<p dir="ltr">'Oh, bugger orf!' We all know Received Pronunciation when we hear it. But what makes this accent distinctive? Why do people still pay to learn how to speak RP – and does it really bring the advantages it used to?</p> <p dir="ltr">Ros Taylor talks to voice coach and actor Alix Dunmore and Professor of Phonetics Jane Setter about how to spot an RP speaker – and how the accent has changed over the past century.</p> <p dir="ltr">Speeches by Lord Brabazon of Tara and Lord Wedgwood are taken from a <a href= "https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/1943-01-19/debates/aa081774-20de-47b5-8b4a-e7c13b93092e/EducationImportanceOfPhonetics"> Lords debate in 1943</a> and are voiced by historian <a href= "https://www.sethalexanderthevoz.com/">Seth Thévoz</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Alix Dunmore runs <a href= "https://www.alixdunmoreaccentcoaching.com/">Alix Dunmore Accent Coaching</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.reading.ac.uk/elal/staff/professor-jane-setter">Jane Setter</a> is Professor of Phonetics at the University of Reading. She is the author of <a href= "https://global.oup.com/academic/product/your-voice-speaks-volumes-9780192843029?lang=en&cc=gb"> Your Voice Speaks Volumes: It's not what you say but how you say it</a>, the Cambridge Handbook of Phonetics and the Oxford Handbook of Language and Prejudice, as well as co-editor of the Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary.</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRP-o6Q85s">Queen Elizabeth II's 1957 Christmas speech</a> is available at the Royal Family YouTube channel. Prince William' interview is <a href= "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2r3k0d2e5o">here</a>. 1943 BBC Archive audio is on <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/1943-bbc-newsreaders-accents/424843444759346/"> Facebook</a>, as is <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/suleman.modan.355/videos/daniel-craig-speaking-in-his-scouse-accent-bond-the-liverpool-fan-epl-ynwa-lfc-%EF%B8%8F/8802639616524537/"> Daniel Craig reverting to Scouse</a>. The BBC has <a href= "https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20220915-what-the-queens-english-told-us-about-a-changing-world"> investigated</a> how Queen Elizabeth's accent changed during her reign. Stephen Fry, an RP speaker, hosted an entertaining <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozbwlh2ULnM">episode</a> of Fry's English Delight about spoken English.</p> <p> </p>