01355383 Varieties of English and Cultures of English Native Speakers 07 | Page 9

‘The English have no respect for their
language, and will not teach their children
to speak it. They spell it so abominably that
no man can teach himself what it sounds
like. It is impossible for an Englishman to
open his mouth without making some
other Englishman hate or despise him.’
In ‘Preface’ of Pygmalion (1912)
A classic example of the attitudes towards non-
standard form of English is the play Shaw’s Pygmalion,
which was made into the film My Fair Lady (1964).
Watch Professor Higgins tries to teach a cockney-
speaking flower seller Eliza Doolittle to speak proper
English.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKxd30lQ1f0