Jackie

In reply to:

Shanks, consider yourself hugged, just for being back!



Many hugs to you too. And warmth and goodwill to all who live in this house!


In reply to:

If I hear an accent I don't recognize, I usually ask the person where they're from, but with a slight questioning in my mind as to the propriety of it. I don't know what RP is--I gather from your post that people who have that don't use long words?


RP, as I think Maverick noted, stands for Received Pronunciation. In technical terms (amongst students of the language in the UK), it refers to what used to be called the Queen's English. In fact there's a touch of irony there. Read on…

Today, most scholars divide RP into two types: marked RP, and unmarked RP. Marked RP is what might be called the Queen's English, since it has the exaggerated inflections that 'mark' out the ultra-posh accents. House, for instance, sounds something like hice, and damn sounds like dem. If you want to hear the 'original' version, which sounds a lot like Queen Bessie's clipped nasalities, watch Brief Encounter. It isn't just a classic repressed-Brit-emotion film, but the accents of the children as mummy puts them to bed are genuine archaeological finds. Most modern English-people would be astounded at the change undergone by the 'posh' accent over the last 50 or 60 years.

Unmarked RP, the accent which the BBC encouraged (or used to, before the politically correct makeover), is 'standard posh' English. It is approximately the one that Gwyneth Paltrow uses in Sliding Doors and [Shakespeare in Love. Research shows that, in the UK, most people associate this accent with prestige and authority, so are comfortable receiving their news in this accent. Educated Edinburgh Scottish, for what it's worth, is a close second. The interesting fact about this research is that while it shows RP as being authoritative, it also shows RP as being one of the least friendly of the UK accents. This has resulted, for instance, in Call Centre managers in this country happily setting up their centres in regions where the accents, whilst less 'standard' or 'posh', are seen as friendlier, and perhaps therefore more conducive towards the maintenance of good customer relations.

I wish I could cite the research, but, since they form my main reading, it is likely to be from either The Grauniad (www.guardian.co.uk), or New Scientist (www.newscientist.co.uk).

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Socially, it seems to me that when I use long words, people listen respectfully. This is a great way to have them thinking that I actually know what I'm talking about!


You probably do!

cheer

the sunshine warrior