‘It is important that we teach children that, to get on, they must speak Standard English with an RP accent’
It has been statistically proven that different accents are desirable in different scenarios. The Devon accent was voted with 65% of votes as the friendliest, whereas unsurprisingly RP had 62% of votes for most intelligent. On the other hand, accents such as scouse and brummie are perceived to be less intelligent and trustworthy. 8 out of 10 employers admit that regional accents have an impact on a person’s employability, which poses the importance of the above question.
English pronunciation differs depending on your regional location, with schools in the Midlands teaching the pronunciation of the letter U differently to those in a school in East Anglia - but regardless of the pronunciation the main bulk of children’s English is taught the same, as they will all have to take near enough the same exam at the end of their school career. This means that all young people are aware of the same standard English needed but those from areas with more distinct accents are automatically less privileged than those with a more ‘typical’ RP accent.
I believe that statistically children should be encouraged to know about tone and register. Learning that in order to get on with life you should know exactly how to talk professionally to employers. Although talking professionally shouldn't necessarily mean taking away your accent instead you should know when to decrease your dialect to one with a more standard english. If a child grows to believe their accent is wrong or hated it can result in long founded issues related to their confidence, choosing to change it therefore moving away from their heritage.
