The Sound of Dry British Humour

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Dry British humour often lies as much in the restrained delivery as in the story itself

True British humour indeed! What was even more interesting was the way he recounted the story. It was a fine example of dry British humour. One could see the complete emotional neutrality with which he narrated the comic situation.

I found the language and delivery particularly interesting. The language was typical Queen’s English (as one would expect), characterized by the distinct pronunciation of each word to enhance clarity.

For example, the ts are true ts, where the articulation is very clear. Listen to how he says the words “Majesty” or “next”. Even when a word ends in t and the next word also begins with t, the sound is clearly articulated in both words. A good example is when he says “at times”. In many other English accents the t sound in the first word would often become silent.

Another feature is the “eh” sound at the end of words ending with y. So hear him say “normally” as normalleh rather than normallee. The same applies to “nobody”. There is also a tendency to add a subtle y sound after u. Listen to the way he pronounces “Queen” or “Duke”. It is subtle but distinctive, probably heard most clearly in what is often called the Queen’s English.

Perhaps the most noticeable aspect lies in the delivery itself, where the lips are never opened too wide while speaking. The Queen herself was the best example of this, but this gentleman demonstrates it equally well. One result of this is the “oo” sound in the word “two”. The articulation comes right at the front of the mouth, with only a small opening of the lips. 

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