Discussions

Language and Socioeconomic

The relationship between social status and language is mostly based on attitudes about different varieties of
speech, such as accents and dialects. This implies that those who communicate in a "respectable" manner will be
seen as respectable. However, despite its seeming simplicity, this is not as straightforward as it may first appear
since individuals have varying opinions on which accents and dialects are acceptable. Historically, the RP
accent was linked with affluent social classes. Immediately, a favorable connotation was attached to everyone
who talked in this manner, including intellect, money, and education among other things. When persons did not
speak with a standard accent but instead used the accent of their home area, those in higher social classes often
perceived them to be less knowledgeable, impoverished, and of a lower social class. It was typical practice for
anyone who had the financial means to do so to enroll in elocution classes in order to acquire the skills
necessary to talk with a British accent and get admission into higher-level classes. Due to the fact that many
influential, wealthy, and intelligent individuals do not communicate with a British accent, these characteristics
are less significant nowadays. In contrast, the local accent is typically considered attractive since it is often
connected with community and a feeling of belonging. In the 1964 film My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle is
instructed to talk with an RP accent in order to blend in with the higher classes.

This concept of accent usage in relation to social position is relatively antiquated, yet it nevertheless influences
how individuals choose to communicate with others, even if they are unaware of it. Numerous studies have
shown that in the current world, individuals of various classes still use language differently.

Understanding contemporary social rank and social class

Class is not the only factor that may influence a person's social position; the individual and their hobbies also
play a role. In current times, a person's social class is determined by their money and occupation. A person's
social position relies largely on the social group to which he or she belongs or wishes to join. A person might
have varied social rankings in a variety of different societal contexts. A speaker with great educational
accomplishments and yet no regional accent might have a good social position in the academic sphere but feel
like an exile in their regional community.. Additionally, several statuses exist within each class. For instance,
many individuals may be classified as'middle-class' based on their occupation and income (teachers, doctors,
lawyers, etc.). Regarding their language use, these individuals may all be placed on a continuum. Within these
groupings will be individuals who:

1. use their regional accent (at one end of the continuum)

2. speak ordinary English and may have modest regional accent characteristics, but their language and accent
are essentially unremarkable (in the middle of the continuum)

3. use a British Isles accent (at the other end of the continuum).

These individuals may still still be defined as "middle class," but are further distinguished within the class by the
way in which they talk, either by nature or by choice.

Influence of social class on linguistic use

Attitudes

Weinreich (1968) brought up attitude toward each language as an essential extra-linguistic topic together with a
few other issues while providing an explanation of the psychological and socio-cultural components that play a
role in language interaction. Each speaker has his or her own individual linguistic interests. His attitude may
also have a stereotypical impact. Additionally, attitudes toward a specific culture or group impact a language's
development. There is a subset of Urdu-speaking individuals that are embarrassed by their regional accents.
Therefore, they consistently employ standard language or flip between Urdu and English code. These attitudes
held by the speakers are shown by the actions of an individual.

Education
In Pakistan, education is a significant problem that is causing linguistic variance amongst classes. Education in
Urdu quickly expanded across the nation. Due to the system's exorbitant cost, however, only affluent society
benefited from it, while rural people with lesser incomes were completely excluded. This imbalance between the
classes in the school system persists in today's society. This diversity in schooling results in linguistic variety.
The majority of upper-class parents send their children to reputable institutions where they may gain a superior
education and learn to distinguish standard accents. There, kids have enough chance to practice both standard
and foreign languages, which subsequently become ingrained in their character. If a person is not very wealthy
but has a well-paying job, they may afford to send their children to public schools, where they may not acquire a
standard accent but will be informed and have a vast vocabulary. On the other hand, impoverished children who
are members of the working class must provide financial support for their families. Therefore, they choose to
participate in the working sector over formal schooling. The majority of low-income parents are less concerned
in their children's education. They are unaware of educational subsidies and are hesitant to enroll their children
in official educational institutions due to financial constraints.

