#092 15 TV Series to learn British and American English

So let's start with my top three best series ever. And no worries if you haven't watched them yet, there are no spoilers. Peaky blinders. Hope I won't digress or get carried away and start marvel at the whole story, plot, handsome actors, beautiful costumes and top-notch acting. So let's start with the accent in the series. I've been 100% sure the actors speak with the Birmingham accent until I discovered it had been altered and it is not a pure Brummie accent. I guess I found it out in one of the David Crystals books on pronunciation called You Say Potato, a book on accents. If memory doesn't fail me, it was altered so it was more politically correct in a way that the real residents of Birmingham wouldn't be targeted and shown as, let's say, worse, worse educated, worse because of their background, because they were in lower class and not discriminated due to the way they speak.

I was quite taken aback actually when I learned about it, but anyway I love the way they speak. And it is a perfect way for you to get accustomed to different accents. Other characters from different regions such as Ireland or Italy or the United States also appear in the series and they have different accents. So, at first it may be a challenge or a struggle to understand everything and everyone. However, it's worth watching the original version to get more and more familiar with various accents. So, switch off the voice over, switch off the dubbing and watch the original version. And what is more, Peaky Blinders is set in the 1920s, in the first season, so the vocabulary they use is sometimes a bit old-fashioned and obsolete.

If you are a language nerd, that's gonna be fun for you. And one more thing, the main characters are not well-off and they don't come from a royal background, so the language they use and the words they insert in their speech Next one, Sherlock. The BBC drama and story of Sherlock Holmes set in the 21st century.

For me, a masterpiece. The atmosphere of London depicted in the series and the character creation is what I love the most about the series. If you're a fan of modern British pronunciation and accent, go for this. They speak in a very understandable way, so if you have a feeling that British pronunciation is very hard to get, you may change your mind while watching it. What kind of vocab can you learn from Sherlock? Definitely the one connected with crime. Nevertheless, the series is full of everyday expressions, witty remarks and Sherlock's very fast speech. So it will help you develop your listening comprehension as well. Number three, Game of Thrones. I believe this series doesn't need any introduction when it comes to plot.

Anyway, like there are so many plots and so many characters, I would have to spend at least three hours trying to introduce the Game of Thrones a bit, even without spoilers and developing the story of each character. But we're focusing here on the language aspect in this podcast. So yeah, let's stick to that. So why it is worth watching and what can you learn? Your brain and ears can get used to a variety of dialects and accents. There are plenty of actors who play characters from different parts of the world and believe it or not, when you listen to them closer, you may hear the difference in the ways they speak. And despite the story is set in a fantasy world, The regions of this world have their own accents and they are equivalent to the existing accents in English.

So for you it's a chance to realize the world of accents is super rich in English and listen to a wide range of And if you want to train vocab connected with politics, you might find it there. And also you can learn some Dothraki. Talking about politics, let's move on to The Crown. This series will allow you to learn or revise vocabulary and expressions on politics, royalty and more advanced and fancier equivalents to some common everyday words. Why so? Because the Royal Family go for more advanced and posh vocabulary. You will feel the difference when you compare some elegant expressions found in the Crown with some less elegant found in Peaky Blinders.

And the language itself is posh as well as the accent. If you're a fan of RP, so Received Pronunciation, the way the Royal Family speaks, and it's still dominant in BBC News, you will be elated while watching this series. I personally love the way they speak and I believe. The Queen's Speech is a good way to convince oneself that British accent doesn't need to be only about mumbling or muttering or slurring as I hear from my students quite often, unfortunately. Next one is Killing Eve. Judy Comer, aktorka, która gra w jednym z głównych charakterów w serii.

Judy Comer i jej aktywność. Hats off! Jestem bardzo zainteresowana jej aktywnością i uwielbiam sposób, w jaki może imitować każdy akcent. I nie wystarczająco, kiedy mówię każdy. Her character has a job that demands her to be in disguise almost in every episode. And in a different disguise, impersonating a different nationality. And she speaks different languages as well, such as Russian, French or Italian. And she speaks the languages with Russian, French and Italian accents, as if she was a native speaker. Um, and also she uses English and she speaks English with a British, American and even Russian accent.

And you know what? She slays. And she's one of the most talented actresses, hands down. If you haven't seen the series, just give it a try. Maybe one episode to see just this fantastic acting and have an opportunity to listen to the variety of accents. Apart from Judy Comer, other great American, British and French actors appear in the series and they use their natural accents. So basically, Killing Eve is a perfect way to understand English spoken with French or Russian. The plot itself is quite engrossing and captivating and the acting is marvelous and if you are into series about MI5, some action movies and maybe some secret agent missions, watch it.

I believe you may enjoy it. I'll definitely rewatch it at some point. Ok, więc to wszystko z dramą. Teraz popatrzmy na niektóre sitcomy. Little Britain. Ten nie jest całkiem obecny. Odkryłam go, myślę, około 15 lat po wydaniu. W każdym razie, jeśli jesteś podziwieniem sensu humoru Brytyjskiego, to lubisz go. Jeśli nie jesteś, Still give it a try, but have in mind that British sense of humor may be a bit peculiar at times and is very funny-weird, I would say. I personally love it, so I truly enjoyed the series Little Britain, or sitcom, I should say.

And if you feel you're struggling with understanding the Londoners or Cockney accent or a very fast speech, go for Little Britain, which is very politically incorrect. My number one American sitcom is of course The Office. There is a British version by the way, and the British one was first, but I haven't got around to watching it yet. And again, in both the American and the British version, you may find a very peculiar sense of humor, but you'll also learn plenty of colloquialisms and everyday speech, like everyday expressions, slang, idiomatic expressions.

The same applies to friends and modern family when it comes to vocabulary. Of course, I would say that the office with its sense of humor is again not so politically correct at times. Friends and modern family are not the same way. I would say, but anyway, these three can be a chance for you to get used to the American variety of English, American vocabulary, which tends to differ from the British one, and of course the American accent. And remember, American accent is also very various and people from different states may sound different. For example, somebody from California and Texas and Massachusetts may utter some sounds in a different way.

If you're more into animated series and sitcoms or some adult animations, Try Family Guy or South Park or maybe more recent ones such as Human Resources or BoJack Horse or Inside Job. Again, be ready for some political incorrectness. So that would be it, I guess. It was Kasia speaking to you and may you enjoy the series and learn something new at the same time. The last piece of advice, let watching the movies or series stay a pleasurable and relaxing moment and treat learning as a bonus by order of the Peaky Blinders.