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　　在中国，普通话作为官方语言的地位日益巩固。然而在英国，为什么大多数的英国人不遵循标准的发音["standard pronunciation" or RP(received pronunciation)]，却喜欢操着一口地方口音呢？难道英国人不认为RP English是"perfectEnglish"吗？可我们中国人学英语伊始接触的却都是RP English呀。学好英语的一个重要标准就是发音准确、纯正，不能南腔北调的。难道这种观念过时了吗？

　　对此，BBC的一位发言人是这么解释的：

　　RP is an expression_r which is used in the media and it's the kind ofEnglish that used to be spoken on television or radio. In fact RPEnglish is not standard English in the sense that it's not whatmost people speak. It's very rare that you'll find someone whoreally speaks RP English, probably the queen is one of the fewpeople who speak that way。

　　请注意，上面这段话中提到RPused to be spoken on television or radio，"used tobe"意味着曾经如此，而现在已经不同了。也就是说，从使用人数这个意义上来说，RP不是标准英语。因为它不能反映绝大多数人的讲话语音。

　　那么，RP是从何而来的？标准英语语音来源于英国等级制度，上层社会一律要服从标准口音模式，这也就是英国女王为什么要是RP口音的原因了。

　　In Britainthere are lots of different accents and dialects. Generallyspeaking you can tell a lot about a person's social, educationaland geographical background from the way he or she speaks。英国社会有许多种口音。一般来说，口音能反映一个人的社会、教育背景和出生地，你也可以通过英国人讲话的口音来判断其所代表的社会等级。

　　In the past the most prestigious accent was what we call RP butthis is no longer as fashionable as it once was。过去曾被公认的高贵语音(即标准语音)，随着社会的发展，已经不再时髦。如今在英国的电视和广播里面，大家可以听到各种各样的口音。媒体也流行起地方口音了。There'sless pressure now to conform。外界压力减小，人们再也不需要循规蹈矩地、拿腔拿调地去模仿标准口音了。

　　人们不再追求往昔的上流口音，这种变化的原因又是什么呢？

　　One of the characteristics of British society is that people areoften very proud of the class that they are from, if they areworking class they are proud of being working class; if they aremiddle class they are quite proud of being middle class; and ifthey are upper class they are proud of being upper class. Theydon't necessarily want to belong to a different class; noteverybody wants to be upper class, in fact some people think thatupper class people are a little bit silly. This is something thatwe sometimes called inverse snobbery。英国社会不再那么强调字正腔圆的纯正语音。每个阶层都为自己的口音感到自豪，而中下阶层也对上层社会的口音表现得不屑一顾。

　　Even for jobinterviews, pronunciation is no longer the key to success. AlisonBurger is working for a recruitment consultancy and she said aslong as you are articulate and eloquent and have the skills, thenyou get the job. 应聘咨询公司的职位，只要发音清楚，吐字清楚，能言善辩，就可以赢得工作。

　　所以，英国现在最流行的口音就是：Don't copyother people's accents, but sometimes adjust your own accentaccording to different situations。以自己的口音为荣，同时又能根据场合调整口音。

　　调查显示，只有百分之三的英国人讲话是标准语音！这么说，我们学英语的人也用不着在语音上下太大的功夫了？Althoughtyou don't have to speak RP, you do need to speak clearly andeffectively. 我们至少要做到articulate and eloquent，口齿清楚并且能言善辩。

　　英国普通话已经不再流行，何时我们电台和广播里的口音也能百家争鸣呢？