What kind of English should I learn??

There are many kinds of “English” all over the world. Everyone has their own “version” of English, and it’s all influenced by your mother tongue (if you are speaking it as a second language).  But if you are living in a country that speaks it as a primary language, like the United States or the United Kingdom (which is Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales), or even Australia or New Zealand, they all have their own accents and vocabulary! (see video to the right for examples 🙂 )

So, after you know the basic pronunciation of vowels and consonants in English, how do you decide which accent to learn?  “American” vs. “British”  for example.

It depends on your goals and why you are learning English! If you are planning on going to school in an English speaking country, then this is the English you should focus on! 🙂

Once you have narrowed down which “type” of English you want to speak, you listen to native speakers of that country (on YouTube or other places online) and “imitate” their accent so you are better understood when you get there.

For example, Emma (mmmenglish on YouTube) from Australia is a great teacher – just remember that she has an Australian accent, so if you imitate her accent while you are learning, and then travel to America and use her accent, people will ask you – are you from Australia, mate? 🙂

When you get to that country, and you have further questions, you ask a native of that area how to say the local words and what is common in that area. (This is true for other languages as well, such as Spanish, which has many variations in sounds and vocabulary depending on what Spanish-speaking country you are in – some words are very specific to that area!).

Now if you aren’t planning on moving to a country that speaks English, and you are just learning English because you want to learn a language almost everyone understands, you can pick your “type” of English by what sounds best to you. Personally, I think the American accent is one of the easiest to understand – but I might be biased 🙂

What do you think??