Scots' changing their accent

[mafto]

I've spent a few months in Scotland and even if I hadn't I'd probably have thought that they must be (and now I know they really are) exposed to RP a lot. So, when they are perfectly familiar with it, the question is - can they speak it? Well I'm sure they can if they practice a lot - Scottish actors definitely can get rid of their accent but I mean if they can speak RP without having to practice it very much. Or can they just understand it and recognize its sounds but cannot speak like that?
Actually I'm writing my diploma thesis and it is a bit related to this, though not to Scottish accent in particular. It's about speakers' attitudes to American and British English accents. So I beg all UK citizens whose mother tongue is English to take a questionnaire for my thesis. It won't take you more than 2 minutes and it's HUGE help to me. Of course you can also spread it among your acquaintances. Thank you.

here's the link:

Survey A Survey on Accent Attitudes of UK Citizens - iAnkety.sk

Please if you aren't an English-native-speaking citizen of the UK do not complete the questionnaire. It would spoil the survey. This one is designated for UK citizens. If some American would like to take another questionnaire, just let me know and I'll send you the link. But I have enough American respondents but serious problem with having enough UK people. Thank you very very much.

 

[BobK]

Some authorities divide RP into RBP and RSP (spoken by Lord Reith - ironically, given that RP is sometimes called 'BBC English - John Reith, 1st Baron Reith - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia'). Some Scots speakers (esp. those living in Edinburgh) use RSP; as a result, most Scots are exposed to RSP. Those with a TV tuned to the right channel may also be exposed to RBP.

b

 

[mafto]

Some authorities divide RP into RBP and RSP (spoken by Lord Reith - ironically, given that RP is sometimes called 'BBC English - John Reith, 1st Baron Reith - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia'). Some Scots speakers (esp. those living in Edinburgh) use RSP; as a result, most Scots are exposed to RSP. Those with a TV tuned to the right channel may also be exposed to RBP.

b

Thanks for the comment
This is quite interesting to me; I don't think I've ever heard of RSP. And I'm not saying you're wrong about saying that Scots are exposed to RSP. Why would I - I believe it's true. But that doesn't mean that they are not exposed to RBP. At least my experience with them did not prove it. They listened to some BBC Radio 1 or 2 or some British station, not to a Scottish one. So I've been wondering if they just (for any reason) coul imitate RP.

 

[mafto]

And to react on a particular questionnaire - perhaps the lady will know I'm talking about hers if she reads this (there were only 2 questionnaires answered since yesterday night and only one of them done by a lady, so she should know) - I did not mean in the least that Scottish people should try to imitate RP (or RBP, to be a quick learner and incorporate a new piece of information into my comment), neither I meant to suggest that it would be better (for them? for anybody) to speak in RBP. No, that's not the case, of course. I was just curious if they could do it - I started up from the hypothesis (which may not be true and in many cases probably is not true, as said by BobK) that they are exposed to RBP since their early childhood - so that it could be like their...well...another dialect of their mother tongue. Well...it really is another dialect, but I mean a dialect that they grow up with.
This topic does not deal with appropriateness or prestige of any dialect or anything like that.
And thank you very much for filling in my questionnaire and that you not only answered the short multiple choices questions but also many thanks for the comments you wrote and the critical approach you took. I do appreciate it very much.
And you, dear others, are invited to complete the questionnaire, too. It takes only a short while, no email address required, no personal data (well, some demographic data are needed, but that's nothing private) required, so it's a very simple way how to make a good deed of enormous value. If you are an English-native-speaking citizen of the UK, please, take the questionnaire over here: Survey A Survey on Accent Attitudes of UK Citizens - iAnkety.sk

 

[BobK]

Thanks for the comment
This is quite interesting to me; I don't think I've ever heard of RSP. And I'm not saying you're wrong about saying that Scots are exposed to RSP. Why would I - I believe it's true. But that doesn't mean that they are not exposed to RBP. At least my experience with them did not prove it. They listened to some BBC Radio 1 or 2 or some British station, not to a Scottish one. So I've been wondering if they just (for any reason) do it.

:up: A few years ago I found (and bookmarked - which was OK until Dell 'support' got to work and screwed up my backups :-() a site that treated each phoneme of RSP, with point-and-click audio). I tried to find it again yesterday, but it seemed that Google had never heard of it - or perhaps relegated it to page 149 of the several million hits they had for other sorts of RSP! The page may still be out there somewhere, but with arts funding going the way it's been going of late, someone may have pulled the plug on it.)

b

 

[birdeen's call]

Have you watched The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, BobK? Is it RSP what they speak? I've come across the term, but I'm not sure if I understand what it means.

I've dug up an old paper (it never stops to surprise me what I'm keeping in my drawers) that is supposed to treat of the differences and similarities between Scottish English and RP. I'll see if there's anything interesting there.

 

[BobK]

Have you watched The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, BobK? Is it RSP what they speak? I've come across the term, but I'm not sure if I understand what it means.

I've dug up an old paper (it never stops to surprise me what I'm keeping in my drawers) that is supposed to treat of the differences and similarities between Scottish English and RP. I'll see if there's anything interesting there.

That's sounds like it - yes :up:. (I haven't read the book, but I've seen the Maggie Smith film.)

You need to be aware - if you're not already ;-) - that there is Scottish English and there is Scots (which is very different and has its own organization called Wir Ain Leed - 'Our Own Tongue' - see more at Wir Ain Leed - An introduction to Modern Scots.

(There is also Scots Gaelic, which isn't related to English at all.)

b