8/2/2019 70509250 Excerpt From Progress to Proficiency 2[1]

1/1

We are normally quick ro observe regional variations in the use of the nationallanguage, but we fedlessstrongly about these than we do about dass divisions in speech. lfwe speak with a Lancashire accent, wewill often be good-hurnoured and only slighdy derisive when we hear the accent of Wolverhampton orTyneside. Sometimes we will even express a strong adrniration of alien forms of English - chespeech of theScottish Highlands, for instance, or Canadian as opposed toAmerican. Bur we fed very differently aboutEnglish speech when ir seems to be a badge or banner of c1ass.The dialect known variously as the Queen'sEnglish or BBC English or Standard English was, originally, a pure regional form - so-called East MidlandEnglish, with no claim ro any special intrinsic merit. But ir was spoken in an area that was, and srill is,socially and economically pre-eminent - che area which contains London, Oxford, and Cambridge. Thusit gained a special glamour as the language of the Court and che language of learning. Ir has ever since -

1often falsely - been associated with wealth, position, and education - the supra-regional dialect of themasters, while me regional dialects remain the property of the meo. Incertain industrial areas it can stillexcite resentment, despite me fact that it no longer necessarily goes along with power or privilege.

from L an gu ag e Made P la in byAnrhony Burgess1 According to the writer, a rural accent may sound attractive, but it may also be ...A admired e funnyB looked down on D hard to understand

2 Our judgements on words we like or dislike are often based 00 a word's ...A sound e associationsB origins D beauty or uglioess

3 British accents show which regioo the person comes frorn, but may also show their ...A education e genderB age D social class

4 A persoo with a regional accent may have less power than someone who ...A has been well-educated e uses Standard EoglishB has no accent D lives in London

5 Ifsomeone speaks with a Standard English accent (R.P.) they ...A will be admired by everyone e show that they are well-educatedB show that they have power D may be disliked in some regiooso Highlight these words in the text and match them with the words with similar meanings below:~l objective p re ju dic e in str uc tiv e ~3 associa tions (orm ulate aesthetic pet~2 e xh ila ra tin g e up ho ria m itig ate d ~4 derisive badge in trinsic the men excitearouse artistic biashappiness impartial

devise emblem favouriteworkers stimulating

connotations contemptuousinherent moderated revealingo HU Discuss your reactions to the texto Do people inyour country share similar prejudicesabout foreign languages and regional accents?o _J I Write a summary of the British attitudes to regional accents and dialects described by thewriter (50-70 words).

-ing and te GRAMMAR REVISION" U Discuss the difference inmeaning between these sentences. Then decide how each one

might continue, as in the examples.1 a They weot on running .. ) ( .l r J . . t . h ! ! y g . . . .th.~~.. b They went 00 to run . .... f iy . C ( . . . r Y . l { ) r . : ~ . . f .( ! il ~ .

. Y . Y . ~ t : . ~ . . .iir.~,.2 a We stopped to take photos but .3 a Did you remember to send the fax or ?4 a 1 can't help you to feel better but .5 a I'm not used to using a fountain pen but .6 a She heard him scream, but .

b We stopped takiog photos but .b Do you remember sending the fax or ?b 1 can't help feeling better, but .b 1 used to use a fountain pen but .b She heard him screaming, but .

4

47