基本説明
New in paperback. Detailed examination of the origins of a British obsession: accent. With a new chapter on Estuary English.
Full Description
Talking Proper is a history of the rise and fall of the English accent as a badge of cultural, social, and class identity. Lynda Mugglestone traces the origins of the phenomenon in late eighteenth-century London, follows its history through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and charts its downfall during the era of New Labour. This is a witty, readable account of a fascinating subject, liberally spiced with quotations from English speech and writing over the past 250 years.
Contents
Introduction ; 1. The Rise of a Standard ; 2. Accent as Social Symbol ; 3. The Practice of Prescription ; 4. /h/ and Other Symbols of the Social Divide ; 5. Ladylike Accents and the Feminine Proprieties of Speech ; 6. Literature and the Literate Speaker ; 7. Educating Accents ; 8. The Rise (and Fall ?) of RP ; Index