As The Times Goes by: The Codification of (British) English Pronunciation and the Press

This paper argues for the key role of the press in 19th-century Britain in promoting and reinforcing the standard language ideology and, in particular, it investigates the contribution made by The Times in having register – i.e. the ‘correct’/’proper’ pronunciation of English, or to use Agha’s wording the “phonolexical register of Standard British English”, or whatever label one may prefer – become “a status emblem” (Agha 2003: 231). The Times Digital Archive 1785-2009 was used for the research; the time span chosen was limited to the years 1785-1899 because, with the early 20thcentury establishment of the BBC and its standardising power, new light was shed on the ‘accent’ debate.