British Accents | 英国口音多味豆儿
Written by: He Kai | 何凯
Translated by: Veronica Wong
Editor’s Note:
This article is excerpted from Haha! Britain — a charitable bilingual publication co-produced by The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL) and River Cam Breeze. The book is a lively collaboration between 42 Chinese authors living in the UK and 36 university-based volunteer translators. With wit and warmth, the stories capture the everyday realities of Chinese communities in Britain, offering an honest look at the cultural clashes, humour, and adaptation that arise in the space between Chinese and British ways of life. Haha! Britain has been warmly endorsed by several well-known figures in UK-China relations, including Stephen Perry (former Chairman of the 48 Group Club), Luise Schäfer OBE (former British diplomat and Chamber of Commerce chair), Professor Hugo De Burgh (former BBC editor and academic), and British scholar Martin Jacques. The book’s title was handwritten by celebrated British-Chinese artist Qu Leilei, its cover illustrated by bestselling Chinese author and poet Feng Tang, and the postscript contributed by Xue Mo, a prominent voice in contemporary Chinese literature.
Illustrated by Tian Tian
The British accent is like a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans from the magical Harry Potter universe. You never know which flavour your ears will encounter when walking down the street.
When I first arrived in the UK, I was eager for my ears to immerse themselves in pure, authentic British tones. Instead, I discovered a different reality. Travelling from southern England to Scotland, if I managed to avoid saying “pardon?” less than ten times a day, it felt like a minor miracle. Even in London, it was hard to make out what people were saying. Over time, I’ve gotten used to the diversity of British accents, but I still feel unprepared and surprised whenever I run into an unfamiliar one.
In the world of English, there is no equivalent to Mandarin, which serves as a standard spoken Chinese language for people from all parts of China. The English we hear in school in China, or from TV series or films is typically known as Received Pronunciation (RP), mainly spoken by the British middle and upper classes. It is often mistaken for the London accent, which is revered by Chinese people. As a senior member of the International Phonetic Association, I teach English pronunciation and correct students’ accents. Many of them are desperate to learn the “London accent”, and I always need to help them distinguish between RP or Cockney. Cockney is the working-class accent of London, particularly from the East End. One of its key features is the strong glottal stop, like the word “better” should be pronounced as / ˈbe’ə/ with the /t/ sound omitted. Its coarse pronunciation and disregard for grammatical nuances once marked it as the speech of the lower classes, quite the opposite of RP.
RP is associated with prestige and the upper classes. Many prime ministers are die-hard RP enthusiasts. The BBC also played a crucial role in promoting this refined accent with its news anchors articulating it fluently. As Lu Xun, a famous Chinese writer once said, “There were no roads to begin with, but when many people pass one way, a road is made.”
Historically, regional British accents in the UK co-existed like states during the Warring States period in China: each carved out their own turf in the British Isles and was content with it. Since the early 19th century, however, the meteoric rise of RP seemed to promise the unification of the fragmented landscape of duchies under a single powerful duke. In the 20th century, the winds changed. Social norms changed, diversity was embraced and other British accents entered the limelight. The Beatles, for example, with their heavy Liverpudlian accents, became global icons.
Even William, Prince of Wales, has a different accent from Charles III and Elizabeth II – his is less posh and closer to the common British accent. Perhaps the royal family recognises that tradition matters, but openness and diversity are the keys to survival.
Living in the UK, you will discover a vibrant symphony when talking to people from different regions. Everyone has unique pronunciations, intonations, stresses and rhythms. Over time, I have developed a talent for identifying someone’s origin solely by their voice. Each accent carries its own distinct flavour and your ears can binge on a feast of accents when wandering the street. These varied sounds breathe life into conversations.
Reflecting on my life growing up speaking Mandarin, I have nearly forgotten my native dialect. We use Mandarin for everything – during work, school, dating and even swearing. As we’ve embraced a homogenous accent for the sake of easy communication, we’ve lost the flavor and humour of our distinctive local dialects.
In the UK, British accents mirror society. Just as different social classes sometimes clash and fight, they can also work together and thrive. Even though the upper class establishes the standard, others do not have to follow it. RP might be considered the mainstream, but people are free to speak in their own accents and still find their place in society. After all, language exists for interaction and communication. It’s what we say to each other that matters most.
About the author
He Kai is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, a chartered linguist, an official collaborator with the Royal College of Music, a senior member of the International Phonetic Association, a bilingual poet and lyricist, and a literary translator.
