THE OXFORD ACCENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 296, 14 December 1922, Page 7

THE OXFORD ACCENT.

ITS DANGERS. G.B.S. UTTERS A WARNING, li (From Onr Special Correspondent? LONDON, Decemlber 5. The Dominion has been saved fronr the awful fate which has overwhelmed Australia, which, now has a rampant and obstructive Cockney accent. Still therff are difficulties and it behoves your correspondent to tell you of a recent move ment here towards the establishment ol a standard accent. A -meeting was held last night af", University College, London, Mr. Bexu-* ard Shaw (being in the chair. Mr. Shaw seemed prejudiced against" the --Oxford" accent and said: "It i"t quite possible that any one speaking in this way might Ibe knocked, down in a mining village." Mr. Shaw regards Forties Rc/bertson's as the ideal. ""His pronunciation goe» all over the world unchallenged—even i» America. I would suggest that a, gramophone record should be made and. these words attached to it—'This is the' way Forties Robertson speaks. Speak in the same way and your social position will never be challenged.' " Mr. Shaw has difficulty in getting actors and actresses to speak just as h»" ■wants them. 'He declared that it should be ipossfble for the author to write in some sort of script that would convey to the actor as much as the script of Wagner conveyed to the musician. "I don't want actors or actresses to understand my plays," he asserted, "that isn't necessary. If they will only produce tlie correct sounds I can gruarant.ee the result." The lecturer at this meeting, Professor Jones, declared that a standard pronunciation would make intercourse easier. "Often in the North of iEngland," he said, "I have had to ask people to repeat what they have 6aid, I don't suppose that a London elementary school boy could possibly understand aa Edinburgh elementary school boy." The public scnool iboy, ("by this tha lecturer meant those at the great Eng* lish schools of Eton and Harrow, not the State schools) he continued had the most uniform pronunciation, Thoseeducated in them no matter from what part of tihe country they came, had no difficulty in understanding each other. Next in order -of uniformity came the secondary school pronunciation. At tha bottom of the scale came tha Joea* dialects. } On the question of ■"-rmrt are caTle/ social dialects, 'Professor Jones affirmed) that pronunciation often made -hh-g difference 'between getting a job or no( getting it. *T know of a. case," he said, "where j two men—one with first-rate qualifies ■, tions and a fljad' pronunciation, and tfln other with third rate qualifications an 4 a good pronunciation—appllied for tilt ■ same jcrb." [ "The man Tith the third rate qua}}, fixations got it."