In George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, the notetaker quoted
"You see this creature with her kerbstone English: the English that will keep her in the gutter to the end of her days."
I understand that Eliza speaks with a Cockney accent typical of East-Londoners. However, what does 'kerbstone English' mean?
All Google searches come up with results that define 'kerbstone', but not 'kerbstone English' as a phrase.
Edit:
Most comments and answers are focusing on the literal meaning and connection between 'gutter' and 'kerbstone'. However, I want to know if 'kerbstone English' has a deeper meaning, such as being the name of an accent, Cockney, for example.
Best Answer
The phrase needs to be read in its wider context.
The scene is the opening one of the play and we are being introduced to the characters, when Higgins' is first noticed by the others present Eliza panics that he is a policeman, because he is taking notes. She is worried that she is in trouble for having spoken to a gentleman and says:
So the reference to the kerb in relation to Eliza's social position is initially introduced by Eliza in a very literal sense.
The scene is structured to contrast the layers of London society in a situation where the weather has forced a cross-section of them into closer-than-usual proximity as they take shelter. This setting allows Higgins to show of his skills in phonetics identifying people's origins and thereby their status. Higgins use of 'Kerbstone English' is therefore in contrast to the English of Harrow and Cambridge and the English of the drawing room. The Kerb defines Eliza's sociological sphere.