British English

British English is the form of English spoken and written in the United Kingdom. It is a naturally stress-timed language although some variants of the Welsh accent can seem more syllable-timed.

Whereas the majority of British accents are regional, the variant known as Received Pronunciation (RP) is based in social class.

A particular accent may be totally incomprehensible to those raised with or taught another dialect.

The standard English in the UK is variously known as The Queen's English, Received Pronunciation or BBC English. It should be noted that this is spoken almost nowhere; it is an ideal to be aimed at rather than an existing dialect.