Thanks for the link to the website, Bill.

There's a very interesting article here: 'Whatever Happened to Received Pronunication ?' written by Professor John Wells of the Department of Phonetics & Linguists, University College, London, discussing the changes that have taken place in what is/was sometimes called standard or "BBC English" over the 20th century, and the implications of these changes on broadcasting and on the teaching of English.

As far as broadcasting and performance are concerned, I think it's good that attitudes about accent have changed, provided that whichever accent a person is speaking in, it is clear and well enunciated. The only thing I do find disconcerting is when, in a play, a group of actors who are apparently - according to the storyline - all from the same family, but are speaking in very distinct and different regional accents from each other. This summer's touring production of 'Romeo & Juliet' from the Globe had a Romeo with a very marked Glaswegian accent, although none of the other Montagu family spoke that way - and although he played the part wonderfully, it took me a while to set the difference in accent to one side.

- jeanie