November 2nd 2024.
Do you ever wonder which words are considered posh? Well, let's take a look at some of the words that have traditionally been associated with the upper class in the UK. We all know that there are many different accents and dialects in the UK, but none are as noticeable as the posh ones.
It's often easy to tell if someone is "old money" just by listening to how they speak. For example, the King's English is very different from the cockney drawl. But according to experts, it's not just about the way you speak - your vocabulary can also give away your social standing.
In her 2014 bestseller, Watching the English, social anthropologist Kate Fox claims that one word used more frequently by the upper middle class is "sofa". Another popular choice among the upper class is "beastly", and they also tend to refer to rugby as "rugger" in conversation.
However, things are changing and the words that used to be seen as posh are now adapting to modern times. And on the other hand, there are also words that were once considered posh but now suggest the opposite.
But what exactly determines a "posh" word? In the 1950s, linguistics professor Alan Ross wrote a paper stating that he had identified certain differences between the upper class and other classes in England. These differences included pronunciation, grammar, and the use of specific words. However, Ross's findings were not based on research, but rather his own beliefs and opinions - also known as armchair linguistics.
Words like "loo" and "napkin" were commonly assumed to be posh, without much fact-checking. But a recent study by George Bailey and Eddie O'Hara Brown compared these supposed upper-class words with their non-upper-class counterparts, such as "toilet", "serviette", and "settee". They found that in their study of 80 participants from different ages, genders, and social classes, "napkin" and "sofa" were actually the most commonly used terms, challenging Ross's claims. They concluded that if a word is used frequently by the general public, it cannot be a reliable indicator of social class.
However, there were some words that were not so easily categorized. For example, the word "loo" was primarily used by older participants in the study, regardless of their social class. The same was true for "serviette" and "settee".
In a second study conducted by the same experts, they asked 100 participants for their opinions on which words were perceived to be posh. They showed the participants various social media posts and asked them to determine the writer's social class. The posts featured both a stereotypically posh option and a less posh alternative. For example, one post read, "My flatmate went to a wedding and I brought takeaway, was almost done eating before I saw something that looks like a fried egg, put it in my mouth and it was a napkin/serviette. God why me!?"
Interestingly, the participants from higher socioeconomic groups believed that "sofa" sounded more posh, while those from lower socioeconomic groups thought "settee" was posh. And while "toilet" and "loo" were seen as equal in status, "serviette" was considered more posh than "napkin".
Overall, the study found that while there have been some changes in the perception of posh words since Ross's initial findings, there are still clear markers of social class in British English. Unfortunately, class-based discrimination in terms of accent and dialect is still prevalent in society.
Do you have a story to share about your experiences with posh words? We'd love to hear from you! Drop us an email at [insert email address here].
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