How to Learn English with an Accent Like Gordon Ramsey

Now, he is known all over the world for his straight-talking, temper, and amazing food but despite all his swearing, Gordon does actually have quite a posh British accent. Strip out a lot of the F*** words and there lies beneath that rather rugged surface quite a gentleman.

Gordon was born in Scotland but his accent betrays none of this heritage. Indeed, if he did have a strong Scottish accent his popularity might not have reached the dizzy heights it has as this accent can be quite confusing for non-English speakers. Instead, our Gordon has a Southern British accent which reflects his Oxfordshire upbringing.

If you are learning English, Gordon’s accent may well be one that you would like to emulate. It is quite soft but each word is pronounced clearly and properly. When we learn a language, it is often a good idea to copy the accents of people we admire because then when we speak, we sound more authentic. 

Indeed, one of my friends has a son who she brought up in Italy. Despite his first language being Italian, he speaks English with a broad Northern British accent which is very endearing. He may not have the accent of the typical BBC presenter but no one would think he was Italian for sure!

Accents in Britain can immediately place a person in terms not only of origin but also in terms of education and work. The Prime Minister, for example, usually doesn’t have the same accent as a Cockney cab driver and vice versa. Having said this, the British snobbery around accents has lessened over the years, and now what we call regional accents are far more common and accepted in the media.

The diversity of accents to be found in Britain is astonishing. In Wales, for example, a person in Cardiff will not have the same accent as in Swansea which is less than an hour away. A person from Bristol will not have the same accent as one from Cornwall and so on.

Having said this, people wanting to learn English have many preconceptions of the British and think that everyone is extremely polite and constantly drinking tea. Indeed, some British people do indeed drink tea and some are polite but we do not all speak like the queen or Gordon Ramsey. In fact, these kinds of posh accents come in for quite a bit of mockery at times as they stand for conservatism and guffawing.

That said, if you do want a British accent, you could do a lot worse than adopting Gordon’s. The way he speaks is easy to understand and will make everyone think that you are posh too! Unfortunately, Gordon isn’t an English teacher but if you watch him teach his online masterclasses, you’ll find that he is an excellent culinary teacher so you’ll learn how to be an awesome cook and may well end up acquiring his accent! For more information on these incredible cookery lessons, visit Education Speaks.

Once you’ve finished the whole series, I’m going to expect you to invite me over for dinner and amaze me with your Gordon Ramsey accent!