My Fair Lady Turns 60: A Linguist on How the Film Has Held Up
Why Read This
What Makes This Article Worth Your Time
Summary
What This Article Is About
Linguist Amanda Cole examines the 1964 film My Fair Lady on its 60th anniversary, arguing that while it remains entertaining, it fundamentally misrepresents modern linguistics. The film depicts Professor Henry Higgins teaching Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle to speak “properly” in Queen’s English, promoting the notion that certain accents are inherently superior. Cole emphasizes that contemporary linguists celebrate linguistic diversity rather than enforce correctness, viewing all dialects and accents as equally valid expressions of language.
The article’s core argument is that the film perpetuates accent prejudice—a smokescreen for deeper class and gender discrimination. Cole demonstrates how Higgins’ contempt for working-class speech masks broader societal prejudices, a pattern that persists today with UK public figures like Angela Rayner and Alex Scott facing criticism for their regional accents. She advocates for celebrating linguistic diversity and removing prejudice rather than expecting people to alter their natural speech, arguing that increased exposure to diverse accents normalizes them and shifts focus from how people speak to what they say.
Key Points
Main Takeaways
Linguistic Misrepresentation
The film portrays linguists as accent correctors, while modern linguists actually celebrate and study linguistic diversity without imposing correctness.
Accent as Class Marker
Higgins’ disdain for Doolittle’s Cockney accent reflects class prejudice disguised as linguistic standards and language protection.
Persistent Contemporary Prejudice
UK women like Angela Rayner and Alex Scott still face criticism for regional accents, demonstrating that accent prejudice remains widespread.
Gender and Class Intersection
Women and working-class individuals disproportionately face accent discrimination, revealing how linguistic prejudice intersects with broader societal biases.
Smokescreen for Discrimination
Accent prejudice masks deeper misogyny and class contempt behind claims of maintaining linguistic standards and protecting English.
Solution Through Exposure
Increased exposure to diverse accents normalizes linguistic variety, shifting focus from how people speak to what they say.
Master Reading Comprehension
Practice with 365 curated articles and 2,400+ questions across 9 RC types.
Article Analysis
Breaking Down the Elements
Main Idea
Accent Prejudice as Social Discrimination
The article’s central argument is that My Fair Lady perpetuates harmful accent prejudice by depicting linguistic “correction” as benevolent improvement when it actually reinforces class and gender hierarchies. Cole demonstrates that what appears as linguistic standards enforcement is actually discrimination against working-class and female speakers, a pattern that persists six decades later in contemporary UK society where regional accents still trigger systematic bias.
Purpose
Challenging Cultural Nostalgia
Cole aims to dismantle the romanticization of My Fair Lady by revealing its problematic ideology beneath the catchy songs and entertainment value. Her purpose is to educate readers about modern sociolinguistic principles—that all dialects are linguistically equal—while advocating for systemic change that celebrates rather than stigmatizes linguistic diversity, particularly for marginalized groups who disproportionately face accent-based discrimination.
Structure
Critical Analysis → Historical Context → Contemporary Application
The article begins by establishing My Fair Lady’s cultural significance before contrasting the film’s depiction of linguistics with actual linguistic practice. Cole then analyzes specific scenes and dialogue to reveal Higgins’ prejudices, connects these attitudes to broader class and gender discrimination, and finally demonstrates persistence through contemporary examples of UK public figures facing accent criticism. This structure moves from cultural artifact critique to systemic analysis to present-day relevance.
Tone
Witty, Critical & Advocative
Cole employs a witty, conversational tone with humorous asides (joking about Hepburn’s Cockney accent as “caw like a crow,” noting Higgins’ grammatical error about “hanged”) while maintaining academic credibility. The tone shifts between lighthearted entertainment critique and serious social commentary, balancing accessibility with urgency when discussing contemporary discrimination. This approach makes complex sociolinguistic concepts engaging while emphasizing the real-world stakes of accent prejudice.
Key Terms
Vocabulary from the Article
Click each card to reveal the definition
Build your vocabulary systematically
Each article in our course includes 8-12 vocabulary words with contextual usage.
Tough Words
Challenging Vocabulary
Tap each card to flip and see the definition
An independent-minded person who refuses to conform to established practices, beliefs, or group norms; an unorthodox individual.
“It’s normally the white-coat professors who give stark warnings to the maverick protagonist.”
A hidden danger, trap, or difficulty that is not immediately obvious but can lead to problems or failure.
