# data[].attributes.body
While RP has historical significance and practical advantages as a teaching model, I think, that it is essential to incorporate a broader perspective on English pronunciation. Recognizing and valuing regional dialects alongside RP can provide learners with a more inclusive and realistic understanding of English as a global language.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that English lessons should convey an idea of the historical development of the English language, in order to not only better understand the language itself, but also the history that led to its present day form and structure. Then, I would like to raise their awareness for the different local and regional Englishes, not only in the world, but in Great Britain as well.

# data[].attributes.body
As a teacher, I would present my students with short videos containing different English dialects. Preferably, those videos would contain typical structures from that country/region in the background. The students would have a worksheet on which the world map is shown to them. They would have to try to situate each dialect on the map. By this manner, it builds on their prior knowledge. Afterwards, to wake them up, they would have to stand up. I would ask them how hard it was to understand dialect XY, and they would have to situate themselves accordingly in the room (ex.: Having great difficulties? --> Stand by the door …) Afterwards, I would let them choose a dialect in which they would have to write a dialogue. If the whole class chooses the same dialogue (which I sincerely hope won't be the case), the whole class works on one big dialogue.

# data[].attributes.body
AWARENESS

First, I would like to make them aware of the fact that there are different English dialects by letting them listen to different dialects (not only different English dialects spoken by native speakers, but also English spoken by other mother tongues (Asian, African, South American etc.)

CLOSER ANALYSIS

In addition, the students are able to guess where the people are originally from and why they might speak English with that accent (little analysis of the phonetics). Having shown them that the geography plays a big part, I would like to make them familiar with the history of English or more precisely, giving them insights of the history of the three most known Englishes (USA, Britain, Australia).

DIY

I would also like to show them that trying to imitate those different dialects is fun but difficult. Therefore, I imagine that I summarize different rules and then the students try to talk according to them (most known example: the pronunciation of the word “water”).

J.Widmer

# data[].attributes.body
AWARENESS

First, I would like to make them aware of the fact that there are different English dialects by letting them listen to different dialects (not only different English dialects spoken by native speakers, but also English spoken by other mother tongues (Asian, African, South American etc.)

CLOSER ANALYSIS

In addition, the students are able to guess where the people are originally from and why they might speak English with that accent (little analysis of the phonetics). Having shown them that the geography plays a big part, I would like to make them familiar with the history of English or more precisely, giving them insights of the history of the three most known Englishes (USA, Britain, Australia).

DIY

I would also like to show them that trying to imitate those different dialects is fun but difficult. Therefore, I imagine that I summarize different rules and then the students try to talk according to them (most known example: the pronunciation of the word “water”).

J.Widmer

# data[].attributes.body
Personally I think the shift from RP to EE is reasonable because if you want to communicate in English speaking countries, many people use accents and not the "proper" English. Therefore I think it is preferable to use EE. Exercises such as listening to different speaking forms, dialects, accents ect.  can be very helpful for students to get a feeling of how to use and understand English in various forms. Inventing dialogues using accents can be a fun exercise for students. They can really embody the accent in their roles and also present it a bit over the top by pronouncing words in other accents. For that reason acting out the accents sounds like a good use.

# data[].attributes.body
I guess as a teacher of English in Switzerland, the dialectal variety of spoken English(es) and its relation to a written high or official written language can be easily argued, by evoking the emotional response to using and hearing a specific dialect (Bernese, for example). Similarly, the variety of dialects in the US or the UK is equally explained through local developments and traditions and used as a marker of difference. This could be the outcome of a discussion in class.

# data[].attributes.body
First and foremost, one needs to emphasize that the shift to Estuary English is not a done deal. Understanding the variety of spoken English certainly requires that learners are exposed to the variety of dialects when learning English, though perhaps not at the beginner's stage. For pronunciation practice, received pronunciation will remain the prominent model as it is the dominant model taught internationally in India or former British colonies in Africa (alongside American pronunciation).

# data[].attributes.body
Received Pronunciation offers the advantage of providing a standard language which is widely used and heard beyond. It's (still) the langauge of TV presenters and Radio hosts, public speakers and pundits. Acting as a 'Hochsprache' similar to High German in relation to Bavarian, Suebian, etc., received pronunciation in terms of spoken English offers a gateway to understanding British dialects and sociolects (Scouse, Mancunian, Glaswegian, Jordie, etc.) which are very difficult to penetrate for listeners not accustomed to them through long periods of exposure.

The downside of using received pronunciation is that it is stigmatised as the language used by public school boys (e.g. Eton), posh elites, and (conservative) politicians. This does have a negative effect for is speakers, given that dialects over the last 30 years or so , have increasingly become a short-hand to identify class-categories of speakers (lower / middle / upper class). One wonders whether one wishes to expose langauge learners to being 'stereotyped'.

# data[].attributes.body
Benefits:

RP is associated with prestige and social status in England. Teaching RP can help learners to sound more educated. Teaching RP can enhance learners' ability to communicate effectively with English speakers from various backgrounds thanks to RP's standardized pronounciation.

Limitations:

While RP is considered non-regional, English is spoken with various accents and dialects around the world. Focusing solely on RP may overlook the diversity of English pronunciation

# data[].attributes.body
During the Old English Period, sociolinguistic factors during this period were largely shaped by the social hierarchy, with different dialects spoken by various classes. The West Saxon dialect became the 'dominant' dialect - it was the dialect of the ruling elite and the Church During the Middle English Time Period, more dialectal differences emerged. The standard was based on the East Midland dialect, which was spoken in the region of today's London. The prestige associated with the West Saxon and the East Midland dialect helped establishing them as the norms for pronounciation. RP inherited elements from both dialects.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that most students know that there are different English accents in the world. If they don't, it's not very difficult to explain and understand why there are so many accents.

