KEY VOCAB

• What’s defines class?

  BBC great British class survey included - household income, own or renting, savings, cultural and social capital
• Accent

  sounds made when words are pronounced
• received pronunciation

  non regional british accent, associated with middle class and above
• regional accent

  associated with specific area of the country
• dialect

  describes the words and grammar people use
• standard english

  dialect of English that people think of as ‘accurate’ or ‘correct’
• regional dialects

  associated with specific area in the country
• prestige forms

  varieties of language associated with high status speakers, includes the prestige accent and the dialect
• overt prestige

  brings status associated with wealth and education
• covert prestige

  brings status associated with toughness, resilience and authenticity
• covert prestige

  Status associated with toughness, resilience and authenticity
• prescriptivism

  attempts to say what language should be like, usually decide what is right or wrong based on historical use
• descriptivism

  attempts to say what language is actually like rather than what it should be like