...and the most read article from Pronunciation Studio is... London

1. London (Pronunciation Guide)

London /ˈlʌndən/ – a pronunciation guide.

From Southwark to Borough, Cockney to Posh and food to grub – here’s the Pronunciation Studio survival guide to life in London:

Zone 1. /ˈzəʊn ˈwʌn/

Let’s start in the centre: Leicester Square /ˈlestə ˈskweə/, Grosvenor Square, /ˈgrəʊvnə ˈskweə/ and Gloucester Road /ˈglɒstə ˈrəʊd/ all have confusing silent letters. Then there’s the deceptive ‘o’, in Southwark /ˈsʌðək/, Borough /ˈbʌrə/ and… London /ˈlʌndən/, which are all pronounced /ʌ/ as in fun. Some names are plainly ridiculous like Tottenham Court Road /ˈtɒʔnəm ˈkɔːʔ ˈrəʊd/, Euston /ˈjuːstən/(which rhymes with you), and Marylebone /ˈmɑːləbəʊn/ . But what do they all have in common? A schwa sound /ə/ – so that’s the place to start.

Suburbs. /ˈsʌbɜːbz/

Moving to the suburbs, or ‘burbs’ /ˈbɜːbz/ for short, might give you more space, but it won’t solve the pronunciation issues. Starting with the silent h in Balham /ˈbæləm/, Clapham /ˈklæpəm/, Fulham /ˈfʊləm/, and Vauxhall /ˈvɒksɔːɫ/, it mixes with ‘s’ in , Lewisham /ˈluːɪʃəm/, and you do say it in West Ham /ˈwest ˈhæm/, East Ham /ˈiːst ˈhæm/ and….. Ham /ˈhæm/.  Out West you’ll find such delights as Wimbledon /ˈwɪmbɫdən/, Chiswick /ˈtʃɪzɪk/ and Ruislip /ˈraɪslɪp/, whilst East there’s Rotherhithe /ˈrɒðəraɪð/, Woolwich /ˈwʊlɪtʃ/, Surrey Quays /ˈsʌri ˈkiːz/ and Greenwich /ˈgrenɪtʃ/ by which time you might have gone Barking /ˈbɑːkɪŋ/ mad.

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Accents. /ˈæksənts/

A typical London accent is working class, a bit of cockney /ˈkɒkni/ in there, innit /ˈɪnɪʔ/? But you’ll hear all sorts of accents in London. Very generally speaking West is posh, East is cockney, and everywhere else is in between, ranging from Estuary /ˈestʃəri/ (a bit London) to RP /ˈɑː ˈpiː/ (neutral – what they used to sound like at the BBC). In Buckingham Palace /ˈbʌkɪŋəm ˈpælɪs/ you’ll find the Queen, we all know what she sounds like. London mayor, Sadiq Kahn works in City Hall /sɪti hɔːɫ/, he has a modern, neutral accent with a hint of London. Whilst at 10 and 11 Downing Street /ˈdaʊnɪŋ striːt/, our Prime Minister and Chancellor sound… posh, they went to Eton /iːtən/. 

Food. /ˈfuːd/

Fortunately, particularly if you believe what they say about English cuisine, London has food from all over the world. You’ll find Italian, Chinese and Indian restaurants on most streets. For something different, head to Edgware Road /ˈedʒweə ˈrəʊd/ for Lebanese, Dalston /ˈd ɑːɫstən/ for Turkish, Brick Lane /ˈbrɪk ˈleɪn/ for bagels, and Stockwell /ˈstɒkweɫ/ for Portuguese. You’ll find every type of cuisine in Soho /ˈsəʊhəʊ/, Angel /ˈeɪndʒəɫ/ and Brixton /ˈbrɪkstən/: Japanese, Ethiopian, Greek, Polish, Jamaican, on a sunny day you can even sit outside with a cool glass of Sangria – you get the idea.


