The main changes in Received Pronunciation.

The main changes that have recently taken place in RP are as fol­lows:

1. The diphthongization of the RP [i:] and fu:] which in final posi­tion are often pronounced with a glide (e.g. see [sij], who [huu]).

2. Monophthongization of [ai] and [аи] when followed by [a] (e.g.
tower [Чаиэ] > [Чаа], fire ffaia] > ffaa]; now usually tran­
scribed as f fa(i)e]).

3. The centering of former [ou] to [аи]. As A. Gimson writes, "it is
perhaps the most striking of the changes which have affected
the pronunciation of British English in recent times".

4. A greater weakening of vowels in weakly stressed syllables,
which results in the use of the neutral [э] where the more con­
servative form had and has the stronger [i], e.g. believe
[ba'lkv] along with [bfli:v], interesting fmtrastirj] along with
f intnstirj].

But RP does not accept a loss of the [a] - [i] distinction in final open syllables (e.g. between better ["beta] and Betty f beti], dollar f d^la] and dolly f d^li]). RP retains [l] in such mor­pheme endings as ~ed, -es, e.g. matted fmsetid], teaches fti:t f iz](as opposed to mattered fmsetad], teachers [ ti:tfaz]).

5. The assimilation of the following sounds: [sj] > [ [] , [zj] > [3],

[tj] ^> [t []» [dj] > [d-5] ' (e.g. issue, crozier, situation, education). Such assimilation can occur even on the borderline of two

words, e.g. makes you fmeik fju:], as you [ae> ju:], what you [^_wDt fju:], did you [⁴did3u:].

5. The final [b], [d], [g] are now partly devoiced. But the distinc­
tions between [b] - [p], [d] - [t], [g] - [k] are just as clearly
marked, because [p], [t], [k] are fortis, while [b], [d], [g] are
lenis (cf. cab - cap, had - hat, bag - back).

6. The use of the intrusive [r], which some 20-30 years was care­
fully avoided by RP speakers.

Nowadays RP tolerates the intrusive [r] in such phrases as the idea [r] of it, Asia [r] and Africa, drama [r] and music.

The rhythmic tendency.

The rhythmic tendency, which causes the secondary stress(es) to appear in polysyllabic words, remains a strong one and affects the stress patterns of a large number of words in modern English. Thus, in some polysyllabic words there is a tendency nowadays to avoid a succession of weak syllables, especially if these have [a] or [l]. As a result, there ap-

¹ In early New English (16^th - 17^th centuries) there was the same tendency for assimilation which took place in such words as pressure, pleasure, nature, procedure and contributed to their modern pronunciation.

pears a stress shift with a rhythmic alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables. This tendency is clearly evident in the new pronunciation of the following words:

' exquisite  ^                  ov ex 'quisite  —'—

'precedence                      or pre 'cedence

sonorous                         or so norous

'capitalist -I-                ov capitalist —'--------

controversy                      or con' troversy

'hospitable                       or ho 'spitable

, articu 'latory -\- '------------------ or яг, ticu 'latory —|--- '------

This contradicts another tendency in English known as the reces­sive tendency, according to which the stress tends to fall on the first syl­lable with the exception of words with prefixes of no special meaning (e.g. he'come, in'deed, for'give, be'hind). Nevertheless, the new variants of pronunciation of these words and many more English words have been accepted and included in Everyman's English Pronouncing Dictionary by D. Jones as either second or even first variants of pronunciation. Some of these variants have gained widespread acceptance and are now recog­nized by most dictionaries (e.g. ex'quisite, controversy, ho'spitable), others are still on the periphery of RP (e.g. pre'cedence, capitalist).