# Why Standard English

What Standard English means in this guide, and why we use it as the model for practice.

## What 'Standard English' means

In this guide, Standard English means British Received Pronunciation, often called RP. It is the reference accent used in British dictionaries and English teaching, and you hear it in the 'UK' audio of the [Cambridge Dictionary](https://dictionary.cambridge.org) and [Oxford Learner's Dictionaries](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com).

We use RP as a model for individual sounds, not as an accent to copy. You do not need to sound British, and RP is not about sounding posh. Take from RP only the sounds that make words clear.

## Why we start from it

Helping Kinyarwanda speakers with English, we found that in several sounds, RP matches a sound you already make in Kinyarwanda, where the American version turns into a different one. By _matches_ we mean how the sounds are made (your tongue, lips and breath), not the melody or accent of the language.

- **A full _t_.** In RP, the _t_ in water and better stops the air completely, like the _t_ you already say in Kinyarwanda. The American tapped _t_ is close to the Kinyarwanda _r_, so writing can sound like riding. See [Rule 1](https://clear-english.rw/rules/say-every-t.md).
- **Words that end in a vowel.** RP doesn't say the _r_ after a vowel: car is _kaa_, and computer ends in _tə_. Kinyarwanda syllables also end in vowels. American English says the _r_ there, which gives your _r_ one more chance to be heard as _l_. See [Rule 4](https://clear-english.rw/rules/drop-the-r.md).
- **The o in hot.** RP says hot, job and stop with a short, rounded o, close to the Kinyarwanda o. American English uses an open, a-like vowel (_haat_), which can sound like heart or hut to some listeners. See [Rule 5](https://clear-english.rw/rules/short-o.md).
- **Long and short vowels.** Kinyarwanda already separates short and long vowels. RP uses length, together with a change in the vowel itself, in pairs such as ship and sheep, and can (_kan_) and can't (_kaant_). See [Rule 6](https://clear-english.rw/rules/long-vowels.md).

One model is also easier to practise than a mix: following one consistent set of recordings helps you notice your progress.

## What about American English?

American English is a full standard of its own, and many Rwandans who use it are easy to understand. You will hear it in films, music and online, so this guide includes American examples too. They are there for listening: practise the Standard English version, and use the American one to recognise the same word said another way.

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From Clear English Rwanda: https://clear-english.rw/guide/standard-english

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