If you are anything like me, and you have a passion for the English language, it is likely you have taken an interest in accent variations. This is such a rich, entertaining, and, at times confusing, aspect of the language that anyone who wants to use it for international communication would do well to learn about. 

 

The language's lingua franca quality makes it the most widely spoken language, and understandably it brings communicational challenges since there are lexical, grammatical, and, more pronouncedly, pronunciation differences depending on where it is spoken and by whom. Even within a country as small as mine, El Salvador, there are many dialectal variations in Spanish. Imagine now a country like The United States where cultures, ethnic groups, and regional variations have all something to add to the language.

 

It is my firm belief that there is not a “better” English variation. You might like a specific variation (British for many people I know), but quite honestly, I do not see how a variation is better than another. Besides, to consider everybody speaks the same way in a country is quite a naïve notion. For instance, there are many variations for British English, but some think that everybody in England speaks the Received Pronunciation, which is the standard pronunciation. I can assure you it is not the case, though.

 

Whether you only wish to understand a specific dialect better, or if you plan to visit a country and you want to make yourself understood more easily by emulating their accents, I am sure you will find the following videos stimulating. 

 

I do not mean to be offensive by sharing this. Quite the contrary, I celebrate the differences we share, for this makes the human interaction such a unique experience.