Received Pronunciation (RP)

Received Pronunciation (RP) is a form of an accent or way of verbalizing words in the English language. It is sometimes abbreviated as “RP” and is also known as “Standard English” or, less correctly, “the king or queen’s English.” RP is what many people think of as “proper” British English and is often associated with upper classes and educated people. For many years, it was the way broadcasters in England were encouraged to speak, giving RP another of its nicknames, “BBC English,” after the British Broadcasting Corporation. However, in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, RP began giving way as broadcasters preferred to speak with different accents reflecting their regional origin.

Background

The term “Received Pronunciation” was first used by English mathematician and linguist Alexander John “A.J.” Ellis (1814–1890) in 1869. Many early dictionaries did not include any indication of how words should be pronounced. Ellis attempted to create some standardization in pronunciation, which is how words sound when they are spoken verbally. The word “received” was used to imply “accepted” or “approved,” which are early meanings of the word.

In 1916, phonetician Daniel Jones (1881–1967) published the English Pronouncing Dictionary. In it, he included an explanation of how words were verbalized with an RP accent. It was described as being the form of pronunciation used by wealthier, educated people in an area of southern England between London, Oxford, and Cambridge. Over time, this pronunciation came to be known as the correct and proper way to speak English. At this time, RP also became known by the alternate name Standard English.

This viewpoint was likely helped along by Sir John Reith, or Lord Reith of Stonehaven (1889–1971). Reith was the general manager/managing director of the British Broadcasting Company, which was the forerunner of the contemporary British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). In 1926, Reith established an advisory committee on Spoken English, which was tasked with determining recommended pronunciations for words with more than one pronunciation or uncommon or new words. Lists of words were created along with their preferred pronunciations, which were mostly how words were verbalized in RP. These pronunciations were then used by BBC broadcasters, leading some to refer to RP as “BBC English.”

After the end of World War II (1939–1945), the BBC committee was replaced by the Pronunciation Unit. Over time, its function was changed to helping to establish an accepted pronunciation for unfamiliar or uncommon words. By 1960, this was the unit’s main function. Although the unit still exists to help BBC personnel with challenging words, far less emphasis is on standardizing pronunciation at the BBC. Instead, contemporary BBC broadcasters generally speak with the accent common to the region where they originate. They sometimes refine the accent somewhat to ensure that as many people as possible can comprehend it.

Overview

For many decades, RP was considered to be the most standard and correct way to speak English in Great Britain. The inflections and pronunciations it includes are those most often in dictionaries published for use in England. It has also been the way most people learning English as a second language in England were taught to speak.

RP is usually classified as an accent instead of a dialect, which also includes definitions and grammar. An accent is generally defined as the way people in a given area speak their native language. As a result, people can speak the same language but sound different from each other. These differences come from how words are pronounced and where the emphasis is placed in a word.

For example, people in the American South might pronounce the word “lawyer” so the first syllable, “law” sounds like “saw,” while in most other areas of the country, it rhymes with “boy.” These types of variations are different from those seen in a dialect. A dialect is a variation of a language that, in addition to having different pronunciations, has a number of unique words and phrases not used elsewhere.

Most of the time, accents are associated with specific geographic regions. However, during its time of greatest use, RP was used by people across Great Britain. It was also associated with the type of formality and proper behavior thought to exemplify the highest classes in Britain.

Linguists have identified three forms of Received Presentation. They include contemporary, mainstream, and conservative RP. Conservative RP is closest to the original version and what is sometimes referred to as the king’s or queen’s English. However, British experts point out that RP is ever-changing. They note that Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022) changed how she pronounced some words over her reign beginning in 1952. By the end of her life, her speaking was not specifically related to any variations of RP.

Experts believe that older individuals are more likely to use conservative RP. This is characterized by using a long a sound in words such as “start” and “bath.” Speakers of this more traditional form do not drop the leading “h” sound, so words such as “herb” are never pronounced “erb,” as is often the case in America. In contrast, mainstream RP softens many of these verbal practices to create a more neutral sound. Contemporary RP, which relaxes these sound patterns even further, is most often spoken by educated younger people.

It is estimated that only between 2 and 5 percent of the world’s population speak any form of RP. This is true even though English is the single most common language, with about 1.5 billion English-speaking people around the world. Nevertheless, this variation of English is so firmly associated with formal and proper English that it often remains the variation of English used for stereotypical artistic portrayals of the British upper class in movies and television.

Bibliography

Barton, Laura. “Received Pronunciation May Be Dying Out – But Its Passing Is Long Overdue.” The Guardian, 22 May 2018, www.theguardian.com/science/shortcuts/2018/may/22/received-pronunciation-may-be-dying-out-but-its-passing-is-long-overdue. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

“History of the BBC - John Reith.” BBC, www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/research/directors-general/john-reith. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

McWhorter, John. “What’s a Language, Anyway?” Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/01/difference-between-language-dialect/424704. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Nordquist, Richard. “Received Pronunciation.” ThoughtCo, 28 July 2019, www.thoughtco.com/received-pronunciation-rp-1692026. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

“RP (Received Pronunciation).” Valencia University, www.uv.es/anglotic/accents‗of‗english/01/rp‗received‗pronunciation.html. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Vincent, Daniel. “RP or Received Pronunciation–the Characteristically British Accent.” Pearson ELT Learning Journeys, 9 Dec. 2015, eltlearningjourneys.com/2015/12/09/received-pronunciation. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.