Mobility, contact and an accent norm: the case of received pronunciation. Explore Received Pronunciation (RP) as an accent norm. A sociolinguistic analysis of mobility, class, phonetic changes, and public attitudes in present-day England.
This paper will focus on various facets of RP as an accent norm. In the first part of the paper I will set the stage for a renewed sociolinguistic view of RP, and examine some of the e ffects of social and geographical mobility and contact on RP. At the same time, one of my concerns will be to bring a renewed class analysis into the sociolinguistic discussion. I do this, contra many sociolinguists who have recently taken up the meta-narratives of, for example, the risk society, globalisation and late modernity (see e.g. Coupland, Sarangi and Candlin 2001), in order to argue for the continuing relevance of a restructured and updated notion of individually-instantiated social class for the discussion of an elite social class accent in Britain. Along the way, and perhaps controversially, part of the agenda of this paper will be to advance the case that a renewed understanding of the concept RP itself enables RP to claim a tenable place within descriptive sociolinguistics. In the second part of this paper we will be looking at various facets of the changing situation of RP in present-day England. This includes data showing ongoing phonetic changes in progress, as well as overt and covert attitudes to RP. The phonetic data have been gleaned from sociolinguistic interviews, while the attitudinal data derive from interviews, subjective evaluation questionnaires and the popular press. By thus exploring the current and changing status of RP in the wider sociolinguistic landscape of Britain, the discussion will also highlight several ways in which variationist and attitudinal sociolinguistic studies can mutually benefit each other.
This paper promises a timely and comprehensive re-examination of Received Pronunciation (RP) as an accent norm, addressing its evolving status within contemporary British sociolinguistics. The author articulates an ambitious scope, aiming to set a new stage for sociolinguistic inquiry into RP by explicitly integrating the impacts of social and geographical mobility and contact. Crucially, the abstract signals a deliberate move to reinstate a robust class analysis into the discussion, challenging recent tendencies to prioritize broader meta-narratives in sociolinguistic discourse. A core strength of this proposed work lies in its dual approach: a theoretical re-evaluation coupled with empirical investigation. The first part of the paper intends to argue forcefully for the enduring relevance of an updated notion of individually-instantiated social class, specifically in understanding an elite British accent, directly contrasting with frameworks centered on risk society or globalization. This theoretical framing is then complemented by the second part, which will present concrete data on the changing realities of RP. This includes phonetic changes gleaned from sociolinguistic interviews and a nuanced exploration of overt and covert attitudes drawn from interviews, subjective evaluation questionnaires, and popular press analysis. The stated goal of demonstrating the reciprocal benefits of variationist and attitudinal studies further highlights the paper's methodological sophistication. Overall, this paper appears to be a highly significant contribution to the field, offering a fresh perspective on a classic sociolinguistic phenomenon. Its commitment to both rigorous theoretical argumentation and rich empirical data collection positions it to make a substantial impact on our understanding of RP, social class, and the dynamics of accent change in Britain. The author's willingness to advance the "controversial" case for RP's tenable place within descriptive sociolinguistics, alongside its proposed re-engagement with class, makes this an intellectually stimulating and potentially transformative read. It will be particularly interesting to see how the "restructured and updated notion" of class is operationalized and integrated with the observed phonetic and attitudinal shifts, promising valuable insights for both historical and contemporary sociolinguistics.
You need to be logged in to view the full text and Download file of this article - Mobility, contact and an accent norm: the case of Received Pronunciation from Book ? ?The Consequences of Mobility : Linguistic and Sociocultural Contact Zones? .
Login to View Full Text And DownloadYou need to be logged in to post a comment.
By Sciaria
By Sciaria
By Sciaria
By Sciaria
By Sciaria
By Sciaria