How Many Ways Are There to Pronounce an English Word?

[Sujeewa de Silva]

English of course is the most widely used language of the world today.
This wide geographical distribution has given rise to many differences
in the way it is spoken in various locations. Although the British
standard called Received Pronunciation (RP) and the American standard
called General American (GA) certainly carry prestige, many native
speakers have other regional accents that they are accustomed to.

While the English learner is not encouraged to pick up these regional
variants, it may be advantageous to be aware of them so that one
understands the language even when it is spoken in a non-standard way
- as happens sometimes in English films, for example.

Listen to the ways some common English words are pronounced in
different parts of the English-speaking world at
"http://www.soundcomparisons.com/".

[Sujeewa de Silva]

Details and examples of regional patterns of British pronunciation can
be found at
"http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/"
and information about common trends in American pronunciation at
"http://www.americanaccent.com/".