today we're gonna learn English with
British historical drama Downton Abbey
when I'm with her and reminded of the
virtuous is the English but since you're
American
it's you and I've got two friends to
help me out mister upstairs how do you
do I miss the downstairs no we're going
to take clips for the series and analyze
the British English accents that they
used and in part two we look at some
super useful vocabulary that comes up in
the show so if you're ready let's take a
trip to the aristocratic world of
Downton Abbey Downton Abbey is set in
early 20th century Britain on a country
estate in Yorkshire it's owned by the
Crawley family who are British
aristocrats heiress the Kratz basically
just means really posh people so half
the show is about this family that lives
upstairs and the other half of the show
is all about the maids cooks and footmen
the work downstairs let's start with a
matriarch of the Crawley family violet
the Dowager Countess of Grantham played
by Dame Maggie Smith she speaks with
traditional RP received pronunciation
that's very very similar to the Queen's
English let's have a listen then what is
Easter you're a woman with a brain and
reasonable ability our first sound is
dear now you hear the dowager there she
says Edith Dara easy stare now this in a
maniac senses is a diphthong ear ear but
actually in traditional are peers I
would speak it's smooth so it becomes am
on earth on a single vowel sound so it's
not here it's err yeah so it's dear
other words like this would be bit bare
not be a bear or not tear but tear
that's right
smooth Maura felt easy steer you're a
woman with a brain and reasonable
ability we also hear the dowager say
ability ability the on the end of the
word there were the why
shortened it so it's not II know it's a
ability just like city and pretty that's
good
excuse me what I just so I just quit
weed saying that as well we would say
that it instead of the e so we'd say
ability you know sitsit seed it that
kind of thing yeah just just sorry I
didn't mean to okay
another sound that distinguishes violets
accent as traditional are people the
Queen's English is the year in suitable
um excuse me that's that's my line
oh sorry pardon me yeah my dear when
tragedy strike we tried to find someone
to blame
can it me hopes this is a suitable
candidate we usually blame ourselves
here the Dowager uses the Year sound
after the s this is very common in
traditional RP so she says suitable
suitable not suitable suitable also we
could say suit I like your suit in all
other British English accents this year
is dropped after the s this is a process
we call yard dropping you're dropping it
so it would be suitable and suit pretty
ghastly South course it should be
suitable and suit can it me absence of a
suitable candidate we usually blame
ourselves Oh Harold hates to leave
America curious he hates to leave
America I should hate to go there once
again the Dowager changes a diphthong to
am on earth or in this case the the now
in regular RP this might be their but
rather rather dizzy saying that in
traditional our pH should be there there
so we are smoothing that diphthong air
to the that's right there we also have
the Oh sound so as you see my lips are
narrow and I'm articulating from the
front
my mouth yeah yeah so next time you want
a little bit of space away from your
child you could say comfort go over that
he hates to leave America I should hate
to go there so as you can see violets
accent is not a million miles away from
the Queen's English now there are other
accents which are a little softer a
little more contemporary for example
Lady Mary's accent you have to put on
such an exhibition she's not I was
supposed to be engaged to him to heaven
sake don't you and I can control myself
hey is it my turn yeah sure who you
gonna turn about I'm gonna tell you
about Miss Daisy she's a maid and she
has a lovely Yorkshire accent how many
of you done this is my last Tilda come
downstairs
your mother's there she says me last
just make me brother my sister it's just
me you'll also know I said that she said
last in the north of England we say that
sound right so it's last fast but laughs
so we use the a sound not impartial Oh
upstairs where there are sounds my dear
boy clearly there should be a
distinction between the app and the
sound well I'm just saying it sounds
perfectly frightful just say it last
within it Oh God give it a girl
absolutely not how preposterous god I
don't think I can but my mouth won't
allow it
last there you go it should be last fast
baths and laughs whoa whoa whoa okay
guys look this is one of the big
differences between accents in the north
of England and accents in the South of
England now I know RP technically isn't
geographically located in the south but
we kind of categorize it as a southern
accent
for these purposes now in southern
accents they have a and are two separate
sounds but in northern accents they just
have that app sound so yes a word like
bath in the south bath with a R but in
northern accent is actors bath and this
is one of the big differences between
the North and the South so you are both
right okay in fact though there is no
right and wrong these are just accents
there's no right or wrong it's just how
people speak now get back to it mister
down
the first course is ready to go up the
soufflé mix is done for the savory and
I'll make a pressure mount that they
call if I went at 2.6 we've got the girl
she said girl now normally in an RP
accent or efforts go but not in your try
so we changed that vowel sound tune oh
so it's girl or no overt for example
right she also says done she says up and
done now these are two sounds that we
use in Yorkshire right is the O sound o
so for example up and doun and booked
just a quick one I would say done yes I
would say done a do one okay she's ready
to go up the soufflé mix is done for the
savory and I'll make a pressure mouth
for their call if I went off if I had a
teacher like oh when I were at school
things might have turned out very
different you'll notice here that she
drops the etches right so she says add
not had she says her not her this is
typical in a Yorkshire accent and
actually in many accents around the
British Isles they drop the edge she's
in fact it is out really pronounced
except for in RP you think about a
Scouts accent a Geordie accent
cockney accent we all join the edges
just then Pashto upstairs they're the
ones that said eh so I had a good time
right I had a good time not I had a good
time I had a good time I see not I hate
T ia feet decided a teacher like oh when
I were at school things might have
turned out very different now in Downton
Abbey there are a range of accents the
upstairs are P accents there are
varieties and downstairs there are a
variety of northern accents this is just
a flavour of them if you want to learn
more about British English accent that
I've done several videos you can go
check those out we look at all different
types of accents and remember to look
out for part two where we study some
fantastic vocabulary that's used
indefinitely thank you so much for
watching guys I really appreciate it if
you know anyone that's trying to learn
English please share this video with
them but until next time this is Tom
the chief dreamer saying goodbye or it's
goodbye from these guys as well
toodle-pip so that