The Queen's English: changes through the years
The Queen’s English has changed over 60 years, and much for the better, argues the 'Countdown’ word guru. The notion of “Queen’s English” is usually applied to our pronunciation. Taking the term at its most literal, our monarch’s own sounds are enlightening when it comes to language change during her reign. Phoneticians have noted subtle but distinct changes in Her Majesty’s voice over the past 60 years, amounting to a more democratic style of pronunciation. . In the middle of the 20th century, aspirations to sound “proper” were passionately pursued. Dictionaries as late as the Seventies include many pronunciations that could cut the proverbial glass. Sixty years on from the Queen’s accession, a person’s individual pronunciation patterns stand as much for their social identity as their class or background. When it comes to grammar and spelling, the modern judgment is loud and clear: English is spiraling downwards. Newspaper headlines scream of shrinking vocabularies and o...