Language And Social Language: Social Class And Language

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Social Class and Language The American class system is divided into three sets of social categories: upper class, middle class, and lower class. These class divisions are determined based on an individual’s status and power in the society and may also be determined through an individual’s education, occupation, and income. Having a divided society based on social and economic status leads to the formation of different conversational styles. The use of standard or nonstandard English dialects often reflect an individual’s social class and it will vary according to the social group one is categorized. Language is affected by the social structure because individuals will differ from one another in the way an individual speak. Being divided by …show more content…

The one percent and several individuals that are part of the middle class discriminate the lower class by ignoring them because their language is not understandable. In the essay, “Mother Tongue”, Tan describes the challenges that her mother faced for being part of the minority group and not being able to speak English fluently in the American society. Because Tan’s mother is a Chinese immigrant who do not speak English correctly, the majority “pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.” Even when her mother was insisting for compassion and understanding, “they did not seem to have any sympathy”since she did not speak English correctly and was belittled in the community.Contrary to the upper and middle class, lower class individuals do not speak English fluently, but the “broken” and “fractured” nonstandard English they learned from their parents. Individuals who belong to the lowest class level in the society do not have the opportunity to receive an education that will allow them to become fluent in the English language. Due to the fact that they are not financially stable, lower class individuals do not receive the same level of education as their peers which causes them to speak grammatically incorrect and have hardships within the

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