1. The Influence of the Court and Upper Classes:
* Middle Ages: The Norman Conquest of 1066 brought French-speaking nobles to England. Their influence, particularly in the royal court, elevated the prestige of Parisian French, impacting the language and pronunciation of the elite.
* Early Modern Period: The Tudor monarchs, particularly Henry VIII, sought to establish a unified national language and a standard pronunciation. This led to the rise of the courtly speech of London as the ideal.
* 19th Century: The growth of the British Empire and the rise of public schools (like Eton and Harrow) contributed further to the prominence of RP. These institutions, frequented by the upper classes, reinforced a specific way of speaking that became associated with prestige and power.
2. The Role of the Public Schools:
* Public schools became a breeding ground for a standardized pronunciation due to their boarding system, which fostered close interaction among students from different regions. They played a crucial role in transmitting the "correct" way of speaking.
* The rise of phonetics in the late 19th century further contributed to the codification of RP, with linguists like Daniel Jones focusing on its features and defining it in his influential "English Pronouncing Dictionary."
3. The Impact of Broadcasting and the BBC:
* The advent of radio and television in the 20th century solidified RP's position as the standard pronunciation. The BBC, in its early days, employed announcers with prestigious accents, contributing to the widespread association of RP with education, intelligence, and authority.
4. Evolution and Change:
* While RP has remained influential, it's not static. It has evolved over time, with the influence of popular culture and regional dialects gradually impacting its features.
* The emergence of "Estuary English" and other accents in the latter half of the 20th century suggest that RP's dominance might be waning.
In Summary:
The origins of RP lie in a complex interplay of social, historical, and linguistic factors. It emerged from a confluence of the court's influence, public school education, and later, the broadcasting power of the BBC. While RP continues to hold a significant place in British society, its dominance has been challenged by the emergence of other prestigious and regionally-specific accents.