|4| The Queen's English (Level 3)

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Accents*, dialects*, and sociolects*
As with every language throughout the world, English can be thought of as a multitude* of different accents and dialects divided up on a geographical and also a social basis. Social-economic divisions and geography are not the only variables to be considered here; age and sex also have important influences on the way British people speak.

Received pronunciation (RP)
The most prestigious accent in British English is Received Pronunciation (RP), also known as Oxford English, the Queen’s English or BBC English. RP has for many years carried with it the strong associations as the accent of people at the top of the social pile* and in the most distinguished routes in education, including the public schools and the ancient* universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Although RP is most strongly associated with the south eastern region around London, the accent itself is not geographically but socially defined and can be found throughout the country.

Historical evidence points to the fact that a form of RP may well have existed for 400 years. Here it was the accent of the aristocratic classes as well as the monarchical* families and courtiers*. The resurgence* in popularity of the public schools during the 19th century also played a major role in the adoption of RP as the prestige accent. It must be remembered that ‘public’ is something of a misnomer*; these schools were as they are today very expensive and could hardly be thought of as throwing open their doors to the general public.

While some commentators still describe RP as the most socially prestigious form of British English, the truth of the matter is that from a strictly linguistic point of view no single accent is better than any other. It is not possible to say on objective grounds what phonological* features make one accent superior above all others. Today the situation regarding RP is changing, as some of the more rigid* class divisions in British society are broken down under the influence of mass media. It is no longer the case that the BBC for example will only use an RP speaker to read the news. For the last 10 years or so regional accents have become more commonplace*. Nevertheless RP still hangs on to its status as the accent of education if no longer the pure social elite.

Only 3% of the British population can be said to be genuine* RP speakers. Among RP speakers can however be listed members of the Royal Family, many politicians, the Church of England, representatives of the legal system, the ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge and the higher echelons* of the armed forces. The majority of educated people in Britain have a mixture of RP and a regional accent.

Public schools
The connection between the possession of an RP accent and having had a good education was soon well established. Leading public schools such as Westminster, Harrow and Eton produced many RP speakers who subsequently* went on to play leading roles in the political, economic and educational affairs in the country. Many ex-public schoolboys rose to prominent* ranks in the military and the Civil Service, the administrative branch of the government. These officials were often posted abroad, strengthening the association between RP and British authority throughout the colonies and countries of the British Commonwealth.

BBC English
During the 1920s, radio broadcasting began. RP was adopted by the BBC right from the outset* of the first broadcasts, due to the fact that it was a regionally neutral accent and was therefore thought to be the most easily understandable form of British English.

Estuary* English
Over the last 10 years or so, the phenomenon* of so-called Estuary English has been much discussed. There are signs that some RP speakers are being influenced by the spread of this regional form of English found around London and the Thames Estuary. At least one junior member of the Royal Family has been observed for example inserting a glottal stop, a non-standard feature of working class London speech, into his carefully enunciated* RP vowels. There may be an explanation for this. With changing social conditions, some people react negatively to RP which is seen as marking arrogant or aloof* attitudes. Regional accents can on the other hand give the listener the impression that the speaker is more honest and trustworthy.

The future of RP?
With the phenomenon of English as a global language, the likelihood is that RP will diminish in status to become just one in a multitude of different regional and social varieties of the language. Nevertheless, RP has served as the model for a great deal of phonological research as well as being the variety of British English most often taught to foreigners.