>> RP is ''received pronunciation'', the particular variety of english that for many years was a requirement of BBC speakers.<<
Quote from Fowlers Modern English Usage: 2nd edition Received Pronunciation is the name given to a system of pronunciation used by only a minority of the people of Britain but heard, since the invention of broadcasting, constantly by almost all of them. It is readily recognizable but not very easy to define; nor are its boundaries sharply marked. It is a name coined by Professor Wyld for what was called standard English by Sweet as long ago as 1908 and described by him as a class dialect rather than a local dialect the dialect of the educated all over Britain. There is more but I think the key point is this about the social class rather than the geographical area. Listen to educated Indians in A Passage to India and other Merchant-Ivory Productions and youll see what I mean. mike in bcn ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: Click Here
