Victorian Language Essay examples -- Victorian Era

Victorian Language The fact of the matter: â€Å"Nobody speaks at all like the characters in any novel, play or film. Life would be intolerable if they did; and novels, plays or films would be intolerable if the characters spoke as people do in life† (Abercrombie 1965). So what was the real way of speech? Fiction was generally thought to be an accurate portrayal of reality; â€Å"true life† (Chapman 1). It was unfavorable if it stressed credulity too far. Therefore, fiction is our main source of information; it is our main source to the reality of speech for the Victorians. Greater mobility and expansion of communication of the Victorian era brought together regional groups, thus increasing the complexity of the variations in the English language. Consequently, pronunciation evolved as an indicator of social prestige (Chapman 6-8). Two categories of speech developed: Standard and Non-Standard speech. Formation of Standard Speech vs. Non-Standard Speech The Education Act of 1870 established the school as a ‘melting pot’ for upper and middle class children and the speech boundary had to be resolved. Thus a uniform accent (Standard speech) was created and pupils who refused to accept this new accent or who could not adapt to this new way of speech were severely punished. Peer pressure was also an issue because the new boy would have to adapt to the new form of speech in order for his peers to accept him or to merely avoid bullies (Chapman 12). Non-Standard Speech This type of speech was also synonymous with lower class slang, â€Å"cockney† or the way in which the ‘uneducated’ communicated, specific to the East End (Chapman 19). The infamous â€Å"cockney† was native to the East End, as remains today. Cockney dialect allowed spelling and ... ... word ‘affidavit,’ yet Rogue Riderhood mispronounces it as an â€Å"Alfred David† (Dickens 12). Therefore, language in the Victorian era was important in ranking members of classes and occupations. Language had the potential to assess and reflect upon one’s regional, educational, occupational and family background. The distinctions in speech amongst three different social ranks are evident in the following excerpt from an adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South. Episode 1, Clip 3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/northandsouth/episode1.shtml Works Cited Chapman, Raymond. Forms of Speech in Victorian Fiction. New York: Longman, 1994. Dickens, Charles. Our Mutual Friend. 1865. Introduction and notes Adrian Poole. New York: Penguin, 1997. Phillipps, K.C. Language and Class in Victorian England. Ed. David Crystal. New York: Basil Blackwell Inc, 1984.