LANGUAGE CHANGE AND SOCIAL MOBILITY IN 19TH CENTURY BRITAIN
Keywords:
speech forms, social structure, Received Pronunciation, the standardization of English, linguistic norms, social mobility.Abstract
This article explores the relationship between language and social structures in 19th-century Britain. Focusing on the intersection of language change and the rise of the middle class, the book discusses how newly mobile social classes, including the working class and the bourgeoisie, adapted their speech to fit into emerging social contexts. The text also highlights the role of education, the rise of standardized English, and the social pressures that led to changes in both pronunciation and vocabulary during this period.
References
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