Language and Class Representation

Social class is one of the most powerful — and most linguistically marked — social categories. How you speak, what words you use, and even how you pronounce individual sounds can all serve as indicators of social class, and language is central to how class is represented, reinforced, and contested. This lesson examines the relationship between language and class, the key theories, and how class is constructed through linguistic representation.

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What Is Social Class?

Social class is a system of social stratification based on factors including wealth, occupation, education, and cultural capital. While its precise definition is debated, class remains a significant social category with profound linguistic implications.

Class Category	Traditional Description	Linguistic Associations
Upper class	Aristocracy, inherited wealth	Received Pronunciation (RP), elaborate vocabulary, "U" speech
Upper middle class	Professionals, higher education	Near-RP, standard grammar, technical/specialist vocabulary
Lower middle class	White-collar workers, small business owners	Hypercorrection, aspiration towards prestige forms
Working class	Manual and service workers	Regional accents, non-standard grammar, vernacular vocabulary