Historical Background and Application Essay Example

on the works of various scholars including J. Fisher (1993), J. Ellis (1869), A. Gimson (1964), A. Hughes (1997), P. Trudgill (1997), A. Shweitzer (1983), among others. The practical significance of our study lies in its potential application in practical and theoretical classes and seminars focused on phonetics, lexicology, and the history of the English language for individuals studying the functional usage of Standard English.

This research aims to compare the characteristics of Standard English, specifically Received Pronunciation (RP), and several Non-RPs like General American (GA). The study is structured into an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion, and a bibliography. The initial portion of the paper focuses on the history and development of RP, which has been extensively studied by linguists such as D. Jones, D. Crystal, J. Wells, A. J. Ellis, J. Walker, among others. It is worth noting that within the field of linguistics RP is considered a relatively young accent.

In 1757, Dr Johnson wrote "A Dictionary of the English language" before the term "Received Pronunciation" existed. Linguist A. J. Ellis (1969) introduced this phrase in 1869, but it only became popular for describing the accent of the upper class after D. Jones (1924), a phonetician, included it in the second edition of the English Pronouncing Dictionary. Our goal is to analyze RP's recent evolution and determine if it truly represents something new or just a label.

The evolution of RP is closely observed and the differences between BBC English, the Queen’s English, and Public School English are commented on. Estuary English, a new generic southern accent, holds great significance as it serves as a "class barrier" and allows

inclusion into the inner circle. It is noteworthy that Margaret Thatcher adopted RP to project a more educated, powerful, and authoritative image to the voters, while Tony Blair switched from RP to Estuary English in an effort to establish a closer connection with the people he represents.

According to British phoneticians A. C Gimson (1964) and A. C. Hughes (1997), RP no longer remains homogeneous in the present day. A. C. Gimson proposes a distinction between three forms of RP: conservative, general, and advanced. The second chapter focuses on both historical and current changes in the standard form of English pronunciation. We examine non-RP accents of England, the American variant of English, and how they differ from and relate to RP. We also investigate notable similarities in phonological data collected by L. Mugglestone (2003) and A. D.

Scholars from both the UK and USA have conducted extensive research on American English, using A. D. Shweitzer's sociolinguistic approach to understand its current speech situation. While American English has undergone significant changes compared to English, it is not yet considered a separate language but rather categorized as the national variant of English in America.

The variations of a language are determined by different language communities, ranging from small groups to entire nations. When discussing nations, we refer to the specific adaptations of the language for that particular nation. A.D. Schweitzer's perspective is adopted in this context. Schweitzer argues that a national language is a category that has historically emerged as a result of economic and political consolidation, playing a crucial role in the development of a nation. In essence, a national language refers to

the language used by a nation, including its standardized form and literary expression (A.D. Schweitzer, 1983: p. 04).

Language is often acknowledged as having two forms - written and spoken. The pronunciation of a language can differ across nations, making speaking it a complex process. A "standard" refers to an accepted version of a language that adheres to specific correctness norms (D. Jones, 1965, p. 537). Currently, English-speaking countries have their own unique pronunciations that set them apart from other forms of English.

The "English English" pronunciation is commonly referred to as Received Pronunciation or RP, whereas the "American English" pronunciation is known as General American pronunciation. Some phoneticians call this standard national pronunciation an orthoepic norm or literary pronunciation. While there are notable differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar among different national variations of English, there are also numerous similarities that support considering it a single language - the English language. However, it would be inaccurate to claim that national standards remain constant and rigid.

The sound, stress, and intonation of different national variations of English mainly differ due to ongoing changes caused by internal and external factors. It is widely recognized that certain countries have multiple national languages spoken within their borders. An example of this is Canada, where both English and French are part of the community's repertoire.

The main topic of discussion in this case is the comparison between bilingualism and monolingualism, which is common in countries with only one national language. This raises the issue of interference, which refers to disturbances in language that occur when two languages (or dialects) come into contact in a specific

situation. It's important to mention that each national variation of a language can be classified as territorial or regional dialects. These dialects vary from each other in terms of pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Additionally, it should be emphasized that when focusing solely on variations in pronunciation, the term accent is used.

According to Trudgill (1979, p. 457), local accents often share many pronunciation features and are therefore classified as territorial or area accents. For instance, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire accents are grouped together as Northern accents in Britain. It is worth noting that in most phonetics textbooks, the term dialect is still used to describe regional pronunciation peculiarities. However, in recent editions both in the UK and internationally, there has been a general acceptance of distinguishing between dialects and accents. It is important to recognize that these terms should be treated differently when referring to different language aspects.

Despite the overlapping between terms, one dialect often becomes the nation's standard language due to geographic, economic, political, and cultural reasons. In Britain, the London dialect's accent became the received standard pronunciation (RP). However, social factors such as urbanization, education, and mass media have caused Standard English to exert a stronger influence on regional dialects in Great Britain in the post-war period.

Recent surveys of British English dialects have shown that many people are bilingual in a way - they use an imitation of RP with their teachers but switch to their local accent when speaking among themselves. This situation can be described as diglossia, where an individual uses both the standard form of a language and a regional dialect in different social contexts.