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All about the English accents - RP

Hello guy! I am personally very much interested in the accents of English and would like to chat with you on this topic.  Below is a quoted article on the RP - Received Pronunciation.  Let's talk about it!

Cheers!

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RECEIVED PRONUNCIATION (RP) is regarded as the standard accent of Standard English in the United Kingdom, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms. RP is defined in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary as "the standard accent of English as spoken in the south of England", although it can be heard from native speakers throughout England and Wales. Peter Trudgill estimated in 1974 that 3% of people in Britain were RP speakers.

 

Although nothing intrinsic about RP marks it as superior to any other variety, sociolinguistic factors have given RP particular prestige in parts of Britain. It has thus been seen as the accent of those with power, money, and influence, though it has in recent times been perceived negatively as associated with undeserved privilege. Since the 1960s, a greater permissiveness towards allowing regional English varieties has taken hold in education and the media in Britain.

 

It is important not to confuse the notion of Received Pronunciation – a standard 'accent' – with the standard variety of the English language used in England that is given names such as "Standard English", "the Queen's English", "Oxford English", or "BBC English". The study of RP is concerned exclusively with pronunciation, while study of the standard language is also concerned with matters such as grammar, vocabulary and style. An individual using RP will typically speak Standard English, although the reverse is not necessarily true (eg the standard language may be pronounced with a regional accent, such as a Scottish or Yorkshire accent; but it is very unlikely that someone speaking RP would use it to speak the Scots or the Yorkshire dialect).

 

The introduction of the term 'Received Pronunciation' is usually credited to Daniel Jones. In the first edition of the English Pronouncing Dictionary(1917), he named the accent "Public School Pronunciation", but for the second edition in 1926, he wrote, "In what follows I call it Received Pronunciation (abbreviation RP), for want of a better term." However, the term had actually been used much earlier by Alexander Ellis in 1869 and Peter DuPonceauin 1818 (the term used by Henry C. K. Wyld in 1927 was "received standard"). According to Fowler's Modern English Usage (1965), the correct term is "'the' Received Pronunciation". The word 'received' conveys its original meaning of 'accepted' or 'approved', as in "received wisdom".

 

RP is often believed to be based on the Southern accents of England, but it actually has most in common with the Early Modern English dialects of the East Midlands. This was the most populated and most prosperous area of England during the 14th and 15th centuries. By the end of the 15th century, "Standard English" was established in the City of London. A mixture of London speech with elements from East Midlands, Middlesex, and Essex became what is now known as Received Pronunciation. By the 1970s, an estimated 3% of British people were RP speakers.

 

Oct 29, 2014 6:48 AM
Comments · 6
1

hi ben, thanks for your reply. me too, i wish to master the RP as well, and i'm not a native english speaker, either. RP is, up till now, still the english pronuncation mode most widely taught to non native english speakers in the world, i suppose.

October 29, 2014
1

I am not a native english speaker but I would love to be able to master RP. 

It's a shame it is now considered as old fashioned. Even some television presenters can be hard to understand because of their accent these days. 

October 29, 2014
1

Hi Ruthi! Thank you for your reply. I will watch the video later on, as I seem to have some problem in accessing to the link now. By the way, I'm surprised to know that RP has been considered old-fashioned. Isn't it the accent used by most anchors at the BBC? If it's regarded POSH, then I suppose it's actually regarded a bit in a derogatory sense, ie not natural or a bit exaggerated? 

October 29, 2014
1

Hi Peachey! Thanks for your repy.  To answer your quesiton, I aim mainly for the RP, for it was what I was taught both at secondary school and unviversity. But I also find other English accents nice and interesting.  It's so fun to learn more about the accents! 

October 29, 2014
1

So let's put this in practical terms.

 

When you speak in English, what kind of accent(s) or pronunciation do you aim for?

 

I think this is a valid question for both learners and natives of the English language.

October 29, 2014
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