How to sound more British!
 

If anyone from foreign lands wants to sound more British when they speak English, take a look at this list!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/robynwilder/...glish-language

Personally, I would add one more: Spiffing!

:rock:

If any explanations are needed, feel free to ask away.

WARNING: some naughty words are in there.

2 weeks too late :O:

I used this one for help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgPH0tYXJrA

Hmm, that's odd, this is the best guide to the English language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akbflkF_1zY

Idea(r). :O:

Not sure why there's an "r" there in the pronounciation sometimes. Some type of dialect? :hmmm:

It's a British thing. Sometimes they also add the 'r' to other words ending with a vowel sound. I always remember Paul McCartney's rendition of 'Till There Was You'..."There were birds, in the sky, but I never sawr them winging..."

American dialects can be fun, too. Most Southerners pronounce "oil" as "owel". Texans don't even go that far. They pronounce it "ohl". When Jimmy Carter was president there were comic pieces written about the new dictionary. "Rat Cheer: The place were something is. 'I put it rat cheer'."

Then there's the New York/New Jersey dialect, in which the former is pronounced "Noo Yawk" and the latter "Noo Joisey". Then there's Minnesota, which is famous for following and exaggerating the Canadian "oo". "It's aboot a mile doon the rood". It's not quite Scottish, but cloose.

They forgot Capt. Slow's favorite word "Ronnied", which is British slag for screwed or fouled up and/or fubar. I tend to use bugger, buggered, or buggery a lot.

Take some workshops with Smoccahontas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybcvlxivscw

:rotfl2:

More like Smokinhotass :D

I think you may have Rogered that quote. ;)

Your welcome to the 'buggery' I'll stick with 'bugga' thanks.

Cool, I guess I'm more used to US English. :)

I remember hearing it said on the Monty Python series. "Idear" huh? :hmmm: :O:

And "issue" being pronounced "is-you", I'm used to it being "ish-you" :O:


I've heard the word "pants" being used if something is bad, crap etc.

"This is dishwasher is pants"

Are you sure?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bugga

We also use "chunder guts" meaning a person who can't hold their beer.

Try this for size and beware lots of strong meanings and swear words.
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/

You forgot...
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...a271ec4e39.jpg
CRIKEY!

Might of done. Hard to believe that Google failed me on that one.

@Lionclaw, I've heard a quite a bit of British slang but pants is a new one.

@Jim, having read the Master and Commander series it's not difficult to know what buggery means:arrgh!:. Now could you explain why the British use the term "boot" instead of "trunk" in car terminology?

I'd just like to point out that in any English-speaking country it's "might have done." There is no "could of", "would of", or "should of". It comes from spelling and pronouncing the contraction "might've", but it's wrong. :sunny:

For the same reason the top of the car is the "hood" instead of the "roof", and the part covering the engine is the "bonnet" instead of the "hood".

And if you're an Englisman visiting America, never, ever, ever tell a woman you'll come around tomorrow and knock her up. :O:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...pse90899b4.jpg

Mind you the way some words are pronounced compared to the way they are spelled are sometimes quite different. So the way I heard "might of done" could of been pronounced as "might 'ave done", and the have minus the h sounded more like "of". Some of it comes down to the tone of voice and the persons matter of speaking too.

I love the really quirky proper name pronunciations that give even many English natives no chance:

Buccleuch and Cholmondeley must be the best examples...and 'the Vale of Belvoir'...

Gestapo way is better! :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1K8d9qXGnI

Haha, yes Belvoir is a curiosity. And another to fool our cousins is Edinburgh. And as for many Welsh place names... well they even have me stumped some of the time. (How does a Welshman pronounce 'llama'? :hmm2: