English is the most spoken language in the world, more than a million people from all over the globe speak English as their mother tongue or as a second language. Its huge spread across countries and populations of all continents means that English is fragmented into very different accents and varieties. Suffice it to say that there are significant phonetic and lexical differences between British English and American English. One may wonder how could it be the same language with such glaring differences.
The existence of so many English dialects is great news for linguists and researchers who dispose of an infinite field of research concerning the diatopic and diastratic differences of this language.
One cannot say the same about students learning English as a foreign language. This infinite variety of accents may cause disorientation and confusion, making oral comprehension difficult. In fact, the variety commonly taught in schools is the so-called Standard English, an almost neutral accent that reflects the phonetic rules of formal and official English. However, Standard English is rarely used by English native speakers. Any student who has ever traveled to a British country can confirm this, not without a certain disappointment.
English learners could feel demotivated and confused when they realize that understanding an English speaker during a real-life conversation is not as easy as it may seem. But, a funny and motivating solution could be found in TV series. English-speaking countries dominate the audiovisual sector through the broadcasting of world-famous TV series and films. Moreover, modern platforms such as Netflix make it possible to watch the contents in their original language and, in the case of English, in their original accent. Needless to say, the American accent predominates. That is why it seems the most easily understood and our ears quickly get used to that way of speaking.
Nevertheless, it is still possible to find some TV series produced in Great Britain, for example, where British accents can be easily recognized and understood by a learners’ audience. Two of the most successful TV series of recent years, The Crown and Sex Education, have the great linguistic advantage of featuring British actors. This results in the possibility for English learners to approach this accent, which is very different from the one of the actors that worked on timeless TV series such as Friends or How I Met Your Mother, both produced in the United States.
While The Crown focuses on the formal and royal British accent throughout the 20th century, Sex Education offers a juicy opportunity to learn more about the British slang and youth language. Learners will get familiar with words such as “loo” (a toilet) or the exclamation “Christ on a bike” to express surprise and shock.
Another good example may be the TV series The Fall, where one of the main characters is featured by Jamie Dornan, born in Northern Ireland. His Irish accent is noticeable among the other actors, so it is easy to identify phonetic characteristics of the English variety spoken in Northern Ireland. The series itself is set in Belfast, which increases the likelihood of hearing native accents. One characteristic that might strike the interest of students is, for example, the Northern Irish pronunciation of the diphthong [aʊ] in words like “now” or “cow”. The Irish people do not round their lips when producing this sound and this results in a very different pronunciation from the one that we usually hear in Standard English.
These British-produced TV series, as well as many others produced in other English-speaking countries, can be a useful resource for those wishing to have a general overview of English accents around the world. By watching these series, students can learn to recognize a Scottish, Irish or Australian accent when they hear one. Moreover, familiarisation with different accents would enrich the knowledge of the language itself, giving students the opportunity to go beyond the boundaries of Standard English and get used to linguistic practices closer to reality.
Content editor and French teacher, Veronica Magri’ graduated in Translation and Interpreting at the University of Liège, in Belgium. Passionate about language learning, she then pursued her studies to become a French teacher for foreign learners in Valencia, Spain. After teaching English, French, and Italian in some private and public schools, she now works as a content editor for a multinational company. Her interest in languages and linguistics continues to live through her Instagram account Linguista per il mondo, where she tries to spread her passion and encourage people to learn and love foreign languages. She is also a radio speaker for an Italian radio station where she talks weekly about idioms and sayings in French, English, Spanish, and Catalan.