2-1 RP

Question 1

Phonemic differences
LOT CLOTH
CURE

Answer 1

• LOT, CLOTH :

Mainstream RP and Contemporary RP → /ɒ/

CLOTH : long in Conservative RP → /ɔː/
vs. Short in LOT → /ɒ/

• Loss of /ʊə/ in CURE in Mainstream and Contemporary RP
  /ʊə/ → /ɔː/
  poor, sure, cure, your(s), you’re

Question 2

Realisational differences

happy

Answer 2

• Mainstream RP : [i]  neutralised i
  happy, naughty, happier, happiest

Conservative RP : [ɪ] or [e] or [ɛ]

Contemporary RP : [i], often moving to [i:]

→ happY (unstressed)

Question 3

Realisational differences
dress

Answer 3

Mainstream and Contemporary
RP : [ɛ]
* Conservative RP : [e]

Question 4

Realisational differences
trap

Answer 4

Mainstream RP : [æ] - [a]
* Contemporary RP : [a]
* Conservative RP : [ɛ] : cap, bat, man…
→ * The Queen: bad vs. bed !!
(Another conservative variant [ɛæ] )

Question 5

Realisational differences
foot

Answer 5

• Usually [ʊ]
• Contemporary RP can be [ɯ] (no lip rounding)
• Or it can be centralised
  → With lip rounding [ʉ]
  → With no lip rounding[ɨ]
  Ex. foot [ˈfʉt], [ˈfɨt]

Question 6

Realisational differences
BATH, START, PALM

Answer 6

Conservative and Mainstream RP : Contemporary RP [ɑː], even for BATH (ask-words)

• Contemporary RP: some speakers have [æ] or [a], particularly in front of a nasal (ex. chance, dance, sample)

after, ask, answer..

Question 7

Realisational differences
FLEECE

Answer 7

Conservative RP : [iː]
However, it’s rarely a monophthong
→ diphthongization

Contemporary RP [ɪi]

Steve, please, cheese..

Question 8

Realisational differences
GOAT

Answer 8

Conservative RP : [eʊ] or [ɛʊ]

Mainstream and Contemporary RP → [əʊ]
Contemporary RP in front of [ɫ] (dark L)

→ [ɒʊ] (roll [ˈrɒʊɫ], old [ˈɒʊɫd])

([əʊ] in this position often a sign of Conservative
or Adoptive RP)

Question 9

Realisational differences
GOOSE

Answer 9

Conservative RP : [uː]

Mainstream and Contemporary RP : centralization
to [ʉː] and rarely a pure monophthong
except in front of [l]

Question 10

Realisational differences
PRICE

Answer 10

Conservative and Mainstream RP : [aɪ]
Contemporary RP : [ʌɪ]

Question 11

Realisational differences
SQUARE

Answer 11

Mainstream RP : [eə]
Contemporary RP: monophthong [ɛː]

care, prayer, hair..

Question 12

Realisational differences
NEAR - SQUARE – CURE

Answer 12

Conservative RP
The centring diphtongs of NEAR, SQUARE, CURE have a very open second element

near : nɪɒ
where we

Question 13

Consonants
rhoticity

Answer 13

All varieties of RP are non rhotic
No post-vocalic /r/ : hard
But ‘linking [r] between two words if the second
word starts with a vowel. → capenteR And baker ; to touR A country

Question 14

/r/

Answer 14

Intrusive [r] in Mainstream and Contemporary RP
It appears beween two words, and sometimes
between two syllables, in intervocalic position
after

Absence of intrusive [r] is a sign of Contemporary or
Adoptive RP
→ laW And order, the ideA Of it, Shah

Instead of the approximant , /r/ is realised as an
alveolar flap intervocally after a stressed
vowel.
very [veɾi]
sorry [sɒɾi]

Also in some consonant clusters :
three [θɾi:]
crate [kɾeit]

Question 15

/j/

Answer 15

/j/ coalescence in stressed syllables

Palatalisation of /j/ in Cju sequences is very common in Contemporary RP, even in stressed syllables (also called yod coalescence).

tune : ˈtjuːn → Contemporary RP [ˈtʃuːn]

dune : ˈdjuːn → Contemporary RP [ˈdʒuːn ]

reduce : rɪˈdjuːs→ Contemporary RP [ rɪˈdʒuːs]

Question 16

/t/

Answer 16

In Contemporary RP, /t/ is sometimes realised as an alveolar flap [ɾ] intervocally at the
beginning of unstressed syllables.
potato [pəˈteɪtəʊ] vs [pəˈteɪɾəʊ]
excited [əkˈsaɪtɪd] vs [əkˈsaɪɾɪd]

It is sometimes realised as a glottal stop [ʔ] at the end of words or at the end of a
syllable in front of a consonant – but not beween vowels in Contemporary RP.
eat [ i:ʔ]
batman [‘bæʔmn]
print them [prɪnʔðəm ]

Question 17

Suprasegmental level
Intonation

Answer 17

In Contemporary RP, there is occasional use of a High Rising Terminal (HRT) in declaratives (a declarative i a sentence that is not a question).

• This is progressing everywhere, and also a little in Contemporary RP.

The rise begins on the nucleus of the intonation unit.