This article focuses on "Received Pronunciation" (RP), the stereotypical British accent mainly spoken in the south of England, and exaggerated by the upper classes, giving it the nickname "the Queen’s English". There are greatly differing accents across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for a more regional or ’authentic’ accent, it’s best to choose one particular area, and try to learn that accent instead. Adopting British mannerisms while speaking will also help for authenticity.

這篇文章的重點(diǎn)在于如何發(fā)“RP”(Received Pronunciation)英式英語(yǔ)，也就是典型的主要在南部英格蘭被使用、被上流社會(huì)發(fā)揚(yáng)光大的英式英語(yǔ)，這種口音也被稱(chēng)作“女王的英語(yǔ)”。英格蘭、蘇格蘭、威爾士和北愛(ài)爾蘭都有非常多不同的英語(yǔ)口語(yǔ)，所以為了選擇一個(gè)更區(qū)域化、更純正的口音，我們最好選擇一個(gè)特定的地域，然后嘗試去學(xué)那個(gè)地方的口音。在說(shuō)英語(yǔ)的時(shí)候采納英國(guó)人的言談舉止也會(huì)幫助你使口音變得更加純正。

Part 1

第一部分

R’s

Start with the Rs.

從發(fā)“R”這個(gè)音開(kāi)始。

Understand that in most British accents speakers don’t roll their Rs (except for those from Scotland, Northumbria, Northern Ireland, and parts of Lancashire), but not all British accents are the same. For example, a Scottish accent varies greatly from an English accent. After a vowel, don’t pronounce the R, but draw out the vowel and maybe add an "uh" (Here is "heeuh"). In words like "hurry", don’t blend the R with the vowel. Say "huh-ree".

大部分英式口音中，說(shuō)話者不會(huì)把“R”發(fā)成卷舌音(除了那些從蘇格蘭、諾森比亞、北愛(ài)爾蘭、和部分蘭開(kāi)夏來(lái)的人以外)，但不是所有英式口音都是一樣的。比如，蘇格蘭口音和英格蘭口音就有很大的差別。在一個(gè)元音字母后面，不要發(fā)“R”的音，但把這個(gè)元音提取出來(lái)，然后加上一個(gè)“uh”的音(這里是“heeuh”)。在“hurry”這個(gè)單詞中，不要把“R”音和元音混在一起。說(shuō)“huh-ree”。

In American English, words ending with "rl" or "rel" can be pronounced using either one or two syllables, completely interchangeably. This is not the case in British English. "-rl" words like "girl", "hurl", etc, are pronounced as one syllable with silent R, while "squirrel" is "squih-rul", and "referral" is "re-fer-rul".

在美式英語(yǔ)中，以“rl”或“rel”結(jié)尾的單詞可以被發(fā)成一個(gè)或兩個(gè)音節(jié)，而它們是完全可以互換的。在英式英語(yǔ)中我們卻不能這樣發(fā)音。以“-rl”結(jié)尾的單詞，比如“girl”、“hurl”，要發(fā)成一個(gè)音節(jié)，“R”不發(fā)聲。我們要把“squirrel”發(fā)成“squih-rul”，把“referral”發(fā)成“re-fer-rul”。

Some words are easier to say in a British accent. For example, mirror, which sounds like "mih-ra". Do not say "mirror" like "mere"; British people almost never do that.

有一些單詞在英式口音中會(huì)更好發(fā)音。舉個(gè)例子，“mirror”這個(gè)單詞，讀起來(lái)會(huì)像“mih-ra”。不要把“mirror”發(fā)成“mere”。英國(guó)人幾乎不會(huì)那么發(fā)音。

Some awkward pauses in sentences are also removed by the addition of ’r’ before a vowel. For example, "I saw it" becomes "I saw-rit", to avoid the pause between the words ’saw’ and ’it’. Another example is "Bacteria are small", pronounced "Bacteria-rar-small".

在句子中一些奇怪的停頓處可以通過(guò)在元音字母前加上“r”來(lái)改善。舉個(gè)例子，“I saw it”會(huì)被發(fā)成“I saw-rit”，來(lái)避免“saw”和“it”中的停頓。另一個(gè)例子是“Bacteria are small”，它會(huì)被發(fā)音成“Bacteria-rar-small”。

Part 2

第二部分

U’s

Pronounce U in stupid and in duty with the ew or "you" sound.

在“stupid”和“duty”這些詞中發(fā)“U”這個(gè)音的時(shí)候，要發(fā)成“ew”或者“you”音。

Avoid the oo as in prounounced; thus it is pronounced stewpid or commonly schewpid, not stoopid, etc. duty would be pronounced dewty or more often jooty. In the standard English accent, the A (for example, in father) is pronounced at the back of the mouth with an open throat—it sounds like "arh". This is the case in pretty much all British accents, but it’s exaggerated in RP. In southern England and in RP, words such as "bath", "path", "glass", "grass" also use this vowel (barth, parth, glarss, grarss, etc.). However, in other parts of Britain "bath", "path", etc. sound like "ah".

避免發(fā)“oo”的音;“stupid”要發(fā)成“stewpid”或者更普遍的，“schewpid”，而不是“stoopid”?！癲uty”要發(fā)成“dewty”或者更常見(jiàn)的“jooty”。在標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的英語(yǔ)口音中，發(fā)“A”這個(gè)音(比如“father”)要把喉嚨打開(kāi)、用口腔的后側(cè)發(fā)音——它會(huì)聽(tīng)起來(lái)像“arh”。這是所有英式口音普遍的發(fā)聲方法，但在“RP”中這種方法被更加夸大。在南部英格蘭和RP中，“bath”、“path”、“glass”這些詞同樣也用這個(gè)發(fā)音(發(fā)作“barth”、“parth”、“glarss”、“grarss”等等)。然而在其他英國(guó)地區(qū)，“bath”、“path”這些詞的“A”音發(fā)起來(lái)像“ah”。

Part 3

第三部分

T’s

Sometimes drop the Ts.

有些時(shí)候不發(fā)“T”音。

With some accents, including cockney accents, Ts aren’t pronounced in words where Americans use D to replace it. However, there is usually a short pause or "hiccup" in its place. "Battle" might be pronounced ba-ill. This is known as the glottal stop. use glottal stops, too, for words like "mittens" and "mountain". It’s just that British use them more often.

在一些口音中，包括倫敦當(dāng)?shù)乜谝?，“T”的發(fā)音不像美國(guó)人那樣用“D”代替——“T”不發(fā)音。然而，“T”音所在的地方經(jīng)常會(huì)出現(xiàn)短暫的停頓或者“打嗝”?！癰attle”可能會(huì)被發(fā)成“ba-ill”。這被稱(chēng)作“聲門(mén)塞音”。在讀“mittens”或者“mountains”這樣的詞的時(shí)候， 也要使用聲門(mén)塞音。只是因?yàn)橛?guó)人經(jīng)常使用這種發(fā)聲方法。

People with Estuary English, RP, Scottish, Irish and Welsh accents do consider it lazy and rude to drop the Ts, and this feature doesn’t exist, but in almost all accents it’s accepted to do it in the middle of words in casual contexts and almost universal to put a glottal stop at the end of a word.

擁有港灣、RP、蘇格蘭、愛(ài)爾蘭和威爾士口音的人認(rèn)為在發(fā)音中省略“T”是懶惰而粗魯?shù)?，并且覺(jué)得這種發(fā)音方法并不存在，但在所有口音中在日常的語(yǔ)言環(huán)境下在單詞中間不發(fā)“T”音，或者在單詞結(jié)尾使用聲門(mén)塞音都是很常見(jiàn)的。