The pronunciation of a language varies every six miles because of geographical and cultural reasons. The speakers of one and the same language will vary in the standard of pronunciation on the basis of their standards of literacy and living. For example, a villager may speak a different variety from a man from the city.

Pronunciation of English also varies from one geographical entity to the other, from one country to another. There are marked and distinct phonetic features associated with English spoken in the English-speaking nations such as the U.K., the U.S.A., Canada and Australia. Even within the U.K., there are variations between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.