2016: Blog Review
The 10 most read Pronunciation Studio articles from 2016:
10. H
Some English speakers never pronounce /h/, others drop it sometimes in connected speech. Here we saw how to pronounce, when not to pronounce it, and voted on whether we really need it!
– read post (28th September 2016)
9. Sorry
The most overused word in British English? ‘Sorry’ can mean anything from “what?” to “no” or simply used to grab someone’s attention it all depends on the intonation.
8. The Thinking Sound
/ɜː/ is the sound English speakers make when they think. It’s also the vowel sound in WORD, THIRST and BURN. Here we explore its pronunciation, spellings and some famous idioms.
– read post (21st October 2016)
7. English Food
Often seen as a joke, English food has been going through a revolution recently, so we looked at how to pronounce the most famous English dishes and where to find them in London.
6. A London Accent
London is home to people from all over the world, but what does a Londoner sound like? Here are 10 key features of a typical London accent, innit?
5. /r/ – the Strangest Sound in English?
‘r’ is strange in many ways – how it’s pronounced, how it joins words together, and possibly most noticeably in British English – where it’s silent.
4. TH – the Tooth Sounds
This year we heard predictions that dental TH sounds would die out within 50 years. We don’t think so, here’s an in-depth look at these very English sounds.
– read post (26th November 2016)
3. English Manners
“Sorry, excuse me, you wouldn’t happen to know where I might find a bus stop, would you?” The English love verbose politeness, but we ask if it isn’t just a waste of time.
2. Brexit – a Pronunciation Guide
The year’s biggest story in Britain, but nobody was quite sure if it was /ˈbreksɪt/ or /ˈbregzɪt/.
1. A Pronunciation Guide to London
From its place names to its accents, markets and open spaces, London is a treasure chest of experiences… but an absolute nightmare for pronunciation. We did our best to help….
