I want exchanges with british people, I know English from USA and Britain, partially are the same but for me the problem is understanding them when they are talking, because americans say wader and british people say wata or something like that, I don't know why is different the pronunciation of some words but I want to know english speakers from britian, maybe if you are insterested send me a message. I try to listen british radio specially the irish radio.
In fact, the BBC no longer has a standard accent. Nowadays newsreaders and presenters on the BBC have a wide range of regional UK accents. I presume what you mean by 'BBC English' is Received Pronunciation - the neutral pronunciation based on, but not exclusive to, the 'educated' accent of SE England.
And to answer your question about BBC English, Oliver - obviously, not everybody in the UK speaks with a similar accent to BBC newsreaders, but many people do. I do, for a start. So do most of my family and friends, and the majority of my colleagues, regardless of the region where they grew up. So yes - Received Pronunciation IS the real English that many people speak in their daily life.
Yes, there are many accents in the UK, just as there are many different accents in the USA. But there are two important points to realise about RP:
1. It is not only 'London'. This is untrue. Many millions of educated people from all regions of the UK speak with either an RP accent or with an accent which is close to RP. There are also, obviously, many millions of people in and around the capital who don't have RP accents. In the UK, accents have more to do with class and education than with region. It's also worth noting that most neutral Australian accents sound so close to RP that the majority of people outside these two countries are unable to tell the difference.
2. The most important point about RP from the learner's point of view that anyone can understand it. A person from Liverpool or Glasgow may speak with such a marked local accent that even other British people will struggle to understand them, but the reverse is not true. A Glasgow or Liverpool taxi-driver might sound completely incomprehensible to an outsider, but the important fact to remember that these people can UNDERSTAND an RP accent without any trouble at all. Nobody who has learnt English - whether British or American or any other variety of English - can fail to understand an RP accent.
The main thing for you to do, as a learner, is to focus on speaking accurately and fluently in correct and natural English. Don't worry about accents, regional or otherwise. Just learn normal English.
You should watch the film and the.videos that I recommended.
There is no consensus as to the geographical origins of RP (It depends on how far back in history you go), but the important thing you should know is that RP is not defined by geography and is found across the British Isles.
As a learner, you only need one concept and one accent: Received Pronuniciation. Don't waste time on the other accents at this stage. It is more important for you to get to grips with the four pillars of written comprehension, writing, listening comprehension and oral expression.
Discard or ignore at this stage if something is not RP.
