Social Class Flashcards
What percentage of upper-middle class people use the velar nasal in casual style?
29%
What percentage of working class people use the velar nasal in casual style?
0%
What percentage of lower-working class people use the velar nasal in word-list style?
28%
What percentage of middle-working class people use the velar nasal in word-list style?
42%
What percentage of upper-middle class people use the velar nasal in word-list style?
100%
Which theory did Henry Tajfel propose?
Social Identity Theory
What is Social Identity Theory
Group identities separate themselves as ‘us’ and ‘them’.
What does stereotyping exaggerate?
Similarities within a group
Differences between groups
What is overt prestige?
Obvious advantages
What is covert stigma?
Subtle disadvantages
Define prescriptivism
A belief that there is a correct and incorrect way of speaking in adherence with traditional language rules e.g. use of Standard English.
Define descriptivism
The belief that language changes over time and is determined by the current users; there is no incorrect way of speaking.
Who conducted a study on U and Non-U Language?
Alan Ross
What did Alan Ross’ study reveal?
Middle class speakers give themselves away as middle class by using lexical shibboleths.
What is a shibboleth?
Euphemistic and wrongly pretentious phrases falsely presumed to be used by the upper class.
Who conducted a study exploring restricted and elaborated code?
Basil Bernstein
What did Bernstein’s research reveal?
Middle class speakers can switch between RC and EC whereas working class speakers are limited to RC.
What did Bernstein claim about restricted and elaborated code?
Both are useful and neither are incorrect.
Define restricted code.
Informal and implicit language understood only by those within a social circle or area.
Define elaborated code.
Formal and explicit language understood by everyone.
Which study did Peter Trudgill conduct?
The Norwich Study
What did Trudgill investigate?
G-Dropping in Norwich in relation to both class and style
What is G-Dropping?
The use of the alveolar nasal instead of the velar nasal. (Walking -> Walkin’)
