5 Linguistic Facts
1. In English, the schwa is the most common phonetic sound
ə --> this is known as a mid-central vowel
This sound sounds like the sound someone makes when they’re trying to figure out their next lie…i.e. “uhhhhh…I didn’t do it…she did!”
2. Standard British English (The Queen’s English) is officially referred to as Received Pronunciation (RP) in Linguistics
3. RP is probably the most widely studied and most frequently described variety of spoken English in the world, yet recent estimates suggest only 2% of the UK population speak it.
4. More words in the English language start with the letter /s/ than any other letter or sounds. The sounds /s/ as in the sound a snake makes, is classified as voiceless, its voiced counterpart being /ʃ/ as in when you are trying to silence someone “shhhhh”
5. English is the official language of the skies. Pilots who speak different language find a common ground with the English language. I guess you could call it a Lingua Franca of the skies!