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10 most read articles from Pronunciation Studio - 2nd Brexit

2. Brexit (Pronunciation Guide)

BREXIT – a Pronunciation Guide

A shock result and a raft of new words to accompany the new political climate, here’s the Pronunciation Studio guide to help you through the conversational chaos:

Goodbye Europe /ˈgʊdbaɪ ˈjɜːrəp/

The UK has voted Brexit /ˈbreksɪt/, or is that pronounced /ˈbregzɪt/? Either way, we’re definitely leaving Europe /ˈjɜːrəp/, /ˈjɔːrəp/, or /ˈjʊərəp/ but we aren’t sure which one. Actually, let’s just call it The EU /ði ˈiː ˈjuː/. The third referendum /ˌrefəˈrendəm/ in the UK’s history sparked a huge debate about democracy /dɪˈmɒkrəsi/, bureaucracy /ˌbjɜːˈrɒkrəsi/, migration /maɪˈgreɪʃn/, immigration /ˈɪmɪgreɪʃn/ and loads of other important aspects of modern life, like hoovers and watches.

The Votes /ðə ˈvəʊts/

In the end London /ˈlʌndən/, Scotland /ˈskɒʔlənd/ and Northern Ireland /ˈnɔːðən ˈaɪələnd/ voted to remain, and just about everywhere else voted leave. Cities as difficult to pronounce as Birmingham /ˈbɜːmɪŋəm/, Portsmouth /ˈpɔːʔsməθ/, and Gloucester /ˈglɒstə/ all said a resounding ‘no’ /ˈnəʊ/ to the EU, whilst some slightly less difficult places like Bath /ˈbɑːθ/, Exeter /ˈeksətə/ and Newcastle /ˈnjuːkɑːsɫ/ just about muttered /ˈmʌtəd/ ‘yes’. In the end, the difference was 1,269,501 in favour of leave, no arguing with that number.

Camp Leave /ˈkæmp ˈliːv/

The two most prominent figures in camp ‘leave’ were Nigel Farage /ˈnaɪdʒɫ fəˈrɑːʒ/ and Boris Johnson /ˈbɒrɪs ˈdʒɒnsən/. Farage, whose name sounds suspiciously French (but should probably now be pronounced /ˈfærɪdʒ/) is the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party or UKIP /ˈjuː kɪp/ for short…. I think I will have a kip thanks, it’s been a long day. Ex Tory /ˈtɔːri/ mayor of London, Boris Johnson was the highest profile Leave campaigner and will now be hotly tipped to become Prime Minister. Boris’s full name is also a bit European sounding: Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson /ˈælɪgzɑːndə ˈbɒrɪs də ˈfefɫ ˈdʒɒnsən/, no, seriously.
Brexit the Movie was seen by hundreds of thousands of voters, and made the case that the EU is nothing more than a beauracratic nightmare that the UK should leave to become more like…. Switzerland /ˈswɪtsələnd/. The inventor Sir James Dyson /sə ˈdʒeɪmz ˈdaɪsən/ backed the leave campaign too, probably annoyed about EU restrictions on powerful vacuum cleaners /ˈvækjuːm kliːnəz/, so it’s definitely bad news for dust particles /ˈdʌst pɑːtɪkɫz/ in the new UK!

Camp Remain /ˈkæmp rɪˈmeɪn/

Prime Minister Cameron wasn’t the only David urging the UK to remain, Mr. Beckham /ˈbekəm/, who is currently trying to build a football stadium in America /əˈmerɪkə/, said the UK should be “facing the problems of the world together and not alone”. Loads of other celebs, politicians and Nobel /ˌnəʊˈbeɫ/ prize winning economists also backed ‘StrongerIn‘ /ˌstrɒŋgəˈrɪn/, but the electorate was not convinced. Not even the hugely popular beef steak loving self-confessed petrol head, ex BBC presenter, Jeremy Clarkson /ˈdʒerəmi ˈklɑːksən/ could swing it for In.

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10 most read articles from Pronunciation Studio - 3rd English Manners (Pronunciation Guide)

3. English Manners (Pronunciation Guide)

A Pronunciation Guide to English Manners

Excuse me! Here’s our guide to English manners, cheers.

Greetings /ˈgriːtɪŋz/

When you meet someone, “Hello” /ˌheˈləʊ/, “Hi” /ˈhaɪ/ and “Hiya” /ˈhaɪə/, are the obvious places to start. The higher you begin, the more enthusiastic you sound. It’s often followed by an interrogative question like “How are you”, “Alright?”, or “How do you do?” /ˈhaʊ də ju ˈduː/ if you’re meeting aristocracy /ˌærɪˈstɒkrəsi/.

