The birth of Standard English and the demise of Cockney

 

True/False

1. Cockney has always been thought of as vulgar. F

2. The pronunciation of thrust in Cockney in Elizabethan times was /θ/ F

3. The pronunciation of chain  in Cockney in Elizabethan times was /tʃeɪn/ F

4. The pronunciation of mother in Cockney in Elizabethan times was /ð/ F

5. In the late 18th century speech became a class marker. T

6. Johnson believed it was possible to fix language. F

7. Public schools are private T

8. No formal guidance about spelling and pronunciation of English before the 19th century.  F

9. RP speakers today have a more relaxed way of pronouncing certain vowels. T                     

10. RP speakers today normally use the glottal stop in the middle of the words butter and later  .F

11. RP has been influenced by Cockney. T

12. At public schools boys are forced to use RP. T

13. One in twenty people in England speak what Burchfield calls received standard. F

14. The invention of television turned public school English into BBC English. T

15. People who spoke public school English were considered more intelligent, more trustworthy, and even better looking. T

 

People to Remember

1. Professor, Sir. Randolph Quirk                        A. BBC announcer

2. Bob Barletrop                        B. An expert on accents of English

3. Jonathan Swift                        C. An expert on Cockney

4. George Bernard Shaw                        D. He proposed an Academy to regulate English

5. J.C. Wells                        E. Editor of the OED

6. Dr. Robert Burchfield                        F. He kept a diary.

7. James Boswell                        G. Playwright and spelling reformer

8. Henry Machyn                        H. Author of a dictionary

9. Samuel Johnson                        I. Grammarian and linguist

10. Pat Butler                        J. Johnson’s biographer