A common observation is that the sounds of Received Pronunciation (RP) are aspirated from the front of the mouth. But how is this actually achieved?
Most phonetics books focus entirely on the positioning of the articulators (the mouth, tongue, lips, and teeth). For some students, this visual guide is enough. However, what is intuitive for one person can be incredibly challenging for another.
The Example of American English
When I teach a student from a General American background, the process is usually straightforward. We focus on:
- Avoiding rhotic sounds (the hard ‘r’).
- Lightening the /l/ sounds.
- Adjusting the jaw tension.
- Making slight adjustments to vowel sounds.
This process is fast because British English and American English share similar aspiration and rhythmic patterns. In this case, simply adjusting the positioning of the tongue is often enough. This is why I can train an American speaker to adopt a native-like British accent in very few lessons.
Resonance and the Vocal Tract
However, for speakers of other languages, the mechanism is different. The main variable is the region of the vocal tract where the sound originates.
- Some languages are more guttural (resonating in the throat).
- Some languages are more nasal (resonating in the nose).
- Some languages operate at a different pitch frequency.
Take the Cockney accent as an example. The difference between RP and Cockney isn’t just about “glottal stops.” The sounds of Cockney are more guttural. You cannot fix a Cockney accent simply by changing the tongue position—you have to change the region where the sound resonates.
Airflow and Resistance
The final factor is the rate of airflow, which affects syllable stress. Many non-native speakers struggle because they try to apply the airflow speed of their native language to English.
The British tongue does not move in rapid, light succession like that of a Spanish, Italian, or Japanese speaker. In RP, the articulators make deeper contact for fractions of a second. This creates resistance to the airflow.
To master this accent, you must look beyond the positioning of the tongue. You must learn to coordinate the lungs (pressure), the articulators (resistance), and the aspiration. Once you understand this relationship, you will see real progress.