Applying a sociophonetic research paradigm, this volume presents an investigation of variation and change in the Scottish Standard English accent. Based on original audio recordings made in Edinburgh, it provides detailed acoustic and auditory analyses of selected accent features. In contrast to other studies of English in Scotland, the focus is on the extent to which certain characteristics of middle-class speech are susceptible (or immune) to the influence of Southern Standard British English, or vary in ways unrelated to that influence. Beyond the fine-grained patterns of variation that are revealed, the study highlights innovative methodological approaches to sociophonetic variation and contributes to a better general understanding of the status and function of Scottish Standard English. The book will be of general interest to sociolinguists and sociophoneticians, and of particular interest to researchers or students concerned with phonetic or phonological aspects of Scottish English.