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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
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British 'RP' accent
Hi,
I've been reading about the history of the English language and have come across the accent/term "Received Pronunciation". Am I right in understanding that this is a 'taught' accent, where people would go to school and be taught to speak this way? Does this mean they would, e.g., go home at the end of the day and revert to regional accents? If so ,Is this still common practice today in the UK?
Also, watching older British Television (e.g. in the 70s and 80s, maybe 90s) I never really noticed the variety of accents that I encountered when visiting England and other parts of the UK, e.g. I don't recall ever watching an old British movie where someone had a strong Birmingham or Liverpool accent. Maybe Cockney was the exception .Was this due to the RP thing, or did I just not notice (with my Yank ears)?
thanks for any help,
John.
I've been reading about the history of the English language and have come across the accent/term "Received Pronunciation". Am I right in understanding that this is a 'taught' accent, where people would go to school and be taught to speak this way? Does this mean they would, e.g., go home at the end of the day and revert to regional accents? If so ,Is this still common practice today in the UK?
Also, watching older British Television (e.g. in the 70s and 80s, maybe 90s) I never really noticed the variety of accents that I encountered when visiting England and other parts of the UK, e.g. I don't recall ever watching an old British movie where someone had a strong Birmingham or Liverpool accent. Maybe Cockney was the exception .Was this due to the RP thing, or did I just not notice (with my Yank ears)?
thanks for any help,
John.
Top answer
[nq:1]Hi, I've been reading about the history of the English language and have come across the accent/term "Received Pronunciation". Am ... end of the day and revert to regional accents?
- [nq:1]Hi, I've been reading about the history of the English language and have come across the accent/term "Received Pronunciation".
- Am ...
- end of the day and revert to regional accents?
- [/nq] No.
- I suppose the 'received' bit just meant it was passed down.
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43 Answers
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[nq:1]Hi, I've been reading about the history of the English language and have come across the accent/term "Received Pronunciation". Am ... end of the day and revert to regional accents? If so ,Is this still common practice today in the UK?[/nq]
No. I suppose the 'received' bit just meant it was passed down. RP speakers have it as their native accent; they don't put it on like a tie and jacket
No. I suppose the 'received' bit just meant it was passed down. RP speakers have it as their native accent; they don't put it on like a tie and jacket
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[nq:1]Also, watching older British Television (e.g. in the 70s and 80s, maybe 90s) I never really noticed the variety of ... was the exception .Was this due to the RP thing, or did I just not notice (with my Yank ears)?[/nq]
Accents have always tended to be toned down, ignored or distorted in films and plays because of the sheer variety of them. There can be a noticeable shift in accent over a
Accents have always tended to be toned down, ignored or distorted in films and plays because of the sheer variety of them. There can be a noticeable shift in accent over a
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-snip
[nq:2]Also, watching older British Television (e.g. in the 70s and ... or did I just not notice (with my Yank ears)?[/nq]
[nq:1]Partly. Times change, and diversity is more valued than it once was. We've certainly moved away from from the time ... The BBC over the last 20 years have started moving away from this, and now you get a rich variety.[/nq]
What's also noticeable is that
[nq:2]Also, watching older British Television (e.g. in the 70s and ... or did I just not notice (with my Yank ears)?[/nq]
[nq:1]Partly. Times change, and diversity is more valued than it once was. We've certainly moved away from from the time ... The BBC over the last 20 years have started moving away from this, and now you get a rich variety.[/nq]
What's also noticeable is that
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[nq:1]Hi, I've been reading about the history of the English language and have come across the accent/term "Received Pronunciation". Am ... was the exception .Was this due to the RP thing, or did I just not notice (with my Yank ears)?[/nq]RP is in effect the pronunciation aspect of a "class" dialect. It seems to have developed in the middle of the 19th century, and is thought to have been fostered
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[nq:1]I've been reading about the history of the English language and have come across the accent/term "Received Pronunciation". Am I right in understanding that this is a 'taught' accent, where people would go to school and be taught to speak this way?[/nq]
Not really.
RP is merely the name today for what used to be called BBC English (because the BBC had a deliberate policy from the 1920
Not really.
RP is merely the name today for what used to be called BBC English (because the BBC had a deliberate policy from the 1920
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[nq:1]On 27 Nov 2004, Django Cat wrote[/nq]
[nq:1]-snip[/nq]
[nq:2]Partly. Times change, and diversity is more valued than it ... away from this, and now you get a rich variety.[/nq]
[nq:1]What's also noticeable is that the curious accent heard in, for example, in 1950s' adverts has disappeared entirely. I don't ... of RP. (The few occasions I've encountered it have been quite startlin
[nq:1]-snip[/nq]
[nq:2]Partly. Times change, and diversity is more valued than it ... away from this, and now you get a rich variety.[/nq]
[nq:1]What's also noticeable is that the curious accent heard in, for example, in 1950s' adverts has disappeared entirely. I don't ... of RP. (The few occasions I've encountered it have been quite startlin
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[nq:2]I've been reading about the history of the English language ... go to school and be taught to speak this way?[/nq]
[nq:1]Not really. RP is merely the name today for what used to be called BBC English (because the BBC had ... jinks of young money managers.) But I would bet lawyers still find it advantageous to speak RP for professional reasons.[/nq]
As an American, I cannot understand
[nq:1]Not really. RP is merely the name today for what used to be called BBC English (because the BBC had ... jinks of young money managers.) But I would bet lawyers still find it advantageous to speak RP for professional reasons.[/nq]
As an American, I cannot understand
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[nq:1]As an American, I cannot understand the actors on EastEnders. I've had difficulties understanding Michael Caine, too. Forty years ago, ... who said she had one accent (BBC) at school, and another "w'en Oi'm dahn on thee docks wi' me mytes."[/nq]
But isn't that maybe true of all kids anywhere in the world?
[nq:1]Every production of The Secret Garden has disappointed me terribly. I wan
But isn't that maybe true of all kids anywhere in the world?
[nq:1]Every production of The Secret Garden has disappointed me terribly. I wan
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[nq:1]That's very interesting. We like to think we know all about US accents because of the diet of imported shows; guess it ain't so. DC[/nq]
[nq:2]Cece[/nq]
yes, I find that outside of North America people don't really know a lot about North American accents, or even that they exist, much the same as we don't know much about non-North American accents. I'd say most people imitate a mid-w
[nq:2]Cece[/nq]
yes, I find that outside of North America people don't really know a lot about North American accents, or even that they exist, much the same as we don't know much about non-North American accents. I'd say most people imitate a mid-w
00
[nq:2]That's very interesting. We like to think we know all about US accents because of the diet of imported shows; guess it ain't so. DC[/nq]
[nq:1]yes, I find that outside of North America people don't really know a lot about North American accents, or even ... obvious or exaggerated (usually some kind of Southern character, or a stereotype "hillbilly" of some sort). Is this the case?[/nq]
[nq:1]yes, I find that outside of North America people don't really know a lot about North American accents, or even ... obvious or exaggerated (usually some kind of Southern character, or a stereotype "hillbilly" of some sort). Is this the case?[/nq]
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