Profession

There is a good likelihood that one will get a prominent or well-paying position if he talks like an educated
individual. Consequently, socially categorized languages regain control over the ability to retain a decent job.
People from diverse locations, especially rural places, have a propensity to travel to urban areas in search of
better employment opportunities. Thus, a variety of speech is a regular occurrence in urban settings, which
provides evidence of socioeconomic rank. Here, native speakers of the standard language are recognized with
prominent and well-paying occupations. Thus, it seems that individuals are avoiding their regional languages in
favor of mainstream variations. Occasionally, this regular use of standard variety leads to permanent usage of
standard variety. Consequently, their descendants acquire their languages and participate in the same manner.
On the other hand, members of the working class have no additional privileges to switch or improve their
languages. Occasionally, individuals from rural regions migrate to urban areas in search of a higher standard of
living, and due to their lack of formal education, they choose occupations where formal languages are of less
importance. People prefer to speak like those with whom they interact often. As a result of their diverse social
class positions, some people with normal jobs are able to eliminate their dialect accents, but others continue to
speak the same language even after moving.

Convergence and divergence

Individuals have a tendency to modify how they talk in order to suit the views of language usage that they either
wish to link themselves with or remove themselves from. This is because people are sensitive to how others
perceive their use of language. This is accomplished by convergence and divergence, and it may be a deliberate
or subconscious decision.

Convergence is a form of shift that occurs when a speaker adopts an accent or dialect they like. By doing so,
they aim to be connected with favorable judgments of the accent or dialect they value. Convergence happens
often when a speaker tries to sound like someone they like or to impress others. For instance, someone may
converge an RP accent because they believe it would make them seem more knowledgeable and assured.
Alternately, someone may converge a Yorkshire accent in order to appear more accessible, pleasant, and
trustworthy.

Divergence happens when a speaker attempts to separate oneself from unfavorable impressions. If a person's
accent is connected with unfavorable views, they may seek to deviate from it and employ less dialect elements.
Divergence also occurs when a person communicates with someone they dislike. If the undesirable speaker has
a certain accent, their interlocutor may diverge to no longer sound like them and, hence, will not be connected
with them. Two speakers (A and B) have a Birmingham accent, for example. If speaker A hates speaker B, it is
quite probable that speaker A will diverge from speaker B and utilize less Birmingham accent and dialect
characteristics.

Insecurity in Language and Crossover Effects

At least in the United States and Great Britain, some socially inferior individuals believe they talk poorly. As a
result of their linguistic insecurity, however, individuals are often seen using a prestigious variety of language to
display themselves in the desired manner. In Urdu-speaking societies, persons from the lower middle class or
the upper working class have a propensity to leap over the next higher class while speaking; this phenomenon is
frequently referred to as the lower middle class crossover effect. They often desire to be seen not as they are, but
how they want to be. As a consequence, they are frequently considered to have even superior vocabulary than
the class above them. People from a given social class may talk differently from others of the same social class
because they aim to be in a higher social class. This is known as "class aspiration." As evidence of a language
change in process, a regular and uniform movement in cautious speech towards a prestige standard may be seen.
Occasionally, the crossover effect is also caused by social mobility. People from metropolitan locations are seen
to have a higher status in the social hierarchy.

Covert and overt prestige

People may demonstrate either overt or covert prestige by using established and well-known views about
language usage and social class. Overt prestige occurs when a speaker uses standard, formal language with pride
because they identify it with a specific degree of status. This is most often seen among persons who seek to be
in a higher social class, since they use linguistic conventions to give oneself a publicly recognised high social
rank. When someone takes delight in adopting their regional accent or other non-standard forms of language,
they are displaying covert prestige. The speaker obtains status within their peer group as a result. This maintains
a high social rank inside a certain social group without the individual having to demonstrate their superior class.