What Is the Most Difficult Diphthong in British English?
Students who take elocution lessons often find English diphthongs quite difficult to pronounce.
A diphthong is a voiced sound consisting of two vowel sounds glided together. There are eight diphthongs in English:
[ɪə] – hear – [hɪə]
[eɪ] – pay – [peɪ]
[eə] – pair – [peə]
[aɪ] – pie – [paɪ]
[aʊ] – how – [haʊ]
[əʊ] – boat – [bəʊt] - this diphthong does not exist in other languages, not even in American English
[ɔɪ] – boy – [bɔɪ]
[ʊə] – sewer – [sʊə]
The most difficult for most nationalities is diphthong [əʊ] – boat – [bəʊt].
When I started to work on it, I thought I would never be able to pronounce it correctly. Then, my tutor, Linda James, explained that if I break it into two parts, it will be easier. The first vowel is [ə] as in "the" and the second vowel is [ʊ] as in "book", and we glide from the first vowel into the second, making one complete sound [əʊ] as in "boat".
Most students make a mistake at the start of this diphthong: they round their lips for the [o] sound because it is easier, then glide to [u]. Whilst the correct way is to start with a neutral mouth position, mouth is slightly open, relaxed lips (not rounded, not pushed forward) and then move them into a slightly round position. Watch our video to make sure you place your mouth and lips correctly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fWj5raKwcE
Then practise it in Lesson 16 in the apps:
Android:
Elocution Lessons: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.batcs.accentukbegin
Get Rid of your Accent: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.batcs.accentukone
Business English Speech:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.batcs.accentukthree
iOS
Elocution Lessons: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/elocution-lessons/id1411601245
Get Rid of your Accent: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/get-rid-of-your-accent-uk1/id673687753
Business English Speech:https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/business-english-speech/id1447774697
More tips on www.batcsglobal.com
What Is the Most Important Aspect of Elocution?
People expect a technical answer to this question. Good articulation. Vowel placement. Breath support. Projection. These are the building blocks of good speech, and they matter. But after years of teaching elocution — and many more years of living with the results of it — I have come to believe that the most important aspect of elocution is none of these things.
It is this: the elevation of life through speech.
That may sound grand. It is meant to. Because what elocution does, at its best, is not simply correct the way a person sounds. It changes the way they move through the world.
I have watched people walk into a first lesson hunched under the weight of being misunderstood — not once, but daily, for years.
Professionals who dreaded chairing meetings.
Recently, I had a student from the North of England. He looked well off and sounded highly intelligent. He worked all his life in the oil industry. Recently, he divorced, and his reason for having elocution lessons with me was: "I want to meet a better class of women; that is why I want to work on my speech."
Elocution does not just improve pronunciation. It opens up more opportunities.
That is elevation.
Good elocution tutors know how to remove the static. And that, I believe, is the highest purpose of elocution. It is a profound, entirely practical act of helping a person to express thoughts, emotions and beliefs with clarity, power and authenticity.
Warmly
Olga Smith
British Accent Training: Introduction
British accent training consists of several parts.
We recommend starting by mastering RP vowel sounds.
Each vowel sound has a specific speech organ position.
Start your training by learning how to place your tongue, lips and jaw for a particular sound first:
Get Rid of Your Accent Part One video course helps to see and understand how the sounds are formed in the mouth.
Practising each sound for 3 days, 20 minutes a day in words, sentences and verses with the app or book will train your muscle memory to produce the correct sound automatically.
To start your practice today, download the Get Rid of Your Accent UK1 App on iOS/Android
Apps functionality
🎧 Listen & Repeat – Hear model pronunciation for every sound
🎤 Record & Compare – Match your voice against native speakers
The book Get Rid of Your Accent Part One (available on Audible/Amazon) would be perfect for those who prefer audio, paperback, or Kindle versions.
To book your individual speech analysis visit:
https://www.batcsglobal.com/contact
Warmly
Olga Smith