“My Fair Lady avoids the common pitfall of assuming that linguists collect languages like stamps.”
A complex or intricate combination of different elements forming a unified whole; a rich, varied, and elaborate collection.
“Linguists celebrate the diverse tapestry of accents, dialects and languages that exist in the UK.”
Filled with intense disgust or aversion; feeling strong revulsion or being driven away by something offensive or distasteful.
“Higgins is repulsed by any accent that is not Queen’s English.”
Something designed to disguise, obscure, or conceal true intentions or activities; a misleading action or statement used as a cover.
“Accent prejudice is a smokescreen for broader societal prejudice.”
In a manner showing no regret or shame; confidently and openly without feeling the need to excuse or justify oneself.
“We need more unapologetically working-class women with regional accents at the embassy ball.”
Reading Comprehension
Test Your Understanding
5 questions covering different RC question types
1According to the article, modern linguists view all dialects and accents as equally valid linguistic systems rather than judging some as more correct than others.
2What does the author mean by describing accent prejudice as a “smokescreen”?
3Which sentence best captures the author’s proposed solution to accent prejudice?
4Evaluate the following statements about Eliza Doolittle’s transformation in the film as discussed in the article:
The author celebrates Doolittle’s achievement of learning Queen’s English as genuine empowerment that opened professional opportunities.
The article suggests Doolittle’s transformation involved becoming less forthright and more demure, converting her into a subdued version of herself.
The author indicates that Doolittle ultimately felt used and disrespected by the experience, leading her to reject Higgins.
Select True or False for all three statements, then click “Check Answers”
5Based on the article’s critique of My Fair Lady, what can be reasonably inferred about the author’s view on the relationship between entertainment and social values?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Queen’s English (also called Received Pronunciation or RP) refers to the prestige accent historically associated with the British upper class, monarchy, and institutions like Oxford and Cambridge. Higgins considers it superior because it happens to be his own accent, reflecting class privilege rather than linguistic merit. The article reveals this preference as arbitrary prejudice—”by a wonderful turn of luck, is also his accent”—masking class-based discrimination behind claims of linguistic correctness. Modern linguistics recognizes no accent as inherently superior to others.
These contemporary UK public figures are cited to demonstrate that accent prejudice depicted in My Fair Lady sixty years ago remains actively harmful today. All three women have faced criticism and commentary focused on their regional accents rather than their professional capabilities or political positions. This illustrates the article’s central argument that accent prejudice hasn’t disappeared with time but continues to particularly target women and working-class individuals, making the film’s themes uncomfortably relevant rather than safely historical.
Contemporary linguists take a descriptive rather than prescriptive approach, studying how language actually functions in diverse communities without imposing standards of correctness. The article emphasizes that modern linguists ‘love, celebrate and are constantly itching to understand, study and explore the diverse tapestry of accents, dialects and languages.’ Rather than correcting speech or enforcing prestige varieties, linguists analyze linguistic variation as systematic phenomena worthy of scholarly attention, recognizing all dialects as equally complex and valid communication systems with their own grammatical rules.
Readlite provides curated articles with comprehensive analysis including summaries, key points, vocabulary building, and practice questions across 9 different RC question types. Our Ultimate Reading Course offers 365 articles with 2,400+ questions to systematically improve your reading comprehension skills.
This article is classified as Intermediate level, requiring familiarity with cultural references (My Fair Lady), ability to understand critique of popular entertainment, and recognition of sociolinguistic concepts like accent prejudice and class discrimination. The writing balances accessible, conversational tone with substantive social commentary, using humor and contemporary examples to make academic linguistics concepts approachable. Readers should be comfortable with analytical arguments connecting historical cultural artifacts to present-day social issues and understanding implicit critique alongside explicit statements.
This phrase encapsulates the article’s central argument that the problem lies not in linguistic diversity but in discriminatory attitudes toward that diversity. The author argues that forcing people to change their accents (removing the accent from accent prejudice) still leaves underlying class and gender prejudices intact. The better solution is eliminating prejudicial attitudes toward regional accents while celebrating linguistic variation. This reverses the film’s logic: instead of asking marginalized individuals to conform to prestige norms, society should dismantle the prejudicial attitudes that arbitrarily elevate certain speech patterns over others.
The Ultimate Reading Course covers 9 RC question types: Multiple Choice, True/False, Multi-Statement T/F, Text Highlight, Fill in the Blanks, Matching, Sequencing, Error Spotting, and Short Answer. This comprehensive coverage prepares you for any reading comprehension format you might encounter.