I would begin by explaining the time of British colonialism and how the English language was spread out to many other countries and regions beyond the UK.

I would also mention that we have a lot of Swiss German accents in the different cantons in Switzerland. Because of that, it's not a surprise that there are so many different accents of the English language since there is a significant distance between the different regions of different English accents.

To show the students how the different accents sound, I would let them listen to videos of people from different English-speaking regions. After listening to them, we can analyze the accents and compare them with each other.

# data[].attributes.body
Looking at different dialects in English can be a rewarding topic with a class, I feel.

What could be fun is to discuss what different dialects they might know, make a connection with different swiss dialects as a direct comparison.

I feel it would be also interesting to make the students think about how their dialect, the way they speak could differ from for example, cockney English. What similarities they have, so on and so forth.

Sharing the different shades of English can probably also make someone less self-conscious about their own dialect and accent.

# data[].attributes.body
There is no such thing as wrong or right when it comes to dialects and language variations. Therefore, it is important to clarify to the students that there are many different ways to speak the English language and that none of them is wrong.

# data[].attributes.body
The students should definitely be aware of the many different dialects etc.. Just off the top of my head, I am thinking of letting the students work in pairs and each pair can choose a dialect. They would analyze the dialect (not too much into detail) and then have a conversation in this specific dialect in front of the whole class. This way, at least everybody is confronted with some of the dialects and has heard of them.

# data[].attributes.body
I can see why and how RP makes learning English for beginners much easier. However, by focusing only on RP, we lose the dialects etc. which also play a massive role in what makes a language special and these are all things that should be learned as well in my opinion.

# data[].attributes.body
I would let the students watch a few videos or podcasts with different accents. Afterwards the practice together verbally the different accents. With that in mind, they will develop a better understanding for the variety of English language.

# data[].attributes.body
The RP as an standard pronunciation makes it easier for people learning the language. There are for sure some negative aspects like the seperation of middle to upper class. But for beginners around the world, RP is like a lighthouse and a anchor to develop English in a well known way.

# data[].attributes.body
Sabrina Cerra

To teach them the linguistic variations in English, I would first listen to different dialects with them. After that the students could talk about their experience of hearing the different dialects. They could talk about which dialect they liked most/didn't like or which were easy or hard to understand. In groups I'd make them choose one dialect to research about and let them make a short presentation in front of the class about the dialect they have chosen, so that have a brighter view of the different dialects.

# data[].attributes.body
Show a video of native speaker and perhaps of the country itself, so students can link a dialect to a region.

# data[].attributes.body
It makes it easier for new learners to guide through a language if there is something like RP, however it might be difficult for those who have already acquired another dialect f.ex. through their mother tongue

# data[].attributes.body
I would listen to different dialects with my students. Let them explain what they hear and think about it. Maybe even rate the dialects from "easy to understand" to "hard to understand". Let them think about which dialect they like most and maybe even let them decide themselves, which dialects / accents they want to try in class. I would let them have dialogues together where they have to choose and try out different ways of pronouncing words and sentences.

I would try to prepare the course material / exercises in a manner, that different dialects are represented, so the students get used to it.

# data[].attributes.headline
Comparisons and closer to history (Janine Planzer)

# data[].attributes.subject
Comparisons and closer to history (Janine Planzer)

# data[].attributes.body
I would show my students several sentences where the meaning is the same but words, word order etc. are different (e.g., British vs. American English in NW3U4, listening to a Scottish speaker etc.). Some expressions are well known to my students such as "gotta", "ain't" etc. Here, it would be very suitable to work with lyrics from songs.

If necessary/depending on the age, I would also make comparisons to Swiss dialects because although we might think one dialect sounds "harsh" while another one is more melodious, my experience was always very positive that they don't rate varieties and are interested in similarities and differences. Still, for me it is very problematic because I don't know the English varieties very well so I cannot e.g., adapt my speech or change my mindset when I'm looking at texts and think "oh, the word order is somehow strange here" although it might be absolutely fine in another variety.

Another option is to have a closer look at the language change/spread in North America (history-wise): While the east coast has several dialects, the more you go to the west, the more homogeneous the dialects get. This is because of the settlers' movement, starting at the east coast and then getting deeper into the land --> "melting pot of dialects" on its way to the other coast.

# data[].attributes.body
If my lessons were about dialects in English, I would make a comparison with Switzerland. Where do the dialects differ? Which words?

Afterwards, I would show a video showing different dialects in English. Where do they differ? The students can also listen to it.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that you should definitely prepare your students for linguistic variation. You can show your students the rich tapestry of different dialects around the world, connecting them with other places of the world.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that it makes learning English easier for beginners to have one role model English (RP] in the beginning. With time you can introduce the students to more English dialects when they are more comfortable with the language.

# data[].attributes.body
prepare with the students different accents and dialects e.g. learn pronunciation with words, listen to different dialects,...

# data[].attributes.body
RP is equivalent for the "right" English for school. So there is some kind of an English-school-language rather than a social English

# data[].attributes.body
I'd try to make to the students clear, that there are different dialects in English as well. Due to that fact, there is no right or wrong English e.g. different words / structures or pronunciation

# data[].attributes.body
I would try to cultivate a positive attitude towards linguistic diversity in the classroom by maybe comparing the phenomenon to swiss german and other germanic dialects. Through this exercise, the students will expand on their understanding on how language works and is used in real life.

# data[].attributes.body
Having RP can divide the upper middle class and the people with immigration background or another dialect even further. Because people who don't speak RP as their first dialect need to learn "a new language" at school.