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.
这篇文章的重点在于如何发“RP”(Received Pronunciation)英式英语(精品课),也就是典型的主要在南部英格兰被使用、被上流社会发扬光大的英式英语,这种口音也被称作“女王的英语”。英格兰、苏格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰都有非常多不同的英语口语,所以为了选择一个更区域化、更纯正的口音,我们最好选择一个特定的地域,然后尝试去学那个地方的口音。在说英语的时候采纳英国人的言谈举止也会帮助你使口音变得更加纯正。
Part 1
第一部分
R"s
Start with the Rs.
从发“R”这个音开始。
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,说话者不会把“R”发成卷舌音(除了那些从苏格兰、诺森比亚、北爱尔兰、和部分兰开夏来的人以外),但不是所有英式口音都是一样的。比如,苏格兰口音和英格兰口音就有很大的差别。在一个元音字母后面,不要发“R”的音,但把这个元音提取出来,然后加上一个“uh”的音(这里是“heeuh”)。在“hurry”这个单词中,不要把“R”音和元音混在一起。说“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".
在美式英语中,以“rl”或“rel”结尾的单词可以被发成一个或两个音节,而它们是完全可以互换的。在英式英语中我们却不能这样发音。以“-rl”结尾的单词,比如“girl”、“hurl”,要发成一个音节,“R”不发声。我们要把“squirrel”发成“squih-rul”,把“referral”发成“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.
有一些单词在英式口音中会更好发音。举个例子,“mirror”这个单词,读起来会像“mih-ra”。不要把“mirror”发成“mere”。英国人几乎不会那么发音。
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顿处可以通过在元音字母前加上“r”来改善。举个例子,“I saw it”会被发成“I saw-rit”,来避免“saw”和“it”中的停顿。另一个例子是“Bacteria are small”,它会被发音成“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”这些词中发“U”这个音的时候,要发成“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".
避免发“oo”的音;“stupid”要发成“stewpid”或者更普遍的,“schewpid”,而不是“stoopid”。“duty”要发成“dewty”或者更常见的“jooty”。在标准的英语口音中,发“A”这个音(比如“father”)要把喉咙打开、用口腔的后侧发音——它会听起来像“arh”。这是所有英式口音普遍的发声方法,但在“RP”中这种方法被更加夸大。在南部英格兰和RP中,“bath”、“path”、“glass”这些词同样也用这个发音(发作“barth”、“parth”、“glarss”、“grarss”等等)。然而在其他英国地区,“bath”、“path”这些词的“A”音发起来像“ah”。
Part 3
第三部分
T"s
Sometimes drop the Ts.
有些时候不发“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,包括伦敦当地口音,“T”的发音不像美国人那样用“D”代替——“T”不发音。然而,“T”音所在的地方经常会出现短暂的停顿或者“打嗝”。“battle”可能会被发成“ba-ill”。这被称作“声门塞音”。在读“mittens”或者“mountains”这样的词的时候, 也要使用声门塞音。只是因为英国人经常使用这种发声方法。
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.
拥有港湾、RP、苏格兰、爱尔兰和威尔士口音的人认为在发音中省略“T”是懒惰而粗鲁的,并且觉得这种发音方法并不存在,但在所有口音中在日常的语言环境下在单词中间不发“T”音,或者在单词结尾使用声门塞音都是很常见的。