Lecture 7: BRITISH ENGLISH VARIETIES CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Objectives

3.0 Main Body

3.1 General Overview

3.2 Received Pronunciation

3.3 King’s/Queen’s English

3.4 Other Aspects of BrE Varieties

4.0 Conclusion

5.0 Summary

6.0 Tutor Marked Assignments

7.0 References and Other Sources

1.0 INTRODUCTION In this unit, we will study the characteristic content of a

variety of English Language which has been recognized as the internationally
acceptable variety from where the other varieties developed. British English (BE)
is the mother-tongue English since it is the English spoken by people living in the
United Kingdom and from our studies in the historical development of the
language in Module one, it is the Britons that had the colonial experience that led
to the emergence of English language in all facets. In this unit, we shall study the
nature of BE, the phonological and morphological characteristics, and the other
forms of the English variety which have emerged in the sociolinguistic usage of
the English language variety.

2.0 OBJECTIVES By the end of the unit, the students will be able to: a.
Appreciate the major linguistic thrust of British English b. Realize that British
English is the mother-tongue English c. Understand the characteristics of Received
Pronunciation (RP) d. Acknowledge the existence of King’s/Queen’s English as a
part of BE e. Recognize the other varieties of British English as used in the United
Kingdom

3.0 MAIN BODY 3.1 General Overview

British English (BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of
the English language used in the United Kingdom from the other forms used
elsewhere in the Anglophone world. British English encompasses usages of
English within Great Britain and Ireland, though in the case of Ireland, there are
further distinctions peculiar to Hiberno-English. There are slight regional
variations in formal written English in the United Kingdom (for example, although
the words wee and little are interchangeable in some contexts, one is more likely to
see wee written by a Scottish or Northern Irish person than by someone from
Southern England or Wales). Nevertheless, there is a meaningful degree of
uniformity in written English within the United Kingdom, and this could be
described as "British English". The forms of spoken English, however, vary
considerably more than in most other areas of the world where English is spoken
and a uniform concept of "British English" is therefore more difficult to apply to
the spoken language. Regarding the Standardisation of British English as with
English around the world, the English language as used in the United Kingdom and
the Republic of Ireland is governed by convention rather than formal code since
the authoritative dictionaries (like Oxford English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary
of Contemporary English, Chambers Dictionary, Collins Dictionary etc.) record
usage rather than prescribe it. In addition, vocabulary and usage change with time;
words are freely borrowed from other languages and other strains of English, and
neologisms are frequent. For historical reasons dating back to the rise of London in
the 9th century, the form of language spoken in London and the East Midlands
became Standard English within the Court, and ultimately became the basis for
generally accepted use in the law, government, literature and education within
Britain. Largely, modern British spelling was standardised in Samuel Johnson's A
Dictionary of the English Language (1755), although previous writers had also
played a significant role in this and much has changed since 1755. Scotland, which
underwent parliamentary union with England only in 1707, still has a few
independent aspects of standardisation, especially within its autonomous legal
system. The form of English taught across Europe is mainly that used in England
and the subject is simply called "English"; the European Commission does not
specify any specific English in its list of official languages but the English used in
the member states of the United Kingdom is what is assumed and used. RP English
is often believed to be based on Southern accents, but in fact it has most in
common with the dialects of the south-east Midlands: Northamptonshire,
Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire. Migration to London in the 14th and 15th
centuries was mostly from the counties directly north of London rather than those
directly south. According to Fowler's Modern English Usage (1965), the term is
"the Received Pronunciation". The word ‘received’ conveys its original meaning of
accepted or approved- as in "received wisdom". There are differences both within
and among the three counties mentioned, but a conglomeration emerged in
London, and also mixed with some elements of Essex and Middlesex speech. By
the end of the 15th century, Standard English was established in the City of
London.

