How “U” are “U” words?: exploring variation in the usage and perception of class-based lexical shibboleths in British English

Sandow, RJ, Bailey, G, Braber, N ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2611-1190 and O’Hara-Brown, E, 2024. How “U” are “U” words?: exploring variation in the usage and perception of class-based lexical shibboleths in British English. English World-Wide. ISSN 0172-8865

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Abstract

That U (upper-class) speakers and non-U (non-upper class) speakers are identifiable through the use of vocabulary is something of an axiom in England. These claims are repeated in books, magazine and newspaper articles, on social media, and in conversations regarding social class. However, such claims are seldom subject to empirical investigation. In order to redress this, we consider the production and perception of U and non-U lexis through two studies. In the first study, we identify the social and stylistic variation of three variables which are purported to be indicators of socioeconomic status, namely, LOO, NAPKIN, and SOFA. The second study employs the matched-guise technique to investigate the perception of lexical variants of these three variables. The production results reveal that all three variables exhibit change in apparent-time with some, but limited, evidence of class-based variation. In the perception study, we find no systematic class-based indexicalities across the three variables. Ultimately, our findings challenge the belief that U words are shibboleths of upper-classness.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	English World-Wide
Creators:	Sandow, R.J., Bailey, G., Braber, N. and O’Hara-Brown, E.
Publisher:	John Benjamins Publishing Company
Date:	1 February 2024
ISSN:	0172-8865
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1075/eww.00085.san DOI 1860803 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Arts and Humanities
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	12 Feb 2024 16:17
Last Modified:	12 Feb 2024 16:17
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/50844

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