british social

�British social and regional characteristics including dialects

British social and regional characteristics

including dialects

The weather is their favourite topic of conversation, they are obsessed with cricket and football, they drive on the left, and they spend their spare time in the pub where they drink warm, dark beer. These are typical British characteristics. But, otherwise, it is difficult to give a general idea of what the more than 60 million Brits are really like. This is because Great Britain is made up of three countries – England, Scotland and Wales - and with a society that is considered to be divided into different prestigious social groups that influence their behaviour, attitudes, accents and lifestyle in general. Let’s now take a closer look at what British people are like as well as what makes them different from each other.

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Defining Great Britain, the United Kingdom and the British IslesGreat Britain (often just called Britain) consists of England, Scotland and Wales.

The United Kingdom (the UK) consists of Great Britain as well as Northern Ireland.

The British Isles is a collective name for all the islands of Great Britain and Ireland.

When talking about the people of Great Britain, they are called British or Brits. English refers only to the people of England, and not to the rest of Great Britain.

Social class in BritainIn order to be able to understand the behaviour and characteristics of British people as well as their society, it is important to know something about the British class system which still exists. Although this may sound archaic, it is still present mainly in England but even to a lesser extent in both Scotland and Wales. This predominantly English prestigious class system is still deeply rooted in their lives, such as in the way they speak, the type of work they have, their homes, their interests and even the type of food they eat.

There are three distinct social classes in England: • The Upper Class (often also called the Establishment): This is

the social class that occupies the highest position in the social scale, usually industrialists and business leaders, members of the aristocracy such as the royal family with their wealth and exclusivity as well as the senior clergy of the Church of England.

• The Middle Class: This is the social class that consists of a wide range of business and professional people. This class also includes an upper middle class consisting of senior professional people such as politicians, professors, company directors, surgeons, etc., and a lower middle class consisting of people working mainly in middle-management positions such as shopkeepers as well as civil servants (employed by the

© Brian Pamphilon


government). White-collar worker is also a name to describe a person in this social class who does clerical or professional work as it used to be common for people to wear white shirts for this type of profession.

• The Working Class (sometimes also called the Lower Class): This is the section of society that has the lowest position in the social scale, consisting mainly of manual workers. It should be particularly stressed that many people in this class are proud to be regarded as “working class” as they see this as the productive base on which all other social classes depend. A blue-collar worker is a name also often used to describe a person belonging to this class. This is because a manual worker often wears blue overalls.

Conveying information about social class

Different kinds of food, social activities and aspects of lifestyle such as education, work and politics are closely associated with the particular social class that mainly English people belong to. Here are some examples that convey information about social class:

Work/jobsUpper class Middle class Working classSenior executive Professional Manual jobs (white collar worker) (blue collar worker) Company director teacher, doctor factory worker“The idle rich” bank manager shop assistant(no job because rich)

EducationUpper class Middle class Working classEton, Harrow Private, grammar school Comprehensive schoolFinishing school Sixth form college Technical collegeOxford, Cambridge Oxford, Cambridge, ----- “red-brick” university, polytechnic college

© Izabela Habur


PoliticsUpper class Middle class Working classConservative Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats Green Party Labour

SportsUpper class Middle class Working classAny sports involving cricket, tennis cricket, tennishorses rugby, football footballhunting, golf, sailing golf, sailing, betting on horse racinghorse racing, horse racingrugby

FoodUpper class Middle class Working classcaviar health foods fish and chipssmoked salmon foreign (e.g. Italian) Chinese takeaways restaurants junk food

NewspapersUpper class Middle Class Working classThe Times The Daily Telegraph The SunThe Daily Telegraph The Daily Mail The Daily Mirror The Daily Express The Observer The Observer The Sunday MirrorThe Sunday Times The Sunday Telegraph The News of the World The News of the World

Types of homeUpper class Middle class Working classOwn several homes Own their own homes Rent council housesLarge landowners Detached or semi- Rent council flats detached homesLive in rich areas of Live in the suburbs Council flats in outerLondon (e.g. Mayfair) or commute from towns suburbs of main citieswith postal codes with or villages outside main low numbers such as cities such as LondonLondon W.1, SW1, etc.


