Melvyn Bragg good radio 4 prog on received English.

[chasingthedevils]

"The Cumbrian Kid" as we call Bragg, thought that BBC English useage was virtually dead.

I think that is going a bit far. Language is developing but it is still largelay
posh speakers who are at the top/

I was suprised to hear that George Oseborne has had coaching to soften his public school speech......

I find public school accents grate on me....as does Gideon. He changed his name too but try as he might to become more like the common people, he'll always be an arse to me.

Received Pronunciation is a distinct accent, and it has largely died out -think of how odd and strangulated 1950s TV announcers (in full evening dress to boot) sound nowadays.

The accent of "posh" speakers is no longer RP.

I can speak half posh English. I am more likely to do it on the phone.

some posh people are ok Katherine whitehorn, Joan Bakewell

Funniest of all is when an RP speaker attempts French -- vid Katie Boyle MCing the Eurovision many years ago...

Ah, Joan Bakewell. Brings back memories. She went up to Oxford with a strong accent . One day she popped into the bathroom and came out talking "posh" - and a good thing too.

I love nothing more than to hear good English , well spoken , and in received pronunciation.

RP was always the preserve of a very small number of people and its prestige has declined.

I studied the use of t-glottals in English and, though they're usually a marker of lower social class, they're making their way into RP.

More urban pronunciations and dialects are becoming prestigious these days. I think Melvyn is probably right, but I'd have to listen to the show myself (and I will - thanks for telling us about it!).