Class colors English language
本文作者： 21ST
UK In a country where there are *aristocrats and commoners, issues over class have never been too far away from British news headlines. According to the BBC, the UK still has “an *obsession with class”. The most notable language symbol of class division in the country is the word “chav” which is a language minefield that people try to avoid. The stereotypical chav wears a tracksuit, *polyester jacket, oversized accessories and is from an underclass background. According to Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, the word is seen as “class abuse by people asserting superiority over those they despise”. To some, a class *slur like chav finds its way into conversation due to the decline of the working class. In a survey by UK-based research firm BritainThinks, 71 percent of British people defined themselves as middle class. Few were willing to be labeled working class. “I saw the ‘working class’ tag used as a slur, equated with other class-based insults such as ‘chav’,” wrote researcher Deborah Mattinson. Owen Jones, the author of a new book Chavs: the Demonization of the Working Class, thinks that when “decent” working class folk become middle class, what is left behind is a “*feckless *rump” housed on estates, living off benefits or working in low status jobs at supermarkets, hairdressers or fast food outlets. Media representations also fuel people’s stereotype of the working class. A 2006 survey by YouGov suggested 70 percent of TV industry professionals believed that Vicky Pollard from Little Britain was an *accurate reflection of white working class youth. However, some celebrities seem not to care about being called a chav. Cheryl Cole, a British pop singer from a working class background, said to Marie Claire: “I’m proud to be a chav, if by that you mean working class made good.” 21ST Taboo-buster Working class also have names for upper class individuals. Toff: a *derogatory term for someone with an aristocratic background and an air of superiority, or who wants to be considered a member of the upper class. Sloane/Rah: a *pejorative terms referring to young affluent people in the UK. Short for Sloane Ranger (women) and Ra Ra Rupert (men). |  |
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