cut-glass accents

[Andy008]

Why do "posh" people, and especially those educated at traditional public school, often have a stereotypical cut-glass accent, irrespective of where in the country they come from? i.e. where does it originate from, as it does not seem to be regional?

[Ethel]

It is a complex subject but this should be informative:

http://www.yaelf.com/rp.shtml

[WendyS]

Perhaps they all have elocution lessions and spend an hour every evening reciting "The Rain in Spain falls mainly on the Plain". I think the worst "posh" accent I've ever heard has been the one spoken by a chap whose name I can't remember who is a familiar art critic who sounds as if he has a whole blancmange in his mouth !. At the other end of the scale I find some regional accents pretty awful too. I know they can't help it but Ant & Dec make me want to throw a brick through the TV screen.

[WendyS]

Just remembered - it's Brian Sewell. If you want to see what I mean, turn the sound up on your computer and go to:

http://www.briansewell.co.uk/brian-sewell-written-word/b rian-sewell-soundboard.html

[WendyS]

Sorry, I cut & pasted the link and it takes you to a completely irrelevant site, but honestly, I did find something on his site somewhere which gave his spoken voice.

[joko]

I am from the outskirts of liverpool, and my mum was from wigan and she spent most of our childhood trying to make us talk like a 1950s bbc announcer. it drove us mad, and is not easy when you are constantly surrounded by an accent.

all her sisters talk with a proper wigan accent

she gave up eventually and even stopped speaking like that herself.

people in liverpool normally consider my accent very very mild, but out of liverpool, it is noticable