Noblesse Oblige: An Enquiry into the Identifiable Characteristics of the English Aristocracy (Oxford Language Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Very English
Review: Americans think that "My Fair Lady" is sort of a joke, akin to pulling someone with a Jeff Foxworthy redneck accent out of West Virginia and teaching him to talk like a Connecticut River Valley Knickerbocker. I always thought so too, until I actually lived in England and married a Brit. America is such a big country, but we have so few accents... unlike England where a native can tell what street in which city you grew up on just by hearing your voice! The system is so concrete that it is impossible to fake out anyone who "knows."

This is a sort of difficult book for Americans to read, because we don't really understand just how important language is as a social and class divide in England. It is still the case, but when Ms. Mitford's essay was first published it was even more concrete. At times, I grew a little bored of the book because even though I understand that it is a big deal over there, the democratic American spirit in me doesn't particularly like or appreciate it.

The book consists of Ms. Mitford's essay, and several supplemental and follow-up essays and letters about it. It is worth a read if you are interested in class in England, or in linguistics (though keep in mind that it's best described as "anecdotal linguistics" and not as a real academic study). However, it is rather snobby at times, though she tries to cover this up with her considerable sarcasm and wit, and Americans who haven't witnessed firsthand the language snobbery that goes on over the pond might be confused.

Rating:
Summary: How times change where proper speach is concerned...
Review: I found the book very humorous. It was contridictory to many of the current
standards, however quite insightful as to the nature of the cyclical patterns of the
"Upper Class". I would recommend it for anyone interested in
linguistics and the different subjective views of what is correct or incorrect.

Rating:
Summary: How times change where proper speach is concerned...
Review: I found the book very humorous. It was contridictory to many of the current
standards, however quite insightful as to the nature of the cyclical patterns of the
"Upper Class". I would recommend it for anyone interested in
linguistics and the different subjective views of what is correct or incorrect.