Talk changes things: The implications of McCloskey's Bourgeois Dignity for historical inquiry

► We briefly explore and defend Deirdre McCloskey's claim that a change in talk was at the root of the Industrial Revolution. ► Contrary to the prevailing view regarding social change and discourse, following McCloskey, we argue that a change in the way a people talk is not just a side effect but often accompanies and can sometimes lead to social change. ► We find that a change in the way the British talked about the personhood of slaves preceded the move toward emancipation and could have triggered emancipation.