towers

Call it RP or BBC English I've heard a few people of late mention it comes in for a bit of stick down under where it can be perceived as aloof or even the "dreaded" posh.

Speaking as a TCK (trans-culture kid) you tend to be a chameleon when it comes to accents; affecting the "prestige" of your voice for a given situation. But I'm under no illusion that at rest I'd harbour a fairly entrenched RP tone.

I should add I'm a big boy these days and love a bit of banter (I've lived in Ireland where the added historical context makes the potential for a bit of invective more likely) - but I was just curious about BE.com's experiences.

So, do Australians care?

Deancm_MKII

The vast majority of Australians wouldn't know what RP is. As far as they're concerned it's a Pommy accent, irrespective of where it comes from.

eddie007

I think the BBC has had enough Sarf Londonesque Childrens TV presenters over the last 20 years or so for it NOT to be too much of an issue nowadays

Amazulu

And until a minute ago, neither did I.

ozzieeagle

I doubt if the average Aus would know anything about it. The only issue could be with other UK migrants.

It's far more about how you interact over here than how you sound.

Amazulu

I agree, Poms are too hung up on how you speak, when it should be about what you have to say.

ozzieeagle

Yehp will admit it was one of the lessons I had to take on board. I was used to my London accent being seen as rather desirable back in the UK.... Or that was the way I felt about it at least.

It means stuff all over here. As far as I'm concerned, it's caused an improvement in my Outlook. Took me a while to take onboard.

fish.01

I'm Australian and I certainly would be more attuned to your attitude. A posh pommy does have to be extra careful IMO. In some circles the English have a reputation for arrogance and RP might prove to be the tipping point for that finely balanced chip on our shoulder Of course a winning personality outranks everything

towers

I guess with a bit of cop-on you'd be grand. After all there's always going to be the "finely balanced Australian" to worry about i.e. ones with a chip on both shoulders, but they're best avoided at any rate.

fish.01

I think your chameleon skin is on the blink...you're throwing Irish phrases at an Aussie.

towers

You got me there!

Need to work on my aussie banter - though maybe using this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEaBcdIfNMU for pointers may be asking for trouble...

fish.01

Oh I don't know...might be an improvement

Welshie

Considering I'm Welsh I have a very BBC English voice and I have never met one aussie who doesn't like it....they love it...they do ask if I'm english though and when I tell them I'm Welsh they love it. I do find that the 'English' get more of a hard time over here than say the Scots, Irish and Welsh. Its the English that get classed the arrogant? Sorry Poms....but its just the way, not my opinion

towers

Being mixed race (parents Scottish and English - not very exotic) and raised as British rather than anything regional tends to engender a certain amount of consternation amongst those who ask after my nationality.

Replying that you're British never really suffices, and I can understand that - but sometimes you just want to wave your BRITISH passport in air and say LOOK, it really is true!

BadgeIsBack

Person not accent. Might be worth pointing out there is an Antipodean variant of RP too - I have been here long enough to recognize it when I see it. Some of my wife's friends have it.

Also found in certain professions.

Loads of middle-class Australians in Melbourne have very pleasant speaking voices - people are making a mistake if they think it is all strine.