The debate was set in motion in 1954 by the British linguist Alan S.C. Ross, professor of linguistics in the University of Birmingham. He coined the terms "U '' and "non-U '' in an article, on the differences that social class makes in English language usage, published in a Finnish professional linguistics journal. Though his article included differences in pronunciation and writing styles, it was his remark about differences of vocabulary that received the most attention.
who described words and phrases as u or non-u
British linguist Alan S.C. Ross, professor of linguistics in the University of Birmingham