Is there a social class structure in your country? In the UK many people are very aware of social class and their place in society. We’re speaking about class today. Welcome to Aprender Inglés con Reza y Craig.
The Class System
What is a class system? – Where people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the upper, middle and lower classes.
Vocabulary
Working class – blue collar workers, proletariat, lower class
(Upper and lower) middle class – white collar workers, bourgeoisie, professional classes
Upper class – the elite, aristocracy, the ruling class, top one or two percent of the population
Nouveau riche – people who were not born into money, but acquired it, looked down upon by those born into the upper class.
Old money – describes people born into money, not nouveau riche, typically upper class
You don’t have to be rich to be upper class (in the UK – it’s different in USA!)
To be posh (pijo/a) – adj.
Snob – noun, snobbish/snobby – adj., snobbishness/snobbery – noun
Public school (= an old elite private school), private school, prep school
Lower class nicknames: chavs, oiks, plebs, the hoi polloi, the masses, common (people), the lower orders. (NB. These can be construed as offensive)
Upper class nicknames: la-di-da, toffee-nosed, upper-class twits, Hooray Henry’s, toffs with plummy accents, hoity-toity, swanky, fancy pants (NB. These can be construed as offensive)
Useful expressions
To feel insecure
To be born with a silver spoon in your mouth
To be out of your depth/league – in a social circle/atmosphere you aren’t used to
The aspiring classes – those wanting to be in a higher class
A social climber – someone who takes advantage of people/situations to rise in social stature
Social mobility* – the ability to change from one social class to another
(* Astounding fact. Most serious studies concur that social mobility in the UK is, without doubt, less possible than it used to be about 40 to 70 years ago – the golden age of social mobility in the UK was about 1950 – 1980!)
Upwardly V downwardly mobile – social mobility
Reverse snobbery – being so proud of your lower class status that you dislike the higher classes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaky_Blinders_(TV_series)
The landed gentry – upper class landowners of inherited land
To live below the poverty line – to earn/have so little that face financial hardship
The marginal classes – very lower class groups below the poverty line
The working poor – an ever more common term describing people who have a job but are still very poor
The idle rich – those so rich that they don’t need to do anything to survive
Caste – a social classification of a group
Caste system – a social system whereby everything is organised according to people’s caste, and social mobility isn’t really possible. (eg. still very important in India and other countries, where the lowest of the low are known as “Untouchables”)
Accent and the way a British person speaks is a class indicator. However, vocabulary can also show your social-economic background
Let’s play ‘Posh or not?’
What do you say?
Booze or alcohol?
Toilet or lavatory? (Reza: I often say bathroom or loo)
Serviette or napkin?
Sweet or pudding? (Reza: neither – I usually say dessert)
Drawing room/sitting room or lounge (Reza: neither – I usually say living room)
Sofa or settee?
Discussion
Which social class are you? Would you like to change your social class?
Is there a class system in Spain? If there is, where are we?
Which newspapers do the different classes read?
How do the different classes vote?
Do you judge people when you first meet them? (clothes, speech and accent, education, manners)
Will social class soon be a thing of the past?
Do you believe in a “classless society”
Is there any race of people where snobbery seems more prevalent than others?
The Great British class calculator: What class are you?
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22000973
What is your annual income?
Do you own or rent?
Do you have savings?
Who do you know socially? (hang out with) scientist, lorry driver, university lecturer, shop assistant
Cultural activities: watch sports, listen to jazz, do arts and crafts, go to the opera, socialize at home
Class System sketch with John Cleese
To look up to (someone) – admirar, respetar
To look down on (someone) – menospreciar
To have innate breeding – crianza innata
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4QuSZ2Vvj4
…and now it’s your turn to practise your English. How is your part of the world socially divided? Please send us feedback on this.
Send us a voice message. https://www.speakpipe.com/inglespodcast
Send us an email with a comment or question to [email protected] or [email protected].
Bruno our Gold Sponsor on Patreon
Walking tours of Copenhagen through his company https://www.copenhagenwalkingtour.com/
Castle Tours and Walking Tours of Copenhagen both in English or Spanish!
Also, Favela walking tour in Rio, led by local guides only. It’s safe and it helps the community to improve on their daily needs. Go to Bruno’s websites to find out more information: http://www.favelawalkingtour.com.br/
Thank you to all our wonderful Patrons who are supporting the podcast:
Ana Giovanna
Dana Constantin
Patxi Ibáñez
Manuel Tarazona
Juan Carlos Rodado
Maite Palacín Perez
Lara Arlem
Néstor from Luces Extrañas
Maria Gervatti
Lorena
Sara jarabo
Carlos Garrido
Mamen
Juan Leyva Galera
Corey Fineran http://www.ivyenvy.com/
Miren Ful
Jose Luis Arregui
Agus Paolucci
Mariel Riedemann
Manuel Garcia Betegón
Raul Lopez
Rafael
Jose Manuel Fernandez Picazo
Pilar Martinez
Ganbatte Blog
Igor Garmendia
Ignacio Espona
Kieran
Ana Ibarra
Marina Ortiz Pena
Juan Carlos Pantin Fernandez
Alejandro Pluma
Alex Cuadra
Jose Emilio Villena
Esperanza Colmenero
Emilio Manuel Martinez Rivas
Txema Santa Cruz
Ana Fernandez Monterrubio
Carlos Cano Domingo
Gustavo
Antonio Diaz
José Antonio Muñoz
Eva Maria Elizalde Martínez
Arminda
Fafo
Carlos Sanchez
Elvira Cortés
Francisco Javier Alejandre Sebastian
Our latest Patrons:
Andrea Mio
Rogelio Menendez
Antonio Lafuente
Eloy
Pablo Martínez
Miguel
Javier Correa Sambade
Alejandro Martínez
Alejandra Ventura
Gaby Rojas
Ana
Chus Martinez
Join our Patreon program for $1 per month and you get instant access to recent transcriptions that have been lovingly transcribed by Angélica Bello from Madrid. https://www.patreon.com/inglespodcast
Thank you to Patricia Alonso who continues working hard to transcribe episodes for you. We now have available episodes 1 to 22 and 131 to 142. Not only Patricia, but others in the past who have helped us like Arminda from Madrid, Alberto from Granada – thank you.
On next week’s episode: Top 10 Fish You Should Know
The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’
Photo by Craig Whitehead on Unsplash