Download or read book The Politics of Language, 1791-1819 written by Olivia Smith and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1986 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling account of the relationship of language and politics, this study illustrates how language reinforced class distinctions in 18th- and 19th-century England. During this repressive period, concepts of vulgar and refined language reinforced class distinctions and, at moments of political conflict--such as trials for sedition--these ideas were used to deny political and social rights to those deemed "vulgar." Smith also examines the radical literati and self-educated leaders who challenged the accepted "politics of language"--among them Wordsworth, Coleridge, Spence, and Cobbett.