VARIETIES OF ENGLISH
A. You will hear speakers from Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa taling
about.
Speaker 1 (Britain)
I don't get a lot of time to myself these days, but if I have a couple of hours to spare then I go down
to the tennis club. I've just joined a tennis club near me and we've moved to a new house and er the
tennis courts are right outside the back of my garden, so I just literally walk down and go through
the gate and spend a couple of hours knocking balls about.
Speaker 2 (United States)
When I've got some free time um I like to read. Usually I avoid the latest fiction and look for
novels or novelists that I've always known about and wanted to read. But occasionally I just stroll
through a bookshop and sometimes it's just the cover of a book that makes me grab it and take it
home.
Speaker 3 (Canada)
When I've got spare time I like to go to the lake. It's about a twenty minute drive and when I get
there I go water skiing. I just love water skiing when the weather's good. And afterward if I've got
enough energy, I pick Saskatoon berries on the lane behind the cabin. And later on in the week I
make some pies.
Speaker 4 (Australia)
My favourite thing to do on a sunny day is to go to the beach. It takes about an hour from my
house. I have to get the train and a bus, but it's worth it. Lots of my friends live near the beach, so
it's always the perfect way to catch up and enjoy the sunshine.
Speaker 5 (South Africa)
One of my favourite things to do when I've got a bit of spare time is to go fishing with my friends.
Er we get a bit of tackle together, the fishing rods, pile it all into the back of a four-byfour and we
head up into the mountains. There's some wonderful streams up there, well stocked with trout, and
carp, and bream. We normally take a bit of a picnic up, you know, some bread rolls, and some ham
and cheese, and it's just a nice day out.
Here are some of the things you might have noticed:
BRITISH (Br) v. AMERICAN (US)
The stress is different: on the 3rd syllable (maga'zine) in Br and on the 1st syllable
('magazine) in US
common
The first vowel is different: // (as in 'hot') in Br and /:/ (as in 'car') in US.
The stress is different: on the 2nd syllable (re'search) in Br and on the 1st syllable
research
('research) in US
There is a sound close to /r/ at the end of the word in US, but in Br it ends with a
over
vowel.
The 't' is 'flapped' in US so that it sounds like 'd':
forty
(See 'over' above.)
overweight
There is a sound close to /r/before /v/ in US, but not in Br.
survey
walk
The vowel is different /:/ (as in 'door') in Br and /:/ (as in 'car') in US
The 't' is 'flapped' in US so that it sounds like 'd'.
better
The first vowel is different: /e/ (as in 'ten') in Br and /i:/ (as in 'see') in US
leisure
understanable There is a sound close to /r/ before '-stand-' in US, but not in Br.
There is a sound close to /r/ before '-cise' in US, but not in Br
exercise
schedule
The first consonant is different: // (as in 'she') in Br and /sk/ in US.
(Although note that some speakers of Br say /sk/ at the beginning of 'schedule:)
magazine

B. You will hear four more people talking about what they enjoy doing in their spare time.
They are from northern England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
1. (Northern England)
When I get a day off, I like to go up into the Yorkshire Dales. These are sort of hills, er about
twenty miles from where I live. And I'll er walk through the day. I'll set off while it's still dark and
walk for about eight hours. And at the end of that finish up in a village somewhere and have a nice
meal.
Here are some of the differences you may have noticed between this accent and BBC
English:
- the vowel in 'I', 'like', 'nice' (// in BBC English) is more 'open', beginning with a sound close to
/:/ (as in 'car')
- the vowel in 'walk' (/:/ in BBC English) is said almost as two vowels /:/ + //
- the 'r' sound in 'for about' is said with a slight tap of the tongue behind the top teeth
2. (Scotland)
I live in the country and I'm I'm quite lucky because where I live is sort of on the top of urn a
range of low, flat hills. So it's quite windy. On good days, I like to take my children out and we go
and fly kites. The children have got little kites, because obviously if it's too windy and with a big
kite it would be really too, too much for them, they couldn't control it. Um but they they thoroughly
enjoy being out just just in the fresh air.
Here are some of the differences you may have noticed between this accent and BBC English:
- 'r' is pronounced where it would not be in BBC English (in 'sort', 'for then', 'air') and said with a
flap of the tongue
- the vowel in 'like', 'fly', 'kite', etc. (// in BBC English) begins with a sound close to 'ee'
(/i:/)
- the vowel in 'low', 'so', 'go' (// in BBC English) is pronounced more like a simple vowel, close
to /:/
3. (Wales)
In my spare time I really like visiting gardens. Usually, the gardens of big houses. And at every
time of the year there's something different to see. The spring, of course, is the best time, when
everything's coming into bud, and then later in the summer into full flower. It's really wonderful.
And even when it's raining, you can still get great pleasure visiting gardens.
Here are some of the differences you may have noticed between this accent and BBC
English:
- the vowel in 'year' (/ə/ in BBC English) is pronounced with more rounded lips
- the vowel in 'gardens' (/:/ in BBC English) is more 'open', beginning with a sound close to //
(as in 'cat')
- the /r/ in 'raining' and 'really' is said with a flap of the tongue

4. (Northern Ireland)
Usually, 'cause erm I'm working during the week er and sometimes on a Saturday as well the only
day off that I have would be a Sunday. Er and on Sunday we like to get up early, make a big
breakfast and if the weather's good er I take my kids for a long walk in the country. Erm we go off
er with our little fishing rods and sometimes er go down to the local stream and with a net and try
and er catch a few tiddlers or something like that.
(Note: A tiddler is a very small fish.)
Here are some of the differences you may have noticed between this accent and BBC English:
- the vowel in 'usually' and 'during' (/u:/ in BBC English) is pronounced rather like the vowel in
'good' (//)
- the vowel in 'off' (// in BBC English) is pronounced with more rounded lips
- the vowel in 'stream' (/i:/ in BBC English) is pronounced almost as two vowels /i:/ + //

[from Martin Hewings, English Pronunciation In Use, Advanced, 2007]