ (the /d/ is dropped)

2. Vowel Elision – when a vowel sound in an unstressed syllable disappears.
Example: every → /ˈevri/ instead of /ˈevəri/

🤔 Why Elision Happens

To make speech faster and easier

To link words smoothly

To sound more natural in everyday conversation

✍ Summary
Elision is the omission of sounds in connected speech to make pronunciation easier and faster. It’s a normal and natural part of spoken English that helps speech flow smoothly.


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Long Vowel Sounds.
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Labiodental sounds are a type of consonant produced using both the lower lip and the upper teeth. The term labiodental comes from Latin — labio- meaning “lip” and dental meaning “teeth.” These sounds are formed when the lower lip touches or comes very close to the upper front teeth, creating a narrow opening that allows air to pass through, resulting in a friction-like sound.

Labiodental sounds belong to a group of consonants called obstruents, which are produced by partially blocking the airflow in the mouth. In English, there are two labiodental sounds:

1. /f/ as in fan, leaf, coffee

2. /v/ as in van, leave, over

1. The sound /f/ is called a voiceless labiodental fricative. It is made when air passes through the narrow gap between the lower lip and upper teeth without vibration of the vocal cords.

2. The sound /v/ is called a voiced labiodental fricative. It is produced in the same way as /f/, but this time, the vocal cords vibrate as the air passes through.

👇 How They Are Produced
To produce a labiodental sound:

1. Raise the lower lip so it lightly touches the upper front teeth.

2. Push air out from the lungs through the small gap between the lip and teeth.

3. For /f/, the vocal cords remain open, producing a soft, voiceless sound.

4. For /v/, the vocal cords vibrate, creating a voiced sound.

👉 Phonetic Features
Both /f/ and /v/ share the same place and manner of articulation — they are labiodental fricatives. The only difference lies in voicing:

/f/ is voiceless.

/v/ is voiced.

✍ Summary
Labiodental sounds are made by using the lower lip and upper teeth to create friction as air passes through. English has two such sounds — /f/ and /v/. The first is voiceless, and the second is voiced. Correct pronunciation of these sounds helps distinguish between word pairs like fan and van or fine and vine, which are important for clear English speech.


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The sounds /ɛ/ and /ɝ/ represent a key difference between British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) pronunciation.
They show how each accent handles the presence or absence of the “r” sound — especially in words like bird, her, or nurse.

🔹 The British English Sound: /ɛ/

Phonetic symbol: /ɛ/ (as in bed, said)

Articulation: A mid-front unrounded vowel.

The tongue is positioned halfway between high and low, towards the front of the mouth.

The lips are spread or neutral (not rounded).

However, in Received Pronunciation (RP) or Standard British English, words such as bird, word, nurse, learn, etc., do not contain /ɛ/ alone.
Instead, they contain the /ɜː/ sound — a long mid-central vowel (without an r sound).

So:

bird → /bɜːd/

her → /hɜː/

word → /wɜːd/

👉 In RP, the r is not pronounced unless followed by a vowel — this is called non-rhoticity.

🔹 The American English Sound: /ɝ/

Phonetic symbol: /ɝ/

Articulation: A rhotic mid-central vowel, often called a “r-colored” vowel.

The tongue is bunched or retroflexed toward the r position.

The lips may be slightly rounded.

The sound always includes a pronounced r quality.

Examples in American English:

bird → /bɝd/

her → /hɝ/

word → /wɝd/

👉 In American accents, the r is always pronounced, even at the end of words — this is called rhoticity.

✍ Key Points

British English avoids the r sound unless a vowel follows — non-rhotic.

American English always includes the r sound — rhotic.

Therefore, BrE /ɜː/ corresponds closely to AmE /ɝ/, not /ɛ/.

The /ɛ/ sound (as in bed) exists in both accents but represents a completely different vowel category.


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