[Lexicog] "orientate" and orthoepists

[Chaz and Helga Mortensen]

Henry Higgins' character is based on the orthoepists, who, from the
late 1700s on, pontificated on what was and wasn't correct
pronunciation in polite society, often using printed tracts and
pamphlets to do so. In reality, they were simply attempting to
proliferate their respective idiolects.

-Chaz

On Jun 17, 2005, at 6:22 PM, Mike Maxwell wrote:
>
> And Henry Higgins wasn't a _real_ linguist, he was a character in the
> play
> "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw, and in the musical version "My Fair
> Lady."  In the play and musical, Higgins lamented that English people
> can't
> talk right, by which he meant they don't use the Received
> Pronunciation.




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