LANGUAGE AND

SOCIAL CLASS
KADRİYE AYHAN
ECE IŞILAY
• Firstly, Sociolinguistics who study the relationship between language
and society have reported that language is affected by social class.
• Different social classes use diverse linguistic varieties.
• People live in the same region but they differ in terms of education,
occupation and economic status.
 SOCIAL DIALECTS

• In sociolinguistics, social dialect is a variety of speech associated with a

particular social class. And this term also known as a sociolect and class
dialect. The terms upper and lower classes mainly on a economic basis.
• For example, among older European-American speakers in Charleston,
South Carolina, the absence of ‘’r’’ in words such as bear and court is
associated with aristocratic, high-status groups) whereas in New York City
the same pattern of ‘’r-’’lessness is associated with working-class, low-status
groups.
In this example Labov illustrated the social
stratification of (r) in N.Y.C. department
stores.

Labov believed that the higher the social

class of a speaker, the more frequent the
occurrence of /r/ in speech.
• Lower classes tend to speak non-standard dialects.
• Upper classes tend to speak more standard dialects.
• Middle classes speak more standard dialects because they hope to be
‘better’.
• For example the verb ‘’ain’t’’ is generally used often in working class.
Upper class speakers use the verbs ‘’am not, is not, have not.’’
• Speech style divided into two categories as Formal and Informal.

Middle class speakers are more likely to shift their style of speaking in the
direction of the upper middle class when they are using a careful style.
 Prestige is the degree of esteem and social value attached by members of a speech community
to certain languages, dialects, or features of a language variety. Divided as Covert and Overt
Prestige.
A standard dialect speaker of English who intentionally switches to use of social markers such as
‘’ain't’’ and ‘’he don't is said to seek’’ are covert prestige. Such prestige is 'covert‘. It is that
acquired by those speakers desiring to belong; to be considered a member of a certain
community.

Overt prestige is acquired by those speakers who have command of a standard dialect (or
dialects) that is socially defined as that spoken to gain social status within the wider community;
often that of the elite.
EDUCATION AND OCCUPATION
FACTORS
• Class divisions are based on status and power in a society. In many
societies, individuals who do not adopt what is considered a "standard"
or appropriate form of language are considered as uneducated.
• Middle class members are generally defined those who have more years
of education and working class members who have fewer years of
education.
• Hierarchy of status – a doctor is higher on the scale than a nurse – and is
only indirectly connected to a person’s income or whether or not they
are themselves capitalists. A perceived occupational ranking is central to
this functional approach.
SOCIAL MARKERS
• Whether people realize or not social markers occur frequently in their
speech. It marks people as a member of a particular social group.
SLANG
• Slang is often associated with speakers who are low socio-economic status,
individuals with low levels of education, and certain groups who identify
with the particular slang usage. Slang describes words or phrases that are
used more informal-everyday terms with special interests. For Example,
• Dude-guy
• Gig- job
• Kicks-shoes
• Cushy- comfortably easy
• Ball- a good time
UPPER CLASS VS. NON-UPPER CLASS

• Film - Movie
• (I'm) finished - (I'm) done
• Hello - Hey
• Invitation - Invite
• Lavatory - Toilet
• Alcohol - Booze