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BBC Advisory Committee on Spoken English

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The BBC Advisory Committee on Spoken English aimed to help BBC broadcasters pronounce words—which were often mispronounced—on air.[1] See Received Pronunciation for more.

History[edit]

The committee existed under this name from the years 1926 to 1939.[1] The committee existed under this name from 1926 until 1934, when it was often referenced as both the Full Committee or the Main Committee.[2] It was then abbreviated to the Spoken English Committee.[2] In 1935, sub-committees were installed, including the Sub-Committee on Words and the Specialist Consultants.[2]

The founding of the BBC Advisory Committee on Spoken English was due in large part to John Reith, who was the BBC's first managing editor.[3] Reith wanted to narrow down on-air pronunciations on his network, and in turn created this committee in an effort to set the standard.[3] The committee's first declarations of pronunciation Dos and Don'ts came in the form of a booklet series which was entitled Broadcast English.[4] The series' first installment was entitled "Words of Doubtful Pronunciation."[4] Although the committee existed to enforce specific pronunciations, there is still uncertainty and inconsistency regarding "proper" pronunciations and if there are in fact any within the English language.[3] Eventually the International Phonetic Alphabet was utilized to aid in pronunciations and lessen deliberations.[2]

Today[edit]

Jürg R. Schwyter wrote a book entitled "Dictating to the Mob: The History of the BBC Advisory Committee on Spoken" which was published in 2016.[2] According to the Oxford University Press, Schwyter's work is the first book written on the history of this committee solely.[5] The Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation is known as the BBC Advisory Committee on Spoken English's predecessor.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "BBC English". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Schwyter, Jürg R. (1 May 2016). Dictating to the Mob. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198736738.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-873673-8.
  3. ^ a b c Schwyter, Jürg Rainer (2008). "Setting a Standard: Early BBC Language Policy and the Advisory Committee on Spoken English". AAA: Arbeiten aus Anglistik und Amerikanistik. 33 (2): 217–250. ISSN 0171-5410. JSTOR 26430873.
  4. ^ a b c Linguism, Graham Pointon- (November 2006). "The Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation | Linguism | Linguistics, Pronunciation and Phonetics". Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  5. ^ Dictating to the Mob: The History of the BBC Advisory Committee on Spoken English. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. 26 July 2016. ISBN 978-0-19-873673-8.
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