Alan S C Ross
Encyclopedia
Alan Strode Campbell Ross (1 February 1907-23 September 1980) was a British academic specialising in linguistics. He is best remembered as the ultimate source and inspiration for Nancy Mitford
's 'U and non-U
' forms of behaviour and language usage.
A patrilineal descendant of Robert the Bruce, he was the elder son of Archibald Campbell Carne Ross, Penzance and Brecon, and Millicent Strode Cobham. He was educated at Lindisfarne in Blackheath, Naish House in Burnham-on-Sea, Malvern College
and Christ College, Brecon
. He also attended Balliol College
, University of Oxford
after winning a Henry Skynner Scholarship in Astronomy in 1925, although he transferred to the School of English Language and Literature and graduated with First Class Honours in 1929. He also possessed a Masters degree from the University of Birmingham
.
He was appointed an Assistant Lecturer in English Language at the University of Leeds
in 1929, becoming a full lecturer in 1936. During the Second World War from 1940 he worked for the Foreign Office, before returning to academic life in 1946 as a Lecturer in English Language at Birmingham University, becoming Reader the following year. He was Professor of English Language there from 1948 to 1951 and Professor of Linguistics 1951-74.
In 1933 Ross married Elizabeth Stefanyja Olszewska (12 May 1906-20 April 1973); they had one son, Alan Wacaw Padmint Ross (born 1934); the marriage ended with her death in 1973.
Nancy Mitford
Nancy Freeman-Mitford, CBE , styled The Hon. Nancy Mitford before her marriage and The Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd thereafter, was an English novelist and biographer, one of the Bright Young People on the London social scene in the inter-war years...
's 'U and non-U
U and non-U English
U and non-U English usage, with U standing for upper class, and non-U representing the aspiring middle classes, were part of the terminology of popular discourse of social dialects in 1950s Britain and New England. The debate did not concern itself with the speech of the working classes, which in...
' forms of behaviour and language usage.
A patrilineal descendant of Robert the Bruce, he was the elder son of Archibald Campbell Carne Ross, Penzance and Brecon, and Millicent Strode Cobham. He was educated at Lindisfarne in Blackheath, Naish House in Burnham-on-Sea, Malvern College
Malvern College
Malvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
and Christ College, Brecon
Christ College, Brecon
Christ College, Brecon is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school, located in the market town of Brecon in mid-Wales. It caters for pupils from eleven to eighteen.Christ College was founded by Royal Charter in 1541 by King Henry VIII...
. He also attended Balliol College
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
after winning a Henry Skynner Scholarship in Astronomy in 1925, although he transferred to the School of English Language and Literature and graduated with First Class Honours in 1929. He also possessed a Masters degree from the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
.
He was appointed an Assistant Lecturer in English Language at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in 1929, becoming a full lecturer in 1936. During the Second World War from 1940 he worked for the Foreign Office, before returning to academic life in 1946 as a Lecturer in English Language at Birmingham University, becoming Reader the following year. He was Professor of English Language there from 1948 to 1951 and Professor of Linguistics 1951-74.
In 1933 Ross married Elizabeth Stefanyja Olszewska (12 May 1906-20 April 1973); they had one son, Alan Wacaw Padmint Ross (born 1934); the marriage ended with her death in 1973.
See also
- U and non-U EnglishU and non-U EnglishU and non-U English usage, with U standing for upper class, and non-U representing the aspiring middle classes, were part of the terminology of popular discourse of social dialects in 1950s Britain and New England. The debate did not concern itself with the speech of the working classes, which in...