Received Pronunciation (RP), also called the Queen’s (or King’s) English,[1] Oxford English or BBC English, is the accent of Standard English in England, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms. RP is defined in the Concise Oxford Dictionary as “the standard accent of English as spoken in the south of England”, but some have argued that it can be heard from native speakers throughout England and Wales. Sociolinguistic factors have given Received Pronunciation particular prestige in parts of Britain.It has thus been the accent of those with power, money and influence since the early to mid 20th century, though it has more recently been criticised as a symbol of undeserved privilege. However, since the 1960s, a greater permissiveness towards allowing regional English varieties has taken hold in educationand the media in Britain; in some contexts conservative RP is now perceived negatively.
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