Editing H-dropping (section)

====Social distribution and stigmatization====
H-dropping, in the countries and regions in which it is prevalent, occurs mainly in working-class accents. Studies have shown it to be significantly more frequent in lower than in higher social groups. It is not a feature of [[Received Pronunciation|RP]] (the [[prestige (sociolinguistics)|prestige]] accent of England), or even of "Near-RP", a variant of RP that includes some regional features.<ref>Wells (1982), pp. 254, 300.</ref> This does not always apply, however, to the dropping of /h/ in weak forms of words like ''his'' and ''her''.

H-dropping in English is widely [[social stigma|stigmatized]], being perceived as a sign of poor or uneducated speech, and discouraged by schoolteachers. [[John C. Wells|John Wells]] writes that it seems to be "the single most powerful pronunciation [[shibboleth]] in England."<ref>Wells (1982), p. 254</ref>