ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the ways in which English in Great Britain developed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It focuses on the development of Received Pronunciation and on the social attitudes toward dialect difference. It also looks at the impact of colonial and economic expansion on the English vocabulary, and outlines some of the major regional and social dialects that have contributed to present day British English. By using examples from literature and theatrical performance, the chapter also raises questions about where to draw the line between description and caricature and, in turn, how caricature may inform us of attitudes toward linguistic difference.
