phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Recieved Pronunciation

Posted by Ward on September 22, 2004

In Reply to: 'public school accent' posted by Word Camel on September 22, 2004

: : : The accent of one who has been through the elite school system in the UK is distinctive. The question is -- how can this accent replace the original accent of boys from all over the country who presumably have developed their speech patterns when they get to school?

: : This accent is fairly rapidly disappearing from British, especially English, society. You only have to hear either Princes Harry or William to hear how current Public School characters speak - very much like lots of other people with what has come to be called 'BBC English'. However, this is changing too, with many regional accents to be heard.
: : Presumably the children do inherit their speeech patterns from their childhoods, but many are influenced by radio and TV programmes - see above.

: Funnily enough, I've heard quite a few people with public school accents adjusting theirs to sound more common. Accents are more fluid than GB Shaw would have had us believe.

"In England, one accent has traditionally stood out above all others in its ability to convey associations of repectable social standing and a good education. This "prestige" accent is known as RECEIVED PRONUNCIATION, or RP. ....Accents usually tell us where a person is from; RP tells us only about a person's social or educational background." From the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language -- 1995. See web page at www.Yaelf.com/ RP.shtml for a fascinating discussion of this accent.
Perhaps 'received' in this phrase refers to the acquisition of the accent at school rather than in the formative years in whatever region one was born.

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.