Talk:Received Pronunciation

Actually I disagree with this to an extent, so I've added the adjective "hypothetical". If it's only spoken by two to three percent of the population is seems strange to call it the accent of "standard English".--Bob M 17:29, 6 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I was only converting a redlink to a wikilink! Now it's up to other editors to fine tune it. Have further nuanced it, but it looks a bit wonky. As for the declining numbers, I'm sure there are mindless stats. out there which show the sit. 20 years ago, etc. --Technopat 17:59, 6 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Perhaps I got a bit carried away but this is something which I've often thought about. The phonetic descriptions our textbooks use (well that other people use) give RP as the target pronunciation - at least as far as I am aware.  This accent is, in reality, used by a vanishingly small percentage of the existing English population - and used by an ever smaller percentage of the teaching profession.  Consequently it is an accent which neither teachers nor students will really be able to consistently produce.  Yet this impossible target is the one we apparently aspire to.  OK, it's obvious that we need to provide students with some consistent model, and I honestly have no better suggestion - it's just that it seems to be a bit of a weird situation.--Bob M 18:11, 6 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Agree fully with your observations re. textbook & dictionary (British) English - it's something that I devote a lot of time to pointing out to my students and they appreciate it as part of training their hearing. Regs., --Technopat 20:58, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Title
Shouldn't this be "Received pronunciation"?--Bob M 14:39, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Yep! With the cap reserved for the initials RP. --Technopat 20:46, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Nope!! - Had a gut feeling and checked both Crystal and Trask and both use the Pronunciation. So no move... --Technopat 20:49, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Really? How very odd. Ha well.--Bob M 06:22, 4 June 2009 (UTC)