It is argued that 'Historically received pronunciation* signified a higher social class than a local accent [...] That was why Margaret Thatcher moved from a Lincolnshire accent to sounding like the Duchess of Devonshire'.1
Another very public figure who has clearly tried to change the way he speaks by having elocution lessons is David Beckham. Compared with 10 years ago, he now sounds like a different person, 'from pure cockney to something approaching received pronunciation'.1
British politicians also change the way they speak, often to hide their privileged backgrounds, in an attempt to reach out to the lower social classes. Just recently, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, while speaking to a group of workers at a supermarket warehouse, began speaking with an estuary accent. This was a suspicious transformation from a man educated at Eton then Oxford University.
How important is pronunciation? Do you believe that people should try to make a concerted effort in the way they pronounce their words?
*Received Pronunciation, or RP for short, is the instantly recognisable accent often described as ‘typically British’. Popular terms for this accent, such as ‘The Queen’s English’, ‘Oxford English’ or ‘BBC English’ are all a little misleading. The Queen, for instance, speaks an almost unique form of English, while the English we hear at Oxford University or on the BBC is no longer restricted to one type of accent.2
