[lit-ideas] Alan Ross -- And the Socio-Lectics of Class
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:56:08 EDT
The other day I was rereading Nancy Mitford on U and non-U which she
borrowed from A. Ross.
"Denture" is non-upper class; 'false teeth' is upper class
"napkin" is upper class, 'serviette' is non-upper class.
Etc.
"rich" is upper class, 'wealthy' is non-upper class.
Then there's the pragmatics:
an upper class speaker can SIMULATE 'slumming' by uttering non-upper
class (as Uncle Matthew does in "Pursuit of Love", Mitford notes, who says
'denture').
These days, there's inverse snobbery and posh is no longer posh while being
born in the 'gutter' as Coward said of Gertie Lawrence is 'classy'. Next
is the end of the world, I gather?
J. L. Speranza, Bordighera
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