3.1 Self-Assessment Exercise Explain the relationship between Standard English

and British English in the United Kingdom

3.2 Received Pronunciation a) Background of RP:

There seems to be some disagreement as to the origins of the term "received" in the
phrase, "Received Pronunciation", but both A.J. Ellis’ On Early English
Pronunciation,

1869-1889 and John Walker’s Critical Pronouncing Dictionary and Expositor of

the English Language of 1791 are among the possibilities for its early appearance.
However, Daniel Jones has been described as the "great describer and codifier of
the Received Pronunciation of English". Regardless of its exact origins, the term
"received" originally meant "that which is generally accepted" or "that accepted by
the best society." RP has for many years epitomized the "top end of the scale" of
British English and it is what English people have traditionally meant when
they’ve said that someone "hasn’t got an accent." It remains that RP is often
regarded as a "neutral" and often "correct" accent. It is also referred to under the
terms "BBC English," "Public School English" or even "Standard English. RP is
also the accent that Americans and possibly other foreigners would likely refer to
as the typical British accent. It should also be noted that there is no single accent
whose role and status in the United States correspond to that of RP in England. A
number of distinctions even within RP have, over the years, been proposed by
various linguists. These include "Mainstream" RP, "Upper crust" RP, "Adoptive"
RP, "Near" RP, "Conservative" RP, and "General" RP." Wales (1994)
differentiates between them in saying that "conservative" RP is often spoken by the
older generation, and "advanced" RP by the younger generation. Her discussion of
the accents of the royal family is tagged "Queen’s English". Regardless of the
differences within RP, it is an accent commonly recognized and one that has been
taught as the Standard English in schools for years. To an objective observer, the
intrusive r is very prevalent in RP. It involves the insertion of an r-sound at the end
of a word ending in a non-high vowel where the next word begins with a vowel.
Examples: i.) R pronounced put a comma[r] the idea[r] of I saw[r] it happen ii.) R
not pronounced: a comma may be added idea for I saw them The development of
intrusive r is one of the consequences of r-lessness that developed in more modern
British dialects.

3.2 Self-Assessment Exercise Critically explain the major characteristics of

Received Pronunciation (RP) English

3.3 King’s/Queen’s English a) Background of "Queen’s" English:

The notion of the "Queen’s" English or "King’s" English, depending on who is the
ruler of the time, can be traced back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
where the idea that the monarch’s usage of the language should be a model in
speech and writing (Wales, 1991). During these times there was a development of
a prestigious speech associated with the court and aristocracy. Wales (1991) also
points out that the phrase "The King’s English" was first used during the reign of
James I. The British Royal Family would generally be considered to be speakers of
the Standard English, RP. However, Wales (1991) differentiates between the way
the older "royals" speak and the changes that can be seen in the speech of younger
members of the royal family. The accents of the Queen Mother and Princess
Margaret (the Queen’s sister) reflect the conservative RP as epitomized by the old
British films and newsreels of the first part of the century. The younger members
of the royal family such as Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and the in-laws of the
family, the Duchess of York (Fergie) as well as the late Princess of Wales (Diana),
all speak an RP closer to "advanced" RP than to the conservative, more traditional
accent. The distance between the Royal Family and the "subjects" of the country
was seen to be enhanced by the traditional speech of the royals. As the younger
members of the Royal Family attempt to close the gap between the two, their
speech reflects the changes. There are also linguistic features traditionally
associated with Cockney being found in the speech of the younger generation.
Word-final glottal stops (there’s a lo’ of I’ about’) have been heard in the speech of
Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest son. b)
General Pronunciation The Queen and Older Royals might pronounce the
following words as noted. Examples: house = hice off = orf tower = tar refined =
refained Younger royals might exhibit the following types of pronunciations: really
= rairly milk = miuk yes = yah St. Paul’s = St. Pauw’s Self-Assessment Exercise
3.3 Assess and discuss the factors that gave rise to Kings/Queens English varieties
in the United Kingdom

