How to Understand UK Accents (Consonants)

An exploration of how UK accents differ and how to understand speakers from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Get a free pronunciation lesson in my online course: https://www.ImproveYourAccent.co.uk/Course

Part 2 - (the video on UK vowels) can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BAMxkk5J1w

00:00​ - Intro
01:04 - Rhoticity
05:44 - H-Dropping
09:44 - Glottal Stops
12:27 - TH Sounds
14:27 - NG Sound
16:12 - Conclusion

*Disclaimers*
1. Some topics have been simplified for a general audience. For example, I talk about rhotic and non-rhotic speech, but in reality some speakers will have variable rhoticity, or different patterning.
2. People living in a particular place will not always sound the same. Not everyone from a certain area will have the same accent feature (or the feature to the same degree) as those in the video. Accents vary according to factors such as socioeconomic background, age and ethnicity (among others).
3. I have not shown all the accents in the UK.
4. There are other consonant differences between accents in the UK that I haven't talked about in the video.
5. Of course, I take full responsibility for any errors! If you spot anything that should be corrected, please email me and I shall add it here.

*Thanks*
Many thanks to friends, family and UCL SCEP teachers who gave valuable feedback on the video before its release.

*Links*
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ImproveYourAccent
Twitter: https://twitter.com/improveaccent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImproveYourAccent
Free pronunciation learning resources: https://www.ImproveYourAccent.co.uk/Learn

Want to improve your business English, prepare for IELTS or gain confidence? Try a personalised 1-to-1 session with a British Council approved tutor for $1 https://try.englishscore.com/englishtrial [affiliate link]

*Songs in the video*
1. Rhoticity: "I am a Cider Drinker" by The Wurzels
2. H-Dropping: "Parklife" by Blur
3. Glottal Stops: "Bonkers" by Dizzee Rascal
4. TH Sounds: "Faith" by George Michael
5. NG Sound: "This is the Life" by Amy MacDonald
6. Ending: "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols

*Maps*
University of Cambridge rhoticity map: https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cambridge-app-maps-decline-in-regional-diversity-of-english-dialects
NG map adapted from p.26 here: https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/87763651/FULL_TEXT.PDF

*Speakers in the video*
The listed origin of each speaker is the place (or the nearest biggest place/county) they were born in or grew up in.

-Intro-
James McAvoy (Glasgow)
Adele (London)
Jamie Dornan (County Down)

-Rhoticity-
Billy Connolly (Glasgow)
Katie Leung (Motherwell)
Jamie Dornan (County Down)
Arlene Foster (County Fermanagh)
Stephen Merchant (Bristol)
Jayde Adams (Bristol)
Anthony McPartlin (Newcastle Upon Tyne)
Meera Syal (Staffordshire)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (London)
Rob Brydon (Port Talbot)
Alexandra Roach (Carmarthenshire)

-RP-
Prince Charles (London)

-H-Dropping-
Naomie Harris (London)
Eddie Redmayne (London)
Nicola Sturgeon (North Ayrshire)
Ewan McGregor (Perth)
Christine Lampard (County Down)
Colin Morgan (Armagh)
Si King (Tyne and Wear)
Jason Manford (Greater Manchester)
Michael Griffiths (Liverpool)
Josh Navidi (Bridgend)
Hayley Pearce (Bridgend)
Josie Gibson (Bristol)
Ian Holloway (Bristol)
Danny Dyer (London)
Daniel Kaluuya (London)
Harry Redknapp (London)
Riz Ahmed (London)

-Glottal Stops-
Andy Murray (Dunblane)
Ranvir Singh (Preston)
Colin Jackson (Cardiff)
Diane Abbott (London)
Prince Harry (London)
Prince William (London)
Ed Sheeran (Suffolk)
Adele (London)
Ruth Jones (Bridgend)
Jess Phillips (Birmingham)
Louis Tomlinson (Doncaster)
James McAvoy (Glasgow)
KT Tunstall (St Andrews)

-TH Sounds-
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (London)
Lenny Henry (West Midlands)
Lewis Capaldi (Glasgow)
Nathan Henry (County Durham)
Sam Warburton (Cardiff)
Josie Gibson (Bristol)
Plan B (London)
Dizzee Rascal (London)
Stormzy (London)

-NG Sound-
Esther Freud (London)
Hannah Fry (Essex)
Corinne Bailey Rae (Leeds)
Rebecca Ferguson (Liverpool)
Jodie Comer (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Mel C (Merseyside)
Gary Neville (Greater Manchester)
Robbie Williams (Staffordshire)

Видео How to Understand UK Accents (Consonants) канала Improve Your Accent