Critical analysis of a webography

Topic of the Webography: BBC English

Address: http://www.receivedpronunciation.comli.com/

1. The analyzed webography is divided between four main categories: Sites, Articles, Books and Videos.

2. Site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/yourvoice/rpandbbc.shtml - "RP and BBC English"

This site contains an explanation on what is Received Pronunciation (RP), a form of standardisation of the british accent, and its relation to the idea of BBC English. The concept of RP, according to the website, has connotations of prestige, authority, privilege and arrogance, once the concept of the accent is based on that of the higher social strata, usually located on the richest regions of England. It is said to be, sometimes, a way of "speaking without an accent", an idea that is rejected in the text. In the following section, the site explains what is BBC English : another term for RP, that is associated with the BBC because, for a certain period, it was the only accent allowed to be spoken in the broadcaster's shows. The final portion of the text questions the need to perpetuate the concepts of RP and BBC English. The site is, overall, useful for a superficial understanding of what is RP and BBC English, and also contains a critical approach of the matter, rather than just exposing data on the subject.

Article: http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/rphappened.htm - "Whatever Happened to Received Pronunciation?" - J. C. Wells, UCL.

In this article, Wells discusses the use of RP as a standard for EFL teaching. Through the article, the author exposes three different definitions of RP, fifteen ways in which it has changed and seven words that have taken on a new shape. Wells defends the need of updating RP English if it is to be used as a standard for EFL teaching, once language itself changes and standards should follow the main trends in a language. The article is well-organized and useful for a deeper understanding of RP, concerning a very pertinent topic