The enduring charm of the dinosaur: a lesson on Received Pronunciation

Part of the expertise required for professional interpreters is a solid grounding in the phonetics of their L2(s), including a broad overview of L2 regional variations. If the L2 is English, then an important lesson within training of this nature, particularly in a European setting, is one that describes the British sociolect Received Pronunciation (RP), generally used as a target and model for learners and as a parameter with which to compare other accents. This paper presents a potential lesson to advanced learners of English designed to help them make critical reflections upon why, within a European context (though RP remains a language model in parts of Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia and many other places), this form of pronunciation is so ‘received’ by students and teachers of English as a foreign language, and why it has such a stronghold in ELT in general. I shall attempt an answer to this question by briefly considering (i) the relationship between the pronunciation and spelling of English in general, and (ii) the degree of suitability of RP as an international standard – again focusing on discrepancies between pronunciation and spelling – primarily with regard to (non-) rhoticity, to weak forms and to glottalling. I shall then move on to an analysis of RP in terms of non-linguistic issues, focusing firstly upon its status as a sociolect and as a traditionally prestigious accent which engenders very mixed reactions among people from the British Isles, and secondly upon pedagogical issues, in particular the predominance – again within a European context – of RP in ELT textbooks and dictionaries. Finally I consider attitudes to RP in pedagogical settings outside the UK, in an endeavour to shed light upon the continuing predominance of RP in ELT resources, which are of course crucial in providing learners, translators and interpreters with the necessary competence in L2.