3.4 Other BrE Varieties

The size of the British Isles often leads people to assume that the language spoken
in its countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland is somewhat homogeneous
and first time visitors are often surprised to find that they have difficulty in
understanding the accents and dialects of certain regions. Even within the country
of England alone there is great diversity of dialect both regionally and socially.
Accents are clues to where people were born and where they grew up. Although
some people may change the way they speak during their lifetimes, most people
"carry at least some trace" of their accent and dialect origins throughout their lives.
In addition to the regional accents of England, there can also be class differences
reflected in the different accents. In Britain, "people are often able to make instant
and unconscious judgements about a stranger’s class affiliation on the basis of his
or her accent." Both the words and pronunciation of many individuals reflect that
person’s social position. It is agreed that in England, the "phonetic factors assume
a predominating role which they do not generally have in North America". By
definition, any regional accent would not be considered upper-class and the more
localizable the accent, the more it can be describe as a "broad" accent. In Britain
the middle class is associated with having not only a standard accent, but with also
speaking in a more "formal and abstract style than working class." Accents are
often characterized by British speakers themselves as either "posh" or "common"
accents. Most speakers of British English would recognize these labels and create a
fairly accurate image of the sound of these far ends of the spectrum, Conservative
or U-"Received Pronunciation" representing the "posh" end and a less broad
version of Cockney representing the "common" accent. The significance of accents
and their cultural and social associations is well represented in films and on
television in Britain. The critically acclaimed 1964 file My Fair Lady based on
George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play, Pygmalion, is often referenced in linguistic
discussions as a wonderful example of how social class and accent were, and are
still, inextricably linked in Britain. Over the past years, numerous television series
have also provided viewers with a glimpse of the lives and accents of the Cockney
population of London. As language change continues to take place within Britain
and within England, there are some who claim that a relatively newly established
accent, "Estuary English" (EE) is due to replace the traditional educated accent of
England Received Pronunciation" (RP). Estuary English is reported to be used by
speakers who constitute the social "middle ground".

3.4 Self-Assessment Exercise “Most British English Varieties are accent based”.
How true is this statement?

4.0 CONCLUSION

British English today is assessed with RP standard. The overall RP as indicated

earlier has three different forms: Conservative RP, Mainstream RP and
Contemporary (or Advanced) RP. Conservative RP refers to a traditional accent
which is associated with older speakers and the aristocracy. This is sometimes
known as "High British". RP is not the accent of any particular locality, yet it is
closer to the native accent of some counties than others. A strong RP accent
usually indicates someone who went to a public school. Mainstream RP is an
accent that is often considered neutral regarding age, occupation or lifestyle of the
speaker, whilst Contemporary RP refers to speakers using features typical of
younger-generation speakers. However, these days, there is almost no difference
between those two. The modern style of RP is the usual accent taught to non-native
speakers learning British English. Non-RP Britons abroad may modify their
pronunciation to something closer to Received Pronunciation, in order to be
understood better by people who themselves learned RP in school. They may also
modify their vocabulary and grammar to be closer to Standard English, for the
same reason. RP is used as the standard for English in most books on general
phonology and phonetics and is represented in the pronunciation schemes of most
dictionaries.

5.0 SUMMARY For many years, the use of Received Pronunciation was
considered to be a trait of education. It was a standard practice until around the
1950s for university students with regional accents to modify their speech to be
closer to RP. As a result, at a time when only around five percent of the population
attended universities, elitist notions sprang up around it and those who used it may
have considered those who did not to be less educated than them. Received
Pronunciation may be referred to as the Queen's (or King's) English, on the
grounds that it is spoken by the monarch. It is also sometimes referred to as BBC
English, because it was traditionally used by the BBC, yet nowadays this is slightly
misleading. Queen Elizabeth II uses a specific form of English, and the BBC is no
longer restricted to one type of accent, nor is "Oxbridge" (the universities of
Oxford and Cambridge). The RP is a form of pronunciation, not a dialect (a form
of vocabulary and grammar). It may show a great deal about the social and
educational background of a person who uses English. A person using the RP will
typically speak Standard English although the reverse is not necessarily true. In
recent decades, many people have asserted the value of other regional and class
accents, and many members (particularly young ones) of the groups that
traditionally used Received Pronunciation have used it less, to varying degrees.
Many regional accents are now heard on the BBC.

6.0 TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENTS Answer the following questions

1. Explain in details the nature of British English?

2. “Received Pronunciation is more of educated accent than a standard variety”

Explain this proposition?

3. “The British English varieties are reflections of the social setting in the United
Kingdom” How true is this statement?

4. “Accents determine most British varieties in terms of class and region”. Assess
this truism

7.0 REFERENCES AND OTHER SOURCES McArthur, Tom. (1975) The

Oxford Guide to World English. Oxford: OUP. Fowler, Roger. (1965) Modern
English Usage. London: Longman. Wales, Katie. (1991) A Dictionary of Stylistic
Terms. London: Longman.