Language and Social Class

• Henri Tajfel's Social Identity Theory

  divides the world into groups (our side) our groups (everybody else)

  our stuff is good their stuff is bad.
• most important class indicators are:

  -household and income

  -whether you own a property or rent it

  -whether you have savings

  -the kind of people you mix with and socially

  -the cultural activities you engage in
• what is prestige and stigmatised varieties

  1. A prestige variety is a type of language that carries positive connotations. It's associated with success.
  2. A stigmatised variety is one that carries negative connotations. It's associated with bad things.
• What is associated with overt prestige?

  Intelligence and achievement
• What is covert prestige valued for?

  Goodness and toughness
• Why do people correct their language to middle class forms?

  They see it as wrong to use otherwise
• What is prescriptivism in linguistics?

  A perspective that enforces language rules
• What do descriptivists believe about language rules?

  They believe rules change over time
• Who is associated with U and Non-U language?

  Alan Ross
• What does the term 'shibboleth' refer to?

  A word that reveals social class
• What did Basil Bernstein study in the 1970s?

  Language and social class
• How did working class students perform in English compared to middle class students?

  They were underachievers in English
• What is the difference in communication style between working class and middle class kids?

  Working class use implicit language more
• What are the characteristics of restricted and elaborate codes?

  • Restricted code: used with familiar people, context-dependent
  • Elaborate code: used for broader communication, more explicit
• What is the relationship between social class and the /ŋ/ sound?

  Higher class uses it more frequently
• What is 'style shifting' in language use?

  Adjusting language based on context
• How does formality affect 'g-dropping' in speech?

  More formal styles have less 'g-dropping'
• What are the five social classes identified?

  Lower Working Class, Middle Working Class, Upper Working Class, Lower Middle Class, Upper Middle Class
• How are the social classes divided?

  • Based on neighbourhood
  • Education
  • Occupation
  • Income
• What is the velar nasal sound represented by?

  /ŋ/
• what was Trudgill study about.

  He studied the final consonant in walking and running. (ng)

  its called the velar nasal sound.
• what sound do Norwich people drop.

  in Norwich the pronunciation 'walkin' and 'talkin' is frequently heard. The /n/ alveolar.