Knowra Received Pronunciation Received Pronunciation Received Pronunciation is a prestige accent of England, historically associated with formal education and broadcasting. It is defined by pronunciation rather than vocabulary or grammar.
English phonology : The sound system of English, including its speech sounds, stress patterns, and permissible sound sequences. Received Pronunciation is distinguished chiefly by its particular English sound patterns.
Daniel Jones : An English phonetician who described English pronunciation and helped establish the model known as Received Pronunciation. His influential dictionaries and teaching helped codify a reference pronunciation.
Estuary English : A group of pronunciation features associated with the southeast of England, often described as between London and traditional Received Pronunciation. It shares southeastern features with modern RP but is less tied to traditional elite speech.
Language ideology : Beliefs about language varieties that connect ways of speaking with identities, values, and social hierarchies. Ideas about RP often treat one accent as inherently clearer or more correct than others.
English phonetics : The study of how English speech sounds are produced, transmitted, and perceived. Phonetic description captures the precise vowel and consonant qualities associated with the accent.
English public school : A fee-paying, historically elite independent school in England. The accent became associated with the schools that educated much of the British ruling class.
Cockney : A traditional working-class accent and dialect associated with London's East End. Cockney contrasts with RP in both pronunciation and its historically different social associations.
Linguistic discrimination : Unequal treatment of people based on their language, dialect, or accent. The prestige attached to RP can disadvantage speakers whose accents signal different backgrounds.
Non-rhoticity : A pronunciation pattern in which /r/ is not pronounced after a vowel unless another vowel follows. Traditional Received Pronunciation drops postvocalic /r/, as in car and hard.
Oxford English Dictionary : A historical dictionary documenting the development of English words through dated evidence. Its early pronunciation guidance helped make a particular educated English accent a reference standard.
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