TALKING PROPER is a history of the rise and fall of the English accent as a badge of cultural, social, and class identity. Lynda Mugglestone traces the origins of the phenomenon in late eighteenth-century London, follows its history through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and charts its downfall during the era of New Labor. This is a witty, readable account of a fascinating subject, liberally spiced with quotations from English speech and writing over the past 250 years. "A meticulously researched account of the history of accent as a social symbol."--David Crystal, Times Higher Education Supplement "Lynda Mugglestone's Talking Proper is written proper, happy to say, and can be understood even by the laity."--Times Literary Supplement