To encourage my family to speak 'RP'

[user1466795981]

They still have some traces of regional accent.

[squoosh]

Wtf? No one is adding an 'r', they're adding an 'ah'.

It's quite simple really. Lots of people when trying to describe their SE accents via the typed word will write 'ar' when they mean an 'ah' sound. Surprised you've never noticed this.

[Doggity]

CremeEgg It's not wrong, it's a perfectly acceptable regional difference in accent. People who cast aspersions on people's accents usually have an axe to grind.

[MrsMook]

DS is developing an interesting fusion of an accent which results in him going "oop to the barth". DH and I have two very different accents to the local one.

The local accent is quite innocuous and easy to understand. I had issues moving area as a child and ended up being labelled "posh" and constantly "corrected" for my generic southern tones. I've had an easier time moving around to different areas than if I had picked up a strong accent from there though.

My grandad couldn't understand the local accent from two miles up the road to where he'd always lived though! He always complained about them people from Gornal.

[CremeEggThief]

Doggity, I personally can't stand southern English pronunciation of words such as castle, but it really annoys me when people think it's the proper or better pronunciation. It's not. Similarly, aitch is not superior to hatch. Saying cawsul or carsel or aitch does not mean you speak better English than people who speak grammatically correct English with a regional accent.

[CremeEggThief]

Haitch*

[elfycat]

I am trying to discourage the overly long 'i' vowel in the local accent to where we have settled.

DDs counting: One, Two, Three, Four, Foooiiiiyyyyvve, Six, Seven, Eight, Nooooiiiiiyyyyynnnnne, Ten.

Apart from that I'm just trying to get to understandable with no swearing as an outcome (already had one on SLT because of early hearing loss, and the other's a possibility with a lispy thing going on).

Should I be beating them each time I hear an accent?

[unlimiteddilutingjuice]

DS is remarkably resiliant to the local accept (we live in Glasgow) and has picked up an eggagerated version of my own estury accent.
I caught him in the soft play once chasing after a bunch of children and shouting "Giwls! Giwls!" like a cross between Billy Bragg and Benny Hill!

[user1466795981]

Haha Billy Bragg/Benny Hill - love that description!!

[user1466795981]

Elfycat !! - not hard to guess where you're from!!

[Heathen4Hire]

My husband is a born and bred Saaarrrfff Londoner. Within his family and friends when he talks, I only understand 25% of what is said . To me, he talks "proper" . My daughter has a very posh accent, but her friends are also very "proper". I had hoped she would start saying "Orrigh'" and "Oi goth the ump" but it was not to be, how disappointing.

[elfycat]

Where am I then user? (It's OK, you'll not be outing me)

I like living here. I just don't loooiiiiiyyyyykkkeee living here.

[user1466795981]

Heathen I'd say to her "Wossa ma'er wivvya?" - with appropriate glottal stops of course..

[user1466795981]

West Midlands elfy!

[elfycat]

Nope user. I'm off on holiday to West Midland tomorrow though so I'll listen out exotic locations only for me

Suffolk.

[user1466795981]

elfycat - I'd never have guessed Suffolk!!

[Mummyoflittledragon]

Are you Hel-In's MIL? (Helen). You really should learn to say Hel-En.

[TooManyMochas]

RP isn't neutral - its one of a wide range of English accents and has particular class and regional connotations, like all accents. But then 4yo DS seems to be slipping into broadest Hull (our nearest city) at the mo, so we're prob a lost cause as far as the OP is concerned :-p

[user1466795981]

Haha TooManyMochas - I can distinguish the Hull accent from other Yorkshire accent.

My Father is RP currently but the home and area he was brought up in includes an accent which is about as far from 'RP' as you can get - very distinctive regional accent!!

[Idliketobeabutterfly]

Oh dear