Modern English — the eighteenth century

Abstract

A standard language is achieved when writers use prescribed and agreed forms of the vocabulary and grammar, regardless of the dialectal variety of the language that each one may speak. As a result, regional and class dialects, which are themselves no less rule-governed and systematic than an agreed standard, tend to be regarded as inferior. This chapter presents some of the evidence about attitudes towards, and beliefs about, the standard language and the dialects in the eighteenth century. The linguistic changes that have taken place from the eighteenth century to the present day are relatively few and will be discussed in the next chapter.