The Rise of RPHistorical reasons
Received Pronunciation (RP) was originally associated
with a ______ (1) spoken in the region between central (1) ______
England and London, including Oxford and Cambridge.
Its survival was due to its use by the ______ (2) (2) ______
in the 14th century and by university students in the
______ (3). (3) ______
Its rise in importance resulted from its application
in government and official documents.
The prestige of its ______ (4) pattern of (4) ______
pronunciation came about with its use in ______ (5) (5) ______
in the 19th century.
As a result, its ______ (6) is accepted by (6) ______
television and the radio, the professions and teaching
English as a foreign language.
Three characteristics of RP
1) Its speakers don’t regard themselves as connected
with any geographical region;
2) RP is largely used in England;
3) RP is a "class" accent, associated with ______ (7) (7) ______
social classes.
Its present status
Decline in the prestige of RP is the result of
a) loss of monopoly of education by the privileged;
b) ______ (8) of higher education in the post-war (8) ______
period.
However, it still retains its eminence among
certain professional people.
There is a rise in the status of all ______ (9). (9) ______
We are moving towards the ______ (10) position: (10) ______
general acceptance of all regional accents and absence of
a class accent that transcends all regions.