Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Key Differences
• Method 2 of 2: Practice Listening and Speaking
• Tips

British and Irish accents are very different, however, it takes a little practice for the uninitiated to distinguish between them. Once you've spent some time listening to different accents, it shouldn't be too hard to learn how to tell the difference between them. Most importantly, you should remember that British and Irish accents have many other regional variations. For example, people in County Cork speak differently from people in County Armagh, and people in Cornwall speak differently than people in Newcastle, Glasgow, or Cardiff.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Key Differences

1. 1 Find out the main differences in pronunciation. While you can endlessly emphasize the peculiarities of British and Irish accents, there are specific major differences in the sound and pronunciation of words that are worth paying attention to. When someone speaks, listen carefully and try to recognize the following characteristic signs:
   • In Irish English, the letter "r" after the vowels is pronounced. It is often omitted in British English.
   • The "e" in Irish pronunciation is more like the "e" in "bet" instead of "ei" in "bait".
   • The "o" sound in Irish pronunciation is more like the vowel sound in "paw" than the "ou" sound in "coat".
   • The "th" sound in Irish pronunciation is often "t" or "d". So "thin" is "tin" and "this" is "dis".
2. 2 Learn the differences in the use of words. Irish English sentence structure and word usage often differs from British English. Just as with sounds, listening to different accents teaches you to identify traits that indicate the speaker's country. Differences in syntax and manner of speech endow the language with unique qualities and pointers.
   • The Irish say "be" or "do" instead of "usually". I do work ... = I usually work.
   • The Irish use "after" when describing an event that has just happened. Instead of "I had just drank the beer" the Irishman says "I was after drinking the beer".
   • Irish people use "don’t be" in an imperative, for example, "Don’t be worrying about that".
   • Irish people omit "if", "that", and "whether", as in "Tell me did you see the show".
   • The Irish begin a sentence with "it is" or "it was", for example, "It was Sam had the best wife".
   • Irish people often use definite articles where British speakers do not. For example, "I'm going to the Malone Road".
3. 3 Learn to recognize common Irish expressions. In addition to the huge number of accents among the regions of Britain and Ireland, there are also an infinite number of distinctive phrases and sayings that can indicate a person's origin. By recognizing some of them, you can tell if the person is speaking with a slight accent or if that accent gradually faded as the speaker lived elsewhere. There are a million examples, so here are just a few of the more well-known Irish English variations:
   • You can hear the Irish say "what’s the craic?" or explain their actions by doing something "for the craic". In fact, "craic" means "fun", but "what’s the craic?" is another way of saying "how are things?" or "what’s going on?"
   • Also the Irish may ask you "where's the yoke?" It has nothing to do with eggs, "yoke" is a generic word for "thing", but you probably won't hear Britons using this context.
   • An Irishman may ask you not to "give out". In fact, it means "complain", so if someone is "giving out" often, it means that they are constantly complaining.
4. 4 Learn to recognize common British expressions. Just as with the passphrases that betray the Irish, there are many expressions that are used in Britain and are not found in Ireland. The only way to really learn them is to study on your own a large number of films, television programs, books, music and other British works. In addition, phrases often give away the speaker's belonging to a particular region.
   • You may have heard someone ask "how's tricks?", Meaning "how are things?"
   • If you hear someone say "owt" or "nowt", then most likely this person is from Yorkshire.
   • If you hear someone say “you’re’ aving a bubble! ”This person is probably from London. "Having a bubble" is rhymed slang from "having a laugh", bubble bath = laugh.
   • If someone says "ye cannae be serious", meaning "you can’t be serious," then most likely they are from Scotland.

Method 2 of 2: Practice Listening and Speaking

1. 1 Listen to examples. It is unlikely that it will take a long time to understand the differences between Irish and other accents. However, since there is no such thing as a single British or Irish accent, the best way to get used to the many variations is to practice it yourself. Hear different kinds of pronunciations in online videos, movies or songs.
   • Pick your favorite British and Irish celebrities and listen to their everyday speech.
   • Just search the internet for audio and video recordings using a specific accent and listen to what you find. Note that the accent must be genuine, so listen to a native speaker.
   • There are useful audio databases on the internet where you can listen to recordings of Irish and British regional accents.
2. 2 Listen for more specific differences. To really focus on the differences, listen to the British and Irish pronounce the same words, each in their own way. On dialect learning sites, you can find examples of people with British or Irish accent reading the same words.
   • Listen to the English accents on this dialect archive page.
   • Hear Irish accents on this dialect archive page.
   • This page contains examples of sounds from all over the British Isles.
   • Listening to the pronunciation of numbers is sometimes helpful, as it is a good way to highlight differences between accents.
   • Numbers like three, seven and eleven are pronounced differently in Britain and Ireland.
3. 3 Try to imitate pronunciations. Once you have a clear idea of ​​how to distinguish between accents, it is a good idea to adjust your hearing even further by practicing imitating certain sounds and intonations. Do this in private at first so you don't seem like you’re mocking someone’s accent.
   • Practicing accent-specific sounds will help you understand how these mouth sounds are formed and will be easier to recognize in the future.
   • The lyrical use of language and accent in songs and poetry is perhaps the best way to bring out the distinctiveness and beauty of a particular accent.

Tips

• Consider the variety of accents in Ireland and Britain. There are many pronunciations associated with different cities and regions, and each has its own sound.