ABSTRACT
Elizabethan pronunciation is the topic of this chapter. Though its main concern is work in the field undertaken since the middle of the twentieth century, some earlier studies are briefly described. Reasons given in the literature for the value of knowing about Elizabethan pronunciation are discussed; then attention is focused on two major studies – Kökeritz’ Shakespeare’s Pronunciation (1953), and Dobson’s English Pronunciation: 1500–1700 (1957). The more recent work of Cercignani Shakespeare’s Works and Elizabethan Pronunciation (1981) is also described. The types of evidence these authors use to ascertain historical pronunciations are considered in some detail. Some important ways in which Shakespearean sounds differ from present-day RP one are then enumerated. Final sections of the chapter look at the recent ‘Original Pronunciation’ (OP) movement, particularly the work of David Crystal in this area.