Dialects indicate the social class people belong to

The sort of dialects British people use will often indicate the social class they belong to. For example, those in the upper class and upper middle class tend to use a non-regional dialect of standard British English (or Received Pronunciation). The Oxford dialect is also a form of this Received Pronunciation, and used by people in university and other prestige situations.

Until quite recently, those British people who used a strong local dialect were usually considered to represent the lower middle or working class. However, this is now changing rapidly, partly influenced by the media – such as radio and television – which more and more frequently uses broadcasters and actors who have regional dialects instead of speaking Received Pronunciation. Thus, this present-day positive attitude toward regional accents is also being taken advantage of, especially by celebrities and actors such as Michael Caine who is particularly well-known for his London East End or Cockney-style English.

Apart from the non-regional Received Pronunciation, there are the following more common British dialects which are spoken not only by the working class but also by many in the middle class:

• Estuary English, which is widely spoken in and around London and in the south east of England. (Estuary comes from the area around the river Thames where it flows out into the North Sea.) This dialect is a combination of “received pronunciation” and the old East End and Cockney-style English spoken in London.

• Yorkshire English, a down-to-earth and often slow-talking northern English dialect spoken throughout the county of Yorkshire.

• Scouse or Liverpudlian English, a dialect spoken in Liverpool and north-western England, made particularly famous by the Beatles. This dialect combines varieties of English from the Liverpool area as well as from Ireland and even Wales. Earlier, it was considered very much as a working-class dialect.

• Lancashire English, a dialect also spoken in north-western England but mainly in the industrial country of Lancashire and the city of Manchester.

• Brummie English, a dialect spoken in Birmingham and the west Midlands of England.


• Geordie English, a dialect spoken in the industrial city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the north east of England.

• West Country English, a dialect spoken in the south-western part of England.

• Welsh English, a dialect spoken throughout Wales. But in Wales they also have their own Welsh language (an old Celtic language), spoken mainly in the northern parts. Most of the names of places throughout Wales are in their Welsh language, and today there is also a Welsh-speaking television channel.

• Scottish English, a dialect spoken throughout Scotland, although Gaelic is spoken in the northern and western parts. The style of English spoken in Scotland differs from other regional dialects in that the Scots use a number of special words of their own. Here are a few examples:

aye: yes ben: mountain brae: bank (of a river) dram: drink (whisky) glen: valley kirk: church loch: lake bairn: child bonny: beautiful dreichreich: dull lassie: girl wee: small

National and regional di��erencesdi��erences

England with its just under 50 million inhabitants is the most densely populated of the three countries that make up Great Britain. There are also many regional differences, the most notable being the so-called North-South divide. Traditionally, heavy industry such as coal mining and shipbuilding were located to the north of England while the south of England was better known as a centre for finance and banking. Politically, this is why the North has always been a stronghold for the Labour Party with its practical and down-to-earth population, while the South has been a stronghold for the Conservative Party with its urban professionals. The people of the south will often say that Northerners are old-fashioned and stubborn while those in the North will say that Southerners are materialistic, unfriendly and snobbish.

Particular national characteristics for England include their archaic class system, cricket matches that can go on for up to five days, and afternoon tea which is usually a meal more than just a drink

The people of Scotland tend to be extremely patriotic and prefer to regard themselves as Scottish rather than British (and definitely not English!). A lot of this rivalry and anti-English feeling that still exists


to a certain extent as a result of historic events. This is mainly because Scotland earlier was predominantly a Catholic country while England was in the most part Protestant. The people of Scotland by tradition also belong to clans which are basically extended family groups. But there is also rivalry within Scotland. For example, although the two largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, are very near each other, the people of Edinburgh often consider people in Glasgow to be uncultured while people in Glasgow consider those living in Edinburgh to be snobbish.

