PROPER

PROPER. A general term for what is right, suitable, or appropriate (the proper technical term; proper conduct), often implying a wish or need to ‘do the right thing’ socially (They were always very proper in everything they did). The term has sometimes been attached to groups and places: ‘She was only a mild rebel: there was still too much of the Proper Bostonian in her’ ( J. Cleary, High Road to China, 1977). Traditionally, a proper accent has been the accent considered most suitable for polite, dignified, educated usage, among ladies and gentlemen: in England, RECEIVED PRONUNCIATION. Such non-standard expressions as He don't talk proper have long been widespread, marking the social and linguistic gap between speakers of vernacular and standard English: ‘Perhaps she'll 'ave another go at teachin' me to speak proper, pore soul’ ( Margery Allingham, The Tiger in the Smoke, 1952); ironically, ‘How to talk proper in Liverpool’ (subtitle of Lern Yerself Scouse, 1966, by Frank Shaw, Fritz Spiegl, & Stan Kelly). The term proper English is often used to mean STANDARD ENGLISH: ‘Debates about the state and status of the English language are rarely debates about language alone. Closely linked to the question, what is proper English? is another, more significant social question: who are the proper English?’ (publisher's statement opening Tony Crowley's Proper English: Readings in Language, History and Cultural Identity. Routledge, 1991). See AESTHETICS, CORRECT, GENTEELISM, GOOD ENGLISH.