As a language, English does not merely serve as a tool for people to communicate with each other, but also functions as a ________ for people to convey ideas and values to each other.

For a long time, knowledge of Latin was considered ________ for entry onto the medical and legal professions.

English gradually spread around England and became Old English, which today seems rather like an ________ foreign language.

This process of adoption and ________ is not new and illustrates how Africans and Asians are influencing English as the Normans and Irish did in the past.

The ________ speech of east London is Cockney,

a dialect known for its rhyming slang.

It is obvious, then, that both accent and dialect give the listener ________

about a speaker’s geographical and social background.

More importantly, the expansion of the British Empire required clear standards of language that would be ________ to all foreigners.

The prestige and authority of RP implied the inferiority of regional accents and vocabulary, and dialect speakers became socially ________ as rustic, provincial, poor and uneducated.

Along with this democratization of accents and dialects in education, there also occurred greater openness and ________ in post-war arts.

Of all the languages in the world, English is probably the most-spoken one worldwide, along with ________.

Although Latin was used among Britain’s ________ for many years, it was never the only language spoken in Britain, and the dialects were common.

By ________ written English was beginning to resemble the English of today.

It is obvious, then, that both accent and dialect give the listener clues about a speaker’s ­­­­­­­­ ________ and ________ background.

Quite many British novelists and dramatists used ________ to create characters and make social comments.

According to the passage, the speech of London and the Court was selected as the Standard English, largely because ________.

By “received pronunciation” (RP), it means that everyone in Great Britain was expected to ________ it.

Who made the following poignant remark “It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making another Englishman hate or despise him”?

By endorsing RP, the BBC, in turn, made itself an unofficial ________ on language, creating something that later became known as “BBC English”.

The RP accent has become less ________ and is no longer regarded by everyone as the “best” pronunciation.