'L'

[GeneD]

I'm trying to imitate the RP pronunciation, but a couple of problems have been projected concerning the sound l. The thing is, I don't always know when a Britisher whose video I'm watching speaks RP and when their pronunciation isn't 'received' (that is natural to some of the regions in the UK). It (but maybe not only it) has led to some confusion. Listening to the British speakers, I've got the impression that this sound is softer (I just don't know the right term, so I'm guessing) than its American analogue. For example, here you can hear the word look pronounced by an American and a British speakers, and you'll understand what I mean saying that the British l is softer. To be honest, it's pretty hard for me to imitate this softness, and when I was watching today this video, a hope was born. Either my ears are deceiving me, or that teacher doesn't pronouce l softly and maybe I won't have to struggle trying to soften my l and I can just leave it as it is. What do you say? Does she pronounce it as a hard sound?

And is it okay (in BrE) to pronounce l in the way that American speaker did in the mentioned dictionary?

How do you Britons pronounce the l sound?

Are the terms 'soft' and 'hard' suitable here? If not, which words would be better?

 

[GeneD]

Interestingly, when I listen to that teacher's speech, my ear doesn't hear anything unusual about the 'l' sound unlike the cases with other BrE speakers' videos. (I'm just more used to the American speech.) I've just tried to spot this so unusual for me softness, and I couldn't. For instance, at ~13.15 she says 'later' where 'l' seems to be closer to the AmE variant in the dictionary. Well, I think I'm just trying to provide some evidence, but the fact is, I simply don't hear the softness. Maybe she doesn't say the words where 'l' is soft? :-?

 

[GeneD]

At ~16.02 I spotted her saying 'looking'! It hasn't give me much, though. The 'l' slightly differs from the ones in the dictionary. But it still sounds natural to my foreign ear. :-? It looks as if the softness quality ranges slightly from speaker to speaker. What do you think of it?

If you understand this explanation of mine at all.

 

[GeneD]

Or, it came to mind, the problem may be with vowel sounds rather than 'l' there. For example, 'moon' is also pronounced differently by an American and British speakers here. So maybe it's the 'oo' sound who's the real culprit?

I think I'm turning this thread into a diary.

 

[jutfrank]

There's no difference between US and UK ways to pronounce /l/.

It just happens that the way the woman the Cambridge dictionary pronounces it sounds a bit 'soft' as you put it. It varies from individual to individual.

You should absolutely not worry about this. Just carry on pronouncing it in what you describe as the American way.

 

[bubbha]

One way in which the L is pronounced differently is its degree of lightness or darkness.

A "dark L" is pronounced with the middle of the tongue pressed lower, creating more open space in the oral cavity. The "dark L" is common in Scotland and most famously, in Russian.

For a "light L", the middle of the tongue is raised. It's common in southern England, as well as in French, Spanish and Italian.

Americans tend pronounce the L more darkly than in RP, but in my accent (West coast) it's middle in terms of lightness or darkness.

Also keep in mind that the position of the L in a syllable and the vowels adjacent to it can change this quality.

 

[GeneD]

You've perfectly understood my question, Bubbha. Thanks for this brilliant explanation.

The "dark L" is common in Scotland

That lady from the video I mentioned said that she's from 'further north' which is Scoltand, I believe. Maybe that's the reason why her pronunciation of 'L' seems (to me, at least) to be closer to American in the terms of darkness/lightness and to my own way to pronounce it, too?

 

[GeneD]

There's no difference between US and UK ways to pronounce /l/.

Did you mean RP when talking about 'UK way to pronounce /l/'? Or did you mean the natural pronunciation you hear every day around you which is not clear RP, I believe?