phonology 讲义.docxVIP

英语的世界性分布Geographical distributionCountries which regard English as a primary language or mother tongue English phonologyis the study of the sound system (phonology) of the English language. Like many languages, English has wide variation in pronunciation, both historically and from dialect to dialect. In general, however, the major regional dialects of English are mutually intelligible.英语并没有决定性和国际承认的标准，所以不同国家的英语有时可能妨碍沟通。虽然如此，不同地区的英语口音仍能互相理解。Although there are many dialects of English, the following are usually used as prestige or standard accents: Received Pronunciation for the United Kingdom, General American for the United States, and General Australian for Australia.Received Pronunciation for the United Kingdomreceived adj.被一般承认的,被认为标准的RPReceived Pronunciation (RP), also called the Queens (or Kings) English,[1]Oxford English[2] or BBC English, is the accent of Standard English in England, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms.[3] RP is defined in the Concise Oxford Dictionary as the standard accent of English as spoken in the south of England,[4] but some have argued that it can be heard from native speakers throughout England and Wales.[5][6] Although there is nothing intrinsic about RP that marks it as superior to any other variety, sociolinguistic factors have given Received Pronunciation particular prestige in parts of Britain.[7] It has thus been the accent of those with power, money and influence since the early to mid 20th century, though it has more recently been criticised as a symbol of undeserved privilege.[8] However, since the 1960s, a greater permissiveness towards allowing regional English varieties has taken hold in education[9] and the media in Britain; in some contexts conservative RP is now perceived negatively.[10]StatusTraditionally, Received Pronunciation was the everyday speech in the families of Southern English persons whos