英语到了十九世纪, 英语语言的变化带有社会阶级的色彩由此女王英语The Queen’s English, 女王英语被公认为标准音Standard Pronunciation, 后来演变为公认的发音Received Pronunciation(RP), 典型英国英语的标准音. 1922年英国广播公司BBC采用RP标准音, 就此BBC为标准音. 也有人把他称为Oxbridge English(牛津剑桥英语). 即使这样也只有10%的人发RP口音, 应为RP发音带有浓厚的上层社会色彩, 人们把发音看作是社会地位的标志. 假如一个受过良好教育的人不会发RP音, 很难体现自己的社会身份以及地位的体现.
英格兰境内的英语基本包括伦敦英语, 东南部英语, 东部英语, 西南部英语, 西部英语, 中部英语, 北部英语等, 大致有三个方言区:南部方言区, 中部方言区, 北部方言区.
具体特征:
英格兰南部: love, butter, luck, cousin, but, nut,
是重读音节.
Could, look, book, pull, push, would, /u/是重读音节.
英格兰北部:
和/u/是不分的.
英格兰南部:fast, last, pass, after, 重读音节读成长元音/ɑ:/
英格兰北部:北部音把/ɑ:/读成/ɑ/
伦敦音(Cockney): 特色发音/ei/读成/ai/, 比如famous发音/ei/读成/ai/
Home Counties: 指英国南部的家乡音, 包括Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Sussex这些地方基本操一种口音.
Estuary English: 一种区域口音, 俗称”河口音”, 基本上操这个口音的人聚集在Kent和Essex, 河口音是介于RP和伦敦腔的一种口音, 基本发音特征是把”th”发成”f”和”v”, 比如thank他们发成fank. 基本发音人群是肥皂剧和电视TV秀, 以及足球运动员和娱乐圈人士.
The West: 西部口音基本是从Cornwall到Herefordshire, 人们经常把r拖长音发, 比如cart他们发成carrt.
The East: Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, East Anglia, Essex经常把r音, 去掉或者说不发.
The North: Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire经常把wrong发成wrang, 把long发成lang.
英语中有12个单元音, 8个双元音, 24个辅音, 如果包括/dz, ts, tr, dr/, 则总共48个.
UK English phonetic pronunciation
Table 1. Guide to the UK English phonetic alph
| Symbol |
Description |
| “|” (pipe symbol) |
Word Boundary Phone |
| AAS AAS |
As in ARE fAther cAR |
| AES |
As in At hAm trAp |
| AVS |
As in Up bUt sOn |
| OAS OAS |
As in Or fOUR Also |
| A_S ULS |
As in OUt cOUnt hOW |
| AXS |
As in tablE compAny commA |
| A_S ILS |
As in EYE fIve lIE |
| _B. |
As in But laBel caB |
| _CH |
As in CHurch naTure reaCH |
| _D. |
As in Dog meDal laD |
| _DF |
As in THe boTHer baTHe |
| D$ |
Noisy silence, such as a keystroke or door slam |
| E_S |
As in Any sAId bErry |
| E3S E3S |
As in EArly wORd hER |
| E_S ILS |
As in AId mAde grEY |
| _F. |
As in First telePHone rouGH |
| _G. |
As in Grab aGo biG |
| _H. |
As in Home Hat beHind |
| ILS |
As in Ink hYmn beIng |
| I_S I_S |
As in EEl pEEp heavY |
| _JJ |
As in Jay adJust chanGE |
| _K. |
As in Cat baCKer maKe |
| _L. |
As in Light vaLLey feeL |
| _M. |
As in Mat haMMer hoMe |
| _N. |
As in Night aNt baN |
| _NG |
As in siNG beiNG loNG |
| AQS |
As in hOt wAs Of |
| AXS ULS |
As in gO knOW cOal |
| OAS ILS |
As in OIl avOId toy |
| _P. |
As in Park suPPle gaP |
| _R. |
As in Right fRom thRee |
| _S. |
As in Sit miSt maSS |
| _SH |
As in SHarp naTIonal fiSH |
| _T. |
As in To aTTend paT |
| _TH |
As in Thing auThor paTH |
| ULS |
As in gOOd shOUld pUt |
| U_S U_S |
As in OOze bOOt whO |
| _V. |
As in Very oVer saVe |
| _W. |
As in White Was tWenty |
| X |
Silence, such as a pause |
| _Y. |
As in Yet Use bEAUty |
| _Z. |
As in Zip siZe waS |
| _ZH |
As in treaSure uSually viSion |
