British

Putting the “R” in Accents

Niall O'Donnell 17 Comments

Obviously it’s quite clear that there are many different English-speaking accents. But what are the practical elements that distinguish these accents? One of the most important is rhoticity. If you’re not sure if you have a rhotic or non-rhotic accent, simply say the following words and phrases out loud:

car, flower, computer,  pasta and pizza, Georgia Allenby

If you pronounce the r sounds in the first three words, you have a rhotic accent.

If you don’t pronounce them, but add an r sound to the end of pasta and Georgia, then you have a non-rhotic accent. Continue reading →

Isn’t it Ironic, Don’t you Think?

Niall O'Donnell 15 Comments

Irony is a concept that’s referred to quite often, but can be very hard to define. People tend to say something is ironic when it’s coincidental, or simply interesting or unusual in some way.

So what, specifically, is irony? There are a few different varieties, but in the most basic sense, irony always features a complete contrast between something’s surface appearance and its true nature. Continue reading →