(under construction) This page offers you the possibility to familiarise yourself with the many different ways that English is spoken around the world. After sampling and savouring these different accents, take the little test to see if you can distinguish them.
Here’s a pilot from Jamaica…
and one from India – here is a youtube video of a Houston approach, landing and take-off, made by an Indian enthusiast
from China…
from Germany…
How about this Ted Talk about reducing inequality in Africa, by a Nigerian. You can also hear, under “weather,” a very nice weather girl with a cute (acute?) Nigerian accent. (and do the drag and drop exercise based on her New York weather forecast). Another Ted Talk from Lagos, Nigeria, presents an ingenious idea to expand public transport, boost incomes and reduce pollution. Don’t forget that with Ted Talks, you can exploit the transcript, and actually make the speaker repeat any phrase of his speech! A simple click on the text will have the speaker read the sentence again for you!
Try to get your ears round the Scottish accent! Here’s the 2-minute introduction to a BBC Scotland podcast about a murder investigation Although there are some strong accents to become familiar with, the narrator is Sam Poling, who has a very clear received English accent.