how does where you live (type of house and region) affect your class? does it at all? any good thinkers i can link this with? Particularly, i'm studying the uk.
Thank you so much for any help!!!

NeedKarma

I can give you my experience when a spent a couple of months living and working in the UK. I'm Canadian BTW.

I worked in a pub in London, right in W1. I love accents especially the variety of british accents. I used to have a little fun trying to guess where someone was from based on their accent until I was told this little tidbit: when you can place someone's residence by their accent in the UK you are basically saying that they have little education. Apparently the further you go in the school system the more your regional accent is stripped out in favour in the Queen's english. I'm not sure if this is a feeling all over the UK.

Hope this helps a little bit.

DJ 'H'

I am from the UK - and to be honest everyone from each county has a different accent but it bears no relevance on your level of education.

It's money that does that - the goverment tries to allow everyone equal opportunities - by provinding grants to university students etc.

But there are a lot of single mothers in the Uk with children - who cannot work; they live in council houses and survive through benefits - but each school has an offstead every year which makes sure the syllabus is being followed and the children get a high standard of learning.

There are many courses laid on at colleges throughout the Uk for all ages - but if an indidual cannot be bothered then that is their own lookout.

Obviously those who are well off can afford to put their children through private school - but I would not say the level of edcuation is any better just their way of doing things is stricted perhaps.


Class is something of the past - but then you do get your rough areas and your more elegant areas. Thats why certain properties in certain areas cost a whole lot more than in others. Thats down to the type of people living in the area, and what their house looks like. It it's falling apart and the owner pays no due care and attantion to his/her house, had wild loud parties every night and things get vandled - then that area is somewhere no one wants to live and the people who do live there none wants to associate with.

The accent thing:

I am from Wiltshire - the part of the Uk famous for "Stone Henge" I live about 20minutes away from there.

I don't really have the Wiltshire accent even though I have lived their my whole life - but thats because I am well travelled and am around people who all have different accents all of the time - but Wiltshire & Somerset are famous for their Farmer accents - the ooh arr like a pirate would speak lol

They say people from somerset have "Webbed Feet" - People from Wiltshire are "Inbreds"

Then you have the cockney's from London are "Loud Mouths"

People up North to us southaners are seen as "Northern Scum" - it's not a rivalry thing or people being nasty or anything it's just a bit of fun. Good old english humour lol - we all love taking the mickey and being sarcastic.

Everyone is proud of where they come from, and proud of their accents.

I will be happy to assist you with your studies anyway I can. Being as I am a UK citizen and have lived here all my life I would probably the best person to help you.

Curlyben

Hey 'H' you missed off the other part of this.
What Northerners call Southerners - 'Lightweight, Shandy Drinking Southern Poofs'

Being a Northerner born and bred, but now living in the South (Hampshire) I keep my mouth shut

I tend to agree with most of what you've said, where by the accent has noting to do with your level of education it has more to do with how much you have travelled in England.
If you talk to me I have no hint of one regional accent, but bits of a few.

Now on England becoming a classless society, I think you have missed the mark somewhat. True we don't have a rigid class structure as we once had but it is still there. As you say its more determined by money and upbringing than birth as it once was. The boarders between classes are now much lass defined, but still there if you look hard enough.

Oh well, time to put my flat cap on, take the whippet for a walk and have a pint of Bitter at the Working man's club.

Have fun

DJ 'H'

'Lightweight, Shandy Drinking Southern Poofs' - thats one I have not heard before - but well funny!! - I think you'll find the reason we are all lightweights down here is because the alcohol is that much more expensive than up north. My cousin moved from Wiltshire to live in Wakefield near leeds a few years back. His accent is mixed lol - but when I went to visit him I managed to buy 4 pints for £4 whereas down here it would have been more like £10.

Everything you said about classes is what I was trying to get at (just did not really explain myself properly). So thank you for finishing what I started.

So you live in Hampshire hey - right next door to my county; bargain!!