“Good morning”, “good afternoon” and “good evening” are all appropriate at certain times of day and they can be shortened to simply “morning” /ˈmɔːnɪŋ/ “afternoon” /ˌɑːftəˈnuːn/ “evening” /ˈiːvnɪŋ/, but confusingly “goodnight” isn’t a greeting, it’s only used when you’re going to bed. Again, this can be reduced to “night” or “nighty night”.

If you meet someone for the first time, you might say “Nice to meet you” or “It’s a pleasure to meet you”, to which one might reply “the pleasure’s all mine”. Liar /ˈlaɪə/.

Goodbye /ˌgʊdˈbaɪ/

“See you”, “see ya”. “goodbye”, “bye”, “cheerio” /ˈtʃɪriəʊ/, “so long”, “catch you later” all do the job. In the North they might say “ta-ra” /təˈrɑː/ or “ta-ta” /təˈtɑː/. “Farewell” /ˌfeəˈweɫ/ is quite old-fashioned and dramatic, “toodle-pip” /ˈtuːdɫ ˈpɪp/ is just old-fashioned. The Italian “ciao” /ˈtʃaʊ/ has come into English too, and sounds continental and trendy.

Touching /ˈtʌtʃɪŋ/

The English don’t touch much in public, though presumably they do behind closed doors. A hand shake with the right hand is the universal greeting for both men and women, a few firm seconds is the norm. Beyond that it’s a bit complicated – it’s increasingly common to give one kiss on the cheek, it really depends on the company, so probably best to wait and see what your host does first. Hugging /ˈhʌgɪŋ/ is common among friends and family, but not elsewhere.

Giving & Accepting Thanks /ˈgɪvɪŋ ən əkˈseptɪŋ ˈθæŋks/

“Thank you” /ˈθæŋk ju/, “thanks” and “many thanks” work well in most scenarios. “cheers” /ˈtʃɪəz/ can be used informally instead, and the more posh you are, the more it will sound like “chairs” /ˈtʃeəz/. Go on, have a go “Cheers!”. More formal options are “much obliged” /ˈmʌtʃ əˈblaɪdʒd/ and “much appreciated” /ˈmʌtʃ əˈpriːsieɪtɪd/, up North they might say “ta” /ˈtɑː/.

In response to somebody thanking you, you have the opportunity to say something horribly British like “Not at all”, or “the pleasure’s mine” /ˈpleʒəz/ but “You’re welcome”, or “no probs” /ˈnəʊ ˈprɒbz/ will also do perfectly well, thank you very much.

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10 most read articles from Pronunciation Studio - 4th TH - the Tooth Sounds

4. TH - the Tooth Sounds

How to Pronounce TH

There are two dental TH sounds in English, both made by touching the tongue tip behind the top teeth and squeezing the air through. If you only squeeze air, the sound is /θ/, if you also use the voice, it’s /ð/ – come on then, all together “The thieves thought that the throne was authentic.”

On the other hand, there are a few words pronounced with /t/, like the river THAMES, the herb THYME, and the names THOMAS and ESTHER. If you meet anyone called ANTHONY, it’s probably best to ask first, as it can go either way.  

/θ/ or /ð/?

CONTENT & FUNCTION

The voiceless sound /θ/ is found in most content words – THINK, THEATRE, AUTHORISE, MATHS, and BOTH to name a few. The voiced sound /ð/ is found in most function words – THE, THIS, THESE, THEM & THERE, though the function word WITH is commonly said both ways – /wɪð/ and /wɪθ/, something I’m sure you can deal with/with!

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10 most read articles from Pronunciation Studio 5th /r/ - the Strangest Sound in English?

5. /r/ - the Strangest Sound in English?

‘r’ – the strangest sound in English?

One of the most common sounds in English, but also one of the most difficult for learners. /r/ is both tricky to pronounce, and tricky not to pronounce. In this article we’re going to conquer this strangest of English sounds. Sort of.

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How to pronounce /r/. 

To make an English /r/ you do 2 things. Firstly you move your tongue behind the gum behind the top teeth (the alveolar ridge) without touching it, and at the same time, you lift your top teeth off your bottom lip. So it should sound like this: /r/. It shouldn’t sound like [r] or [χ] or [ɽ] or [ɺ] . The key is not to touch the tongue onto the gum at all. In fact, as a sound, it’s like the English weather – a bit vague.

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