English Pronunciation in the Eighteenth Century: Thomas Spence's Grand Repository of the English Language (review)

This book is sited within what is a hot issue in contemporary English historical linguistics: the pronunciation of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and its relations to social and economic change at the time. This interest is in marked contrast to earlier interpretations of the history of the English language, where what discussion of phonology there is peters out somewhere around 1725.

At first glance, Beal’s main title appears to be contradicted by her discussing the work of only one orthoepist. In fact, it is just, since, as she makes very plain, Spence’s work can be interpreted as the end of a long discussion of pronunciation during the period. Spence himself is so interesting—a political radical who obviously saw his work in ‘improving’ working people’s pronunciation as part of his task of ‘liberation’— and so much a part of the Revolutionary age in which he lived, that the title is greatly deserved.

B’s work is divided into six sections. In the first, we are introduced to Spence himself and his work. B deftly demonstrates that his early linguistic work is related to his exploration of systems in society and philosophy. While the connection might not—either then or now—be apparent to outsiders, it appears to have been straightforward to both Spence and his small group of disciples. Ch. 2 discusses the ‘Cinderella’ nature of eighteenth-century phonology in English historical linguistics while enumerating those scholars who have already worked in this field.

Ch. 3 leads on from these concerns, discussing the value of pronouncing dictionaries from the period as evidence for the phonology of the time. This connects well with the next chapter where the chronological progression to Spence’s work is given. Since Spence was doubly ‘provincial’—a resident of Newcastle-upon-Tyne of Scottish extraction—both chapters also discuss what potential influence his origin might have, particularly in comparison with the other ‘provincials’ involved in these matters at the time.

Ch. 5 presents an in-depth analysis of Spence’s phonology, giving due space to comparison with other works on the matter from the time. The sixth chapter acts both as a conclusion to the contribution Spence’s work has made to our understanding of the language of the period and to the level to which Spence’s evidence can be trusted. The book is concluded by a number of appendices which provide— often computer generated—evidence for both of these concerns. An excellent bibliography is appended.

There can be no doubt of the importance of this book. While focusing primarily on one author’s work, it provides a highly readable discussion of both the possible phonology of English at the time and of the writers whose evidence we must employ in any discussion of this phonology. It also presents an astute and sympathetic portrait of a ‘man of the people’ and his language (including apparent hypercorrections) during a period of considerable societal change.