How Has Received Pronunciation Changed and Why Has It Disappeared over Recent Years?

English is a huge and diverse language, spoken in many countries around the world. And yet each community interprets it in their own way and has slightly different dialects. But isn’t it interesting how there are such variations in dialects within the UK itself? As soon as someone opens their mouth, we often find ourselves making judgement based on where they are from. Today, I will be talking to you about RP; an accent that is very well-known and often replicated throughout the UK and has been through much change and evolution through recent years, especially prominent within television.

RP tends to be associated with wealth, power and authority, hence being the only accent we saw on TV for so long. It seems to be used as a social marker meaning it isn’t limited to one particular area, although it does seem to be most common in the South and East of England. RP can come across as slightly patroning and elitist to some; the result in recent years is RP ultimately going slowly out of favour and younger presenters are rarely heard with it. To some, increasing the diversity of accents may seem like the BBC’s attempt to seem more human on air in order to more broadly reflect different areas. Granted, TV networks are trying their hardest to stamp out this sort of criticism towards diversifying accents but there is evidence prejudice still exists

Thankfully, we’re at a stage now where things are changing. More and more people seemed to be picked to present for their various and diverse accents in order to accommodate the different parts of the UK. Until recently, presenters were being picked based on the way they spoke rather than their ability. Regional TV plays a part in it gradually disappearing off our screens. Regional presenters generally originate from the area that the programme is broadcast from. It is another example of where RP may be considered inappropriate to use. I feel that regional TV in particular is helping to consolidate a move away from RP and...