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Old 26-Mar-2006, 15:15
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Default Re: How to learn an accent?

Quote:
Originally Posted by j4mes_bond25
Interestingly, both "arse" (ONLY if pronounced in British accent) & "ass" (whether pronounced in British or American accent) are pronounced exactly the same, i.e. "A:s". However, Anna pronounces "arse" as "A:rs" (in her American accent where the sound of "r" occurs, unlike in British accent, where sound of "r" is ALWAYS quiet, unless followed by a vowel sound)
That's actually untrue. Firstly, the "r" is sounded in many dialects of British English (my own, for example), sometimes very strongly; it just happens that in the standard RP accent, it isn't pronounced but merely lengthens the vowel. It's worth remembering that RP is an artificial dialect, but based on certain south-eastern dialects. Secondly, the vowel sound in the standard US accent is very different than that of the standard British accent: it's shorter and pronounced further back.
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