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Received Pronunciation (RP): The Classic British Accent

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Received Pronunciation, often called RP, BBC English, or the Queen's English, is the prestige accent of British English. While only about 3% of the UK population speaks pure RP, it remains the most widely taught British accent worldwide.

Key Features of RP

1. Non-Rhoticity


RP speakers do not pronounce /r/ after vowels:
  • "car" = /kɑː/ (no "r" sound)

  • "farmer" = /ˈfɑːmə/

  • "harbour" = /ˈhɑːbə/

    • 2. The TRAP-BATH Split


    Words like "bath", "grass", "dance" use the long /ɑː/ vowel:
  • "bath" = /bɑːθ/ (not /bæθ/)

  • "dance" = /dɑːns/

  • "glass" = /ɡlɑːs/

    • 3. Clear Consonants


    RP maintains clear pronunciation of /t/ between vowels:
  • "better" = /ˈbetə/ (no flapping)

  • "water" = /ˈwɔːtə/

  • "letter" = /ˈletə/

    • 4. Long Vowels


    RP features distinctly lengthened vowels in certain positions:
  • FLEECE: /iː/ as in "see"

  • GOOSE: /uː/ as in "food"

  • NURSE: /ɜː/ as in "bird"

    • How RP Differs from American English

    The most notable differences include the treatment of post-vocalic /r/, vowel quality in the BATH and LOT sets, and distinctive intonation patterns.

    Practise the lines

    Record yourself in Practice against an RP reference. The score estimates which words were recognised. It does not measure how close the accent is.

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