Instead, he argues, this development has been artificially frozen in an "intermediate" state by the standardisation of Dutch pronunciation in the 16th century, where lowered diphthongs found in rural dialects were perceived as ugly by the educated classes and accordingly declared substandard. Now, however, in his opinion, the newly affluent and independent women can afford to let that natural development take place in their speech. Stroop compares the role of Polder Dutch with the urban variety of British English pronunciation called Estuary English. COUNT 5
QSN1 What word did Stroop use to describe the static stage of diphthong pronunciation? ANS1 "intermediate" QSN2 What classes in the 16th century sneered at the pronunciation of Dutch by rural people? ANS2 educated classes QSN3 What distinct kind of British English does Stroop say has a similar function to Polder Dutch? ANS3 Estuary English QSN4 What phenomenon of Dutch pronunciation was brought about by the attitudes of the elite in the 16th century? ANS4 standardisation QSN5 What specific type of diphthongs were the less educated Dutch speakers in the countryside using in the 16th century? ANS5 lowered diphthongs