A TOUCH OF CLASS: LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

CLASS - a number of persons or things regarded as forming a group by reason of common attributes, characteristics, qualities, or traits; kind, sort: a class of objects used in daily living

E.P. Thompson - a social class as a manifest through tradition, values, systems, ideas.

Often cultural analysts say that we live in a society freed from class, which is a myth. 90% of the British still find the class important.

The „decline of the class”:

The Thatcher right revolution is responsible for the blur of the borders between classes.The Iron Lady believed in individuals, and the individual strive for making money. She promoted the spirit of acquisitiveness (duch przedsiębiorczości) and changed the importance of the class (class = money). Nowadays the concept of class should be redefined rather than abolished.

Language is one of the most powerful indicators of class. Specific accent, pronunciation and vocabulary can associate one with a specific class.

Kate Fox „Watching the English. The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour” - „Linguistic Class Codes”

She adopted the methodology of anthropological study to examine the English, a very exotic tribe.

Accent: the RP received most enthusiastic response, regional accents were described as harsh. Interestingly enough, in the US it was the other way round - regional accents were found the most interesting

In the case of British response accents are perceived with class prejudice.

You can change the accent you use to make a good impression.

Nigel Kennedy - a violinist who played classic music with punk verges; he was a good middle-class boy, but at some point in his life he adopted Cockney accent as a part of his lifestyle. The editor of Cosmopolitan was recommended to drop her regional accent, which opened the door for her. The accent constructs our identity.

Pronunciation:

G.B. Shaw „Pygmalion”, adapted into „My Fair Lady” - a story about a professor who analyzes languages; by chance he met a girl who sold flowers and spoke Cockney accent. The professor attempted to teach her RP in 6 months.

Characteristic features of the pronunciation of various class members:

To drop one's h's - to demonstrate one's working class origin

The working class speakers' characteristics:

* the vowels vs consonants rule - the working class tends to drop some consonants (t, h)

* A is pronounced as |aɪ| instead of | eɪ |

* „th” pronounced as |f|

* -ing pronounced as „ink”

The upper class speakers' characteristics:

* tend to drop some vowels

* rather say „one” instead of „I”

* drop determiners

Vocabulary - various understandings of the word „tea”:

„Come for tea!” - when? Shall I come hungry or not?

What time of the day are you going to have tea is fundamental for class.

For a working class it is an evening meal, eaten - surprise, surprise! - in the evening.

For upper classes tea and cakes or scones is made around 4 o'clock.

Pardon - a lower-class term

Sorry - a higher or upper-middle class term

For upper classes using „pardon” is worse than swearing.

Toiler - lower-class; loo - upper-class

Serviette - lower-class; napkin - upper-class

Settee - lower or lower-middle class; sofa - upper-class; couch - the youth influenced by the American

Mispronunciation of words indicates the lower-class origin and lower education.

The way popular culture uses the comic potential of class is visible in comedy series: „Keeping up apperarances”, „Only fools and horses” (taken from the proverb: Only fools and horses work).

SOCIAL CLASSES TODAY

Traditional classes have declined, but they were replaced by a new division, based mostly on the economic status and cultural engagement of the members

* Elite - the most privileged group

* Established middle class - the second wealthiest group, culturally engaged (opera, theatres and so on)

* Technical middle class - a new, small class with high econimic capital, less culturally engaged

* New affluent workers - medium levels of economic capital, high cultural and social capital

* Emergent service workers - a new class with low economic income

* Traditional working class

* Precariat, or precarious proletariat - the poorest, most deprived class

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