Today, Scotland has its own legal system as well as for education and banking. Special characteristics of Scotland include the wearing of kilts by men, the home of whisky and the national dish called Haggis, and their national poet called Robert Burns.

Wales is the smallest of the three countries that make up Great Britain but nevertheless the people are extremely proud and patriotic. Like in Scotland, Welsh people tend to be anti-English for historic reasons. The South is heavily populated and urbanised where the English language completely dominates while the North is more sparsely populated and where about 75 percent of the population also speaks Welsh. The country has a rich tradition in song and poetry.

The name of Wales comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for “foreign”. Being the next male heir to become the next British king, Prince Charles is called the Prince of Wales. This is the title that each male heir to the throne has had ever since 1301. Rugby is their national sport while on both England and Scotland this is football.


Check your wordsobsessed preoccupied to an extreme

degree, completely filling the mind so that no attention is given to other matters

prestigious causing admiration or respect for someone or something because of social influence or success

archaic belonging to the past, no longer used

the Establish- the people who control public lifementclergy the people who are members of

the priesthoodmanual using the handsconvey make ideas, feeling or thoughts

known to others“red-brick” a modern university that lacksuniversity academic traditionspolytechnic a college that offers a wide rangecollege of practical and academic subjectsLabour Social Democratic or left-wing

political partyConservative right-wing political partyLiberal liberal political party Democratsbetting an agreement to risk money on

the result of a future event (such as a horse race), by which the person who guesses wrong gives the money to the other person

junk food poor quality and unhealthy food, often chemically treated and containing a lot of sugar, fat and carbohydrates (such as in bread, pasta, potatoes, etc.)

council house a home owned and rented out mainly to working class people by the local authorities

semi-detached one of a pair of houses that are joined together

suburb an outer area of a town or cityReceived the form of British English Pronunciation pronunciation which is used by

many educated people in every part of Britain, especially in the south of England.

celebrity well-known personestuary the wide lower part or mouth of a

river flowing into the seathe East End the eastern part of London,

north of the River Thames and containing much of the area called the Docklands

densely concentratednotable giving attention, importantstronghold a place where a particular activity

or way of life is common or general

down-to-earth practical and honestheir the person who has the legal right

to receive the title of another person

the Throne the rank or office of a king or queen


Check your knowledge

I. True or �alse?

True False

1. The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland and Wales.

2. The British social class system exists mainly in Scotland and Wales.

3. The middle class covers both those people working in professional positions and those in middle management positions.

4. A blue-colour worker usually works in a clerical position and wears a blue shirt.

5. Many manual workers are proud of the fact that they belong to the working class as the whole of society is dependent on them.

6. “The idle rich” are people with so much money that they do not have to work at all.

7. The Labour Party is popular among people in the middle and working classes.

8. Football is particularly popular among people in the upper class.

9. Many middle class families live in detached or semi-detached homes.

10. Received Pronunciation is the dialect used by people in academic and leading circles.

11. The use of strong local dialects is becoming more and more acceptable, especially in the media.

12. Estuary English is a dialect you will most likely hear in the London area.

13. Brummie English was a dialect spoken by the Beatles.

Check your wordsobsessed preoccupied to an extreme

degree, completely filling the mind so that no attention is given to other matters

prestigious causing admiration or respect for someone or something because of social influence or success

archaic belonging to the past, no longer used

the Establish- the people who control public lifementclergy the people who are members of

the priesthoodmanual using the handsconvey make ideas, feeling or thoughts

known to others“red-brick” a modern university that lacksuniversity academic traditionspolytechnic a college that offers a wide rangecollege of practical and academic subjectsLabour Social Democratic or left-wing

political partyConservative right-wing political partyLiberal liberal political party Democratsbetting an agreement to risk money on

the result of a future event (such as a horse race), by which the person who guesses wrong gives the money to the other person

junk food poor quality and unhealthy food, often chemically treated and containing a lot of sugar, fat and carbohydrates (such as in bread, pasta, potatoes, etc.)

