Received Pronunciation
Features, Function and Importance of Received Pronunciation (RP)
Date: 06.06.2013 Word Count: 1000
Inhaltsverzeichnis
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3 2. History of RP ..................................................................................................... 3 3. Function and Social Importance of RP ............................................................. 4 4. Special Features of RP ...................................................................................... 4 5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 5 6. Bibliography...................................................................................................... 6
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1. Introduction Received Pronunciation, hereafter abbreviated as RP, which has been considered a model of English pronunciation is broadening to more tolerance towards a larger amount of speakers. (Upton/Kortmann 2008:238f.) Looking at the history of RP first will lead us to conclusions about its function and social importance, which are still applicable nowadays. Afterwards, special features of RP will be discussed as examples that might also imply certain changes that have happened to RP over the last decades. Afterwards a decision can be made, whether the development RP is undergoing are being useful and promising for the future of the English language. 2. History of RP By being used increasingly in parliament, court and schools, English finally replaced the French language as official language in the end of the 14th century. During the standardization the royal chancery in Westminster developed great uniformity concerning grammatical and lexical aspects of speech, but the regional differences in pronunciation stayed. Being only spoken by highly educated people, the new partly standardized English became a symbol of high social status.
Date: 06.06.2013 Word Count: 1000
Inhaltsverzeichnis
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3 2. History of RP ..................................................................................................... 3 3. Function and Social Importance of RP ............................................................. 4 4. Special Features of RP ...................................................................................... 4 5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 5 6. Bibliography...................................................................................................... 6
2
1. Introduction Received Pronunciation, hereafter abbreviated as RP, which has been considered a model of English pronunciation is broadening to more tolerance towards a larger amount of speakers. (Upton/Kortmann 2008:238f.) Looking at the history of RP first will lead us to conclusions about its function and social importance, which are still applicable nowadays. Afterwards, special features of RP will be discussed as examples that might also imply certain changes that have happened to RP over the last decades. Afterwards a decision can be made, whether the development RP is undergoing are being useful and promising for the future of the English language. 2. History of RP By being used increasingly in parliament, court and schools, English finally replaced the French language as official language in the end of the 14th century. During the standardization the royal chancery in Westminster developed great uniformity concerning grammatical and lexical aspects of speech, but the regional differences in pronunciation stayed. Being only spoken by highly educated people, the new partly standardized English became a symbol of high social status.
Bibliography: Hansen, Klaus, Uwe Carls & Peter Lucko 1996. Die Differenzierung des Englischen in nationale Varianten. Berlin: Erich Schmidt. Hughes, Arthur & Peter Trudgill 1996. English Accents and Dialects. An Introduction to Social and Regional Varieties of English in the British Isles. London: Arnold. Melchers, Gunnel & Philip Shaw 2003. World Englishes. An Introduction. Arnold: London. Svartvik, Jan & Geoffrey Leech. English – One Tongue, Many Voices. Palgrave Macmillan. Trudgill, Peter & Jean Hannah 1994. International English. A Guide to Varieties of Standard English. 3rd ed. London: Edward Arnold. Upton, Clive & Kortmann, Bernd 2008. Varieties of English. 1: The British Isles. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter 6