Question

Which of the following is NOT listed as a professor of phonetics who inspired the character of Higgins?

• A. Alexander J. Ellis
• B. W. S. Gilbert
• C. Tito Pagliardini
• D. Alexander Melville Bell

Answer 1

Answer:

B. W. S. Gilbert

Understanding the Inspiration for Henry Higgins in Pygmalion

• The character Henry Higgins in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion is a brilliant but eccentric professor of phonetics. His primary goal is to transform the speech of a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to that of a duchess, thereby improving her social standing.
• Shaw based the character of Henry Higgins on several prominent British phoneticians of his time, drawing inspiration from their work and personalities.
• The key inspirations for Professor Henry Higgins include:
  • Henry Sweet (1845–1912): An English philologist, phonetician, and grammarian. He was a pioneering figure in the study of phonetics and a significant influence on language teaching. Shaw explicitly stated that Sweet was the primary model for Higgins.
  • Daniel Jones (1881–1967): A British phonetician who was a professor of phonetics at University College London. He was known for his work on cardinal vowels and was a contemporary of Shaw.
  • Alexander Melville Bell (1819–1905): A Scottish-born American professor of vocal physiology and elocution. He developed Visible Speech, a system of phonetic notation. He was also the father of Alexander Graham Bell.
• W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) was a celebrated English dramatist, librettist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, creating the famous Savoy Operas, such as The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado.
• Gilbert was not a phonetician and had no known involvement in the academic study of phonetics. His field was theatre and opera, particularly comedic and satirical works.
• Therefore, W. S. Gilbert is correctly identified as NOT being an inspiration for the phonetician character of Henry Higgins, as his expertise and profession lay elsewhere.

Key Facts for Competitive Exams:

• Pygmalion was first performed in 1913.
• George Bernard Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925.
• The play Pygmalion was adapted into the highly successful Broadway musical and later film, My Fair Lady (1956 musical, 1964 film), starring Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins and Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle.
• The term 'Pygmalion effect' (or 'Rosenthal effect') in psychology refers to the phenomenon whereby higher expectations lead to an increase in performance, drawing its name from Shaw's play (and the Greek myth it references).