council house a home owned and rented out mainly to working class people by the local authorities

semi-detached one of a pair of houses that are joined together

suburb an outer area of a town or cityReceived the form of British English Pronunciation pronunciation which is used by

many educated people in every part of Britain, especially in the south of England.

celebrity well-known personestuary the wide lower part or mouth of a

river flowing into the seathe East End the eastern part of London,

north of the River Thames and containing much of the area called the Docklands

densely concentratednotable giving attention, importantstronghold a place where a particular activity

or way of life is common or general

down-to-earth practical and honestheir the person who has the legal right

to receive the title of another person

the Throne the rank or office of a king or queen

�0British social and regional characteristics including dialects

14. The Welsh language is commonly spoken throughout the whole of Wales.

15. In Scotland they have many special dialect words of their own.

16. The north of England is particularly known for its industrial traditions.

17. A cricket match in England can go on for as long as five days.

18. There has continually been anti-English feeling in Scotland as it has always been predominantly Protestant while England has been Catholic.

19. The Scottish educational system is different to the system used in England and Wales.

20. Rugby is a sport played mainly by the upper classes in Wales.

II. What are the missing words?

1. A collective name for all the islands of Great Britain and

Ireland is

2. The British class system may sound very but it

still exists, especially in England.

3. The rich are those people who have so much money that they do not have to work at all.

4. A is a home owned by the local authorities and rented out mainly to working class families.

5. Another name for the non-regional Oxford dialect is

6. The dialect used by many people in the London area today is

called English.

7. In Scotland, the word they use instead of mountain is

��British social and regional characteristics including dialects

8. By tradition, northern England has always been a

for the Labour Party.

9. The national dish in Scotland is

10. Prince Charles is called the Prince of Wales, a title that each

male to the British throne has had ever since 1301.

III. Test your use o� special Scottish words

Here you have some statements made by a Scotsman. Answer the questions about them using words people would normally use in England or Wales.

1. Many historians say that Mary Queen of Scots (sister of Queen Elisabeth I) was a bonnie wee lassie as a bairn. -According to many historians, what was Mary Queen of Scots like when she was young?

2. I don’t recommend a tour of the bens and lochs today because it’s a bit dreich. –What doesn’t the Scotsman recommend, and why?

3. We’ll need a wee dram before we walk over the brae and along the loch to the kirk. –According to the Scotsman, what will we need, and what will we do after that?

IV. Controversial topics �or panel discussions

1. You may have been rather surprised to learn that there is still a rather archaic social class system that still exists particularly in England but, to a certain extent, even in Scotland and Wales. The text you have just read gives examples of how people’s lifestyles differ depending on the social class they belong to. Be prepared to discuss this with others. To what extent do you consider that there is a social class structure in your country that influences people’s lifestyle?

2. If you have stayed with an English family or have had contact with British people, try to determine the social class they belong to by writing down and discussing with others those aspects that convey information about their lifestyle.

��British social and regional characteristics including dialects

3. Choose a British celebrity and determine which social class he or she comes from when considering style of language, interests, general appearance, etc. Compare your results with others.

4. The text gives examples of different areas that convey information about social class (work, education, politics, sports, etc). There are also many other areas that can convey the social class of a person. Try to add new areas that can convey such information.

5. Which social class do you belong to? Motivate why you belong to this social class.

6. Why do you think that the rather archaic social class system of the type they have in Britain still exists? Give examples of countries you know of where there is still a social class system or clearly defined hierarchy.

7. We have learnt from the text that there are many different dialects spoken in Britain. Again, choose a British celebrity and try to define the dialect he or she uses. How does this dialect differ from Received Pronunciation? Which dialect of English have you had most contact with? Which dialect of English do you prefer? Why?

IV. Find out more

1. If you are interested in finding out more about the characteristics of British people as well as their customs, you can study a project that a school in Kent has completed on this subject. You can read all about their project at the following web address:

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs

2. If you are interested in finding out more about the many different dialects used in Britain, you can - with the help of the following web address - click on various parts of the map of the UK and listen to the local dialects used there.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/recordings/index.shtml

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs

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