English pronunciation in the eighteenth century
Subtitle: Thomas Spence's Grand repository of the English language
By: Joan C. Beal.
Publisher: Clarendon Press; Oxford University Press
Published: 1999
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 239
Subjects: Spence, Thomas, 1750-1814.; English language -- Lexicography -- History -- 18th century.; English language -- 18th century -- Pronunciation.
Other titles: Grand repository of the English language
Description: "Thomas Spence (1750-1814) was a native of Newcastle upon Tyne who is best known for his political writings, and more particularly for his radical 'Plan' for social reform involving common ownership of the land. One hitherto neglected aspect of Spence's Plan was his proposal to extend the benefits of reading and of 'correct' pronunciation to the lower classes by means of a phonetic script of his own devising, first set out and used in Spence's Grand Repository of the English Language (1775)." "In this unique account, Beal pays particular attention to the actual pronunciations advocated by Spence and his contemporaries with a view to reconstructing what was felt to be 'correct' pronunciation in eighteenth-century Britain. With broad appeal to linguists and historians alike, this study highlights the importance of pronouncing dictionaries as a resource for the historical phonologist, and provides a valuable addition to the limited body of knowledge on eighteenth-century pronunciation."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [226]-235) and index.