英国人的口音就是《哈利·波特》魔法世界中的比比多味豆（Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans），走在大马路上，永远不知道下一刻耳朵会尝到哪种味道。
初到英国之时，本以为耳朵终于可以从耳机的长年左右夹击中解放出来，泡一泡原汁原味的英伦腔调，结果却发现现实不仅骨感，更是皮包骨，从英格兰南部到北部苏格兰，一路上没来几个“Pardon（麻烦您再说一遍）”，都会觉得这趟行程顺利得不真实。就连在伦敦生活，偶尔也得大脑多转几个弯儿，才能反应过来人家说的是什么，虽然慢慢习惯了在不同口音间游刃有余，但突然一个陌生的口音驾到，还是会受宠若惊。
我们汉语有普通话，大家就算来自五湖四海天南地北，面对面也能聊个八九不离十，而英语则没有普通话这样的概念。我们在国内学英语听到的教材录音以及听影视剧中演员所说的英语，多数是被称作 Received Pronunciation（标准英音或公认发音）的一种英语口音，主要由英国中产阶级及以上的人士所使用。但这种口音却并非大多数人心心念念的“伦敦腔”。我在成为英国国际语音学学会资深会员之后，经常要给学生上英语语音课并纠正他们的发音，很多学生一上来就喊着要学“伦敦腔”，我便跟对方再三确认要学习的是伦敦腔还是 Received Pronunciation（以下简称 RP），而当学生听我照猫画虎地讲了伦敦腔之后，才明白这两种口音差别之大。“伦敦腔”的英文是 Cockney，指伦敦地区工人阶级的口音，尤指伦敦东区居民所使用的口音。其特点之一是强烈的声门闭塞，比如 better 这个单词中的 /t/ 会省略掉，念成 /ˈbe'ə/。其粗犷的发音风格，与不屑英语语法的态度，曾一度被认为是下层阶级使用的口音。而 RP 则与之正好相反。
RP 是一种优雅、“贵族范”的口音，其高贵感并非与生俱来，而是由于受到了上流社会或上层中产阶级的推崇。唐宁街 10 号里的多位首相，都是 RP 的忠实拥趸。在推广 RP 的路上， BBC 也功不可没，其主播几乎都讲一口流利的 RP。正如鲁迅先生所说：“世界上本没有路，走的人多了，也便成了路。”本来口音无贵贱，某一种口音被有话语权的人说得多了，便傲娇了起来。历史上，英国各个地区的口音一直是处在战国时代，大家各自划分势力范围，井水不犯河水，但是从 19 世纪初以来，RP便开始挟天子以令诸侯，大有一统天下之势。不过到了 20 世纪，随着社会变革与对多样性的提倡，RP 也拧不过时代的大腿，其影响力也开始减弱，不同地区的口音也纷纷上台亮相。比如著名的披头士乐队，他们说话时就有非常浓重的利物浦口音，但丝毫不会影响世界对他们的喜爱。
现在的威尔士亲王威廉王子的口音就与他的父亲和祖母有所不同，没有那么 posh（贵气），反倒更接近普通英国大众的口音。也许对于王室来说，维持传统固然重要，但是开放与多元才是决定王室存续的关键。
在英国待久了，就会发现不同国家、不同城市的人讲英语是一副非常生动有趣的图景。每个人讲话的语音、语调、重音、断句、表情都不一样。久而久之，我自己训练出一套只闻其声不见其人便能判断此人来自哪里的绝活儿。每个人说英语都散发着独特的味道，有开心果味儿、咖喱味、叉烧味、洋葱热狗味、煎饼果子味、三明治味等等。每次一上街，耳朵都可以饱餐一顿。而耳朵根上的这些味道，恰恰让这些口音有了生命力。过于准确的口音完美得没有一点错误，但正是因为过于标准，就少了一丝烟火气。就像我们打开 iPhone 的 Siri，它就可以用非常标准的英语口音回答我们的问题，但我们并不会觉得多亲近，因为它少了人类讲话时的感情起伏，以及可能出现的问题或者不足，但也正是这种不完美或者不标准，才构成了我们区别于他人的特点。
回想自己从小就学说普通话，慢慢都忘掉了家乡方言怎么讲，不论上学、工作、聊天、谈恋爱，甚至咒骂他人，我们都用普通话在交流，大家都向一种口音靠拢，彼此听说无障碍，非常丝滑，但是却少了一分逸趣。普通话提高了我们表达和接收信息的效率，却也让我们失去了土生土长的那一份狂野和可爱。统一的交流模式也像一个舒适的牢笼，我们在里面安逸生活，却也忘掉了笼子外面还有不一样的色彩。
对于英国，口音就像是整个英国社会的缩影。不同的口音存在着、吵吵闹闹，偶尔还会出现摩擦碰撞，但无伤大雅，彼此依然能共存下去。就像不同阶层的人们，活着，有冲突有矛盾，偶尔大打出手，但也有合作有帮助，甚至共同进退。所谓高层以及上流阶层设定了标准，但别的阶层不一定要去遵守去满足，大家可以在自己的位置上发出自己的声音；就像口音一样，RP 可以是一种所谓主流的标准发音，但不同的人可以有权选择自己的口音，而且这完全不影响他们在社会上立足。毕竟，语言是用来交流沟通的，口音只是表面，你我说了什么才会决定下班要不要去喝一杯。
作者介绍
何凯，英国皇家艺术学会会士、英国皇家亚洲学会会士、英国皇家特许语言学家、英国皇家音乐学院官方合作词人、英国国际语音学学会资深会员、中英双语诗人、词人、诗歌翻译家。
Both the Chinese and English editions of Haha! Britain can be purchased at the following platforms:
· BOOK FAN