Do I sound like British (45 sec. recording)?

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Dude2

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Hello, I am a learner of English from Russia. I am currently working on my pronuncitation. I would appreciate if someone comments on my recording.
There are phrases with letter "r". I am trying to pronounce it correctly or, to be more specific, to not pronounce it.

https://voca.ro/hlf2vMKnzAL
Here is the script:

Words like girl, bird, fork, and cart are, perhaps the most curious part of standard British pronunciation for learners who make a start
Focus on your learner even if you’ve never heard of it
girl - bird - hurl - refer
fork - cart - part
where - there - everywhere
rather - father

I be grateful for any comments.
Thanks!
 
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teechar

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Hello there, and welcome to the forum. :)
Your pronunciation of the list of words is okay, but for the first two lines, you need to slow right down, especially for the second line. Do that and pay attention to the last consonantal sounds in words. Post below a slowed-down recording of those two lines.
 
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Dude2

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I did. How is it?

https://voca.ro/mjQlzHkMibD

At the moment I have two private tutors (I had one but I recently hired another one to improve my pronunciation) and they both tell me to slow down.
Honestly I am loosing hope....that I will ever sound like British with my terrible voice.
The truth is that for the last two years when I checked a word in a dictionary I litened to an american version of pronunciation. Apart from that I didn't work on my pronunciation but then I entered to the university and it turned out I should speak RP there (accorditn to its curriculum), and my teacher at the university doesn't approve my pronuciation at all (but she says the same about other students from the group; and I incline to trust her more than my private tutors because she doesn't care about money - she has the salary.)
The main this is: I am afraid that my tutors don't tell me the truth.
 

teechar

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jutfrank

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The main this is: I am afraid that my tutors don't tell me the truth.

I'll tell you the truth, Dude2. Your pronunciation is a long way off sounding like a native Brit, if that's what you're wondering. Furthermore, I'll tell you straight that you will never sound like one and you should accept that sooner rather than later. It's simply not an achievable goal.

That doesn't mean of course that you can't or shouldn't try to improve, however. As it is currently, your pronunciation is not bad at all.
 

Dude2

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I am stydying at the university. This is my second education. My speciality sounds something like "Theory and methodics of teaching foreighn languages and cultures". We have classes in the evenings, 3-4 times per week. I am just a freshman, though.
But the accent is not the question for discussion. I've chosen RP, firstly because I didn't know all the details of GA, but mainly because our phonetic teacher gives us information about RP. Again, I wasn't really into phonetic, I wasn't familiar with IPA chart, back sounds and other things.
 

teechar

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You can certainly make a start by practising the pronunciation of individual words instead of full sentences. For example, listen to your pronunciation of "words" and compare that to how a native might say it.
Bookmark the following website:
www.forvo.com
Search for the pronunciation of "words" on that site and try to do the same for the other words in your post.
 

Dude2

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You can certainly make a start by practising the pronunciation of individual words instead of full sentences. For example, listen to your pronunciation of "words" and compare that to how a native might say it.
Bookmark the following website:
www.forvo.com
Search for the pronunciation of "words" on that site and try to do the same for the other words in your post.
Thank you for listening. I really need such a feedback.

Don't get me wrong but "make a start" sounds for me... mockingly. I listened to thousands of words. I used Youglish, Forvo, Cambridge Dictionary. etc. I've been trying to read and speak as a British from October. Is it possible that invividual features of my oral cavity will hamper my progress drastically? Maybe I need to ask for a logo therapist and then come back to the photentic? (But to be honest I started to work on my pronunciation systematically just a month ago, when I hired the teacher.)
I am just afraid that my work will be useless because of my voice... For example, I want to play guitar but I can't because my left elbow joint doesn't work correctly. So I don't try. (I bought a guitar but then I returned it back the next day).

By the way, could you listen to my teacher speaking the same phrases (she is Russian)? I asked another native teacher he said she sounds good, and it's true, of course. I just can't understand what is the key difference between ours accents?
https://voca.ro/h7kft6W0Rep
 

Dude2

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I'll tell you the truth, Dude2. Your pronunciation is a long way off sounding like a native Brit, if that's what you're wondering. Furthermore, I'll tell you straight that you will never sound like one and you should accept that sooner rather than later. It's simply not an achievable goal.

That doesn't mean of course that you can't or shouldn't try to improve, however. As it is currently, your pronunciation is not bad at all.

I do appreciate your opinion.
Of course, this is not my goal. My goal, maybe, to be able to teach other people. I am not sure about it though. I have another job now.
My goal to have a decent pronunciation.
I would like to make a recording in 5-6 months and have your positive feedback about my work.
I am a little bit confused about the wrods "should't try". Does it mean that my efforts (my time) and my money spent on teachers will not help me at all?
People who teach us at the university definitely have good pronunciation (but they are apparently also a long way of natives). As far as I know, many of them finished the same university (but supposedly they also learned English at schools). I can't wait for 3 years to find out if my pronunciation is better thatswhy I try to force the process a little bit.
 

jutfrank

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I am a little bit confused about the wrods "should't try". Does it mean that my efforts (my time) and my money spent on teachers will not help me at all?

No, I didn't mean that at all. Quite the contrary.
 

teechar

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By the way, could you listen to my teacher speaking the same phrases (she is Russian)?
She also has issues with her pronunciation. Is she the one telling you that you must speak like a Brit?
 

Dude2

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No. She is a private tutor. We are stydying RP at the university. What issues does she have?
 

GoesStation

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No. She is a private tutor. We are stydying RP at the university. What issues does she have?
I thought her pronunciation was quite good for a non-native speaker. One error is that she mispronounces pronunciation in a way that many native speakers do: she pronounces it as if it were spelled "pronounciation".
 

jutfrank

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Her pronunciation is very close to British RP. She has only a very slightly detectable foreign accent.
 

teechar

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She can improve her pronunciation of the word "even".
 

probus

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That is definitely an improvement, and a pretty good job. You heeded the earlier suggestions, especially slowing your speech. Some sounds, both vowels and consonants, are a little bit off, as is the intonation. You are nowhere close to passing for a native speaker but you are pretty clear and intelligible. Good work.
 

teechar

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Slow down a bit and try to leave some boundaries between words. Post below.
 
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