Prof. Dr. Tatiana Ivushkina
MGIMO University, Russia

Tatiana Ivushkina is a Professor at Moscow State Institute of Foreign Affairs (MGIMO-University), Russia. She got her Candidate degree (PhD) in Philology from Moscow State University for the thesis "Stylization in Modern English Literature Speech Portrayals"and Doctoral degree (advanced PhD) from Moscow State University for the thesis «Socio-linguistic Aspects of English Speech Development (in speech portrayals of the upper classes of Great Britain in the 19-20th c. English Literature)». Her research interests are social linguistics, stylistics, stylization in speech portrayals, upper-class speech, English & American literature and culture, innovative methods of teaching and intercultural communication. She is an executive secretary and editor of the journal "Philology at MGIMO" and author of articles in refereed journals and international conference proceedings.

Workshop Title: Workshop on the English of the Upper Classes in Great Britain

Abstract: The two-hour workshop will provide an insight into the nuances of the English language spoken by the upper classes of Great Britain, the characteristics, or shibboleths, unambiguously testifying to their social position. Neutral and literary in their character, they are often lost upon the speaker or listener. Their significance, however, is accounted for by the persistence of class division in the country (“Class in Britain is a horrible, vital, living thing” − Charles Jennings) and the enduring prestige of Standard English as a cultural and historical phenomenon. Literariness of speech, obtained as a result of good education, is a privilege used to cultivate upper class sociolect. Not only do verbal indices serve to characterize an upper class speaker but also non-verbal ones. The research draws on literature of different time periods and is based on historical and synchronous analysis of the upper class speech.