'Talking Proper': the rise of accent as social symbol

This study examines the images and issues implicated in the rise of accent as a symbol of social value and identity in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It looks at popular stereotypes of speech and speaker - such as educated, vulgar and parvenue - and focuses on the rise of the idea of a standard accent and associated judgements about good and bad speech. The author shows how these notions were transposed into literature and education, and into contemporary images of gender and class.