How do posh people speak? Learn about language and social class in England

How do posh people talk? This lesson is all about posh people in England! How do they talk? What kind of jobs do they have? What kind of lives do they live? I will explain what it means to speak and act like a posh English person in terms of social class and family background. I will also give you some examples of British actors, such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley who, in most of their films, play the parts of posh people. You will also learn about Nancy Mitford’s “U” and “Non-U” language. She was an English journalist and novelist who wrote about posh people in the 1950s. Though society is always changing, awareness of class and the language associated with class is still very important in England, so if you’re studying English or just interested in English culture, watch this video.

[KaidEllz]

She’s changed so much since the London Slang Video 🤣

[Simpson]

I've met "posh" people with the manners of pigs and working class people with lovely manners.

[kara]

Not many teachers are willing to talk this topic because they don't wanna be criticised, but you gave us some general, neutral facts here to let us, outsider of UK, know the real life, so thank you for making this video.

[k.zohaib]

Jade i think we need a new london slang video

[tjmanou]

I like how genuine Jade is in her videos as if she was talking to a real person as well. Very refreshing to see a presentation like this.

[pch]

When you're English, you know exactly what Orwell meant when he said his childhood family was "lower-upper-middle class".

[terraseeler]

I'm from the US, a native speaker and I teach ESL as well. This video was so interesting to me! I didn't really get how deep the class system goes in England. I also think it's funny that so many of the words that the NonU people used in 1955 are the words we use in America for those things! What the posh English people must have thought of us Americans back then.... 😂

[runito]

Come back Jade! We miss you!!! (Speaking for everyone)

[bertharius]

If you want to emulate the speech of the upper classes then with good practise you may achieve a passable level, but it's not likely to fool those who are born into the upper class. You would also have to learn behavioural patterns, non-verbal communication and forms of conversation that might be at odds with your personality. It's a bit like scooping out everything in your brain that you've learned up to this point then filling it with the phantom education you've never had, the phantom friends you've never had, the phantom upbringing you've never had and the phantom tastes you have never acquired. Of course you could affect a demeanor that might trick those far down the social scale but it may be more problematic to glide naturally and consistently into a social class that you consider above you. This was illustrated perfectly in the film "The Remains of the Day" where the butler was considered by the working class locals as an upper class gentleman but a doctor (m.c.) could perceive that this wasn't the case. But if your goal is simply to improve aspects of yourself, then good luck in your efforts.

[pattimessenger]

I’m American. House and home are two different things. A house is a structure. It can be lived in or empty, but the structure is still a house. Home is where you are comfortable. Where you live with your family and create memories.

[theovanstaden]

Mrs Bucket from keeping up appearances wil love this! lol

[BobDenny]

Delightful! Jade, you are a master communicator in every respect. Watching you as well as listening and interpreting is a joy!

[richardsmith]

Jobs are one thing, language and accent are other things. They don’t always correlate. Class is certainly not occupation, it is ideas, humour, interests, education and much much more. And vocabulary is very important.

[davidlloyd]

Brilliant description of British class and the difficulties in trying to get out of the class system, or improve oneself. I’m from Sheffield, comprehensive school, but still middle class due to University education and climbing the ladder in science.

[JaneDoe-cigj]

I'm Swedish from upper middle class bakground. Posh people genreally don't talk about money like that! Discussing your own or someone else's wealth is very tacky and not just done!

[CanisDei]

The gestures you make are funny and interesting at the same time, which made me watch the whole video and of course learned everything that you taught. Thank you!

[cristianescobar]

Something I do appreciate about these videos, other than the content itself, is the absence of those irritating million cuts other youtubers need to be able to put a 5 word sentence together. Regardless of whether that became some sort of a trend or style, whatever happened to being able to have just well prepared content you can discuss without resorting to that many edits?

[shinyshinythings]

Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced “Bouquet”) is the perfect example of a climber (but of course she’s climbing from her WC level background and trying way too hard). Great comedy that pokes fun at the entire class system. And then there’s the classic My Fair Lady, which is about trying to teach someone from the Precariat to sound posh — and succeeding!

[nedasamimi]

What you're saying (according to Nancy Mitford) is proven here in Sri Lanka to be true. The English spoken here is the English the British left behind when Sri Lanka gained her independence in late 40's. And since the ruling class were the 'posh' English, words like 'frocks', 'spectacles', 'lavatory', 'looking glass' and the like are very much still the norm. As an English teacher, it's an uphill struggle to get them to update their vocabulary.

[gonzaloarmijos]

I'm a Spanish-native speaker, from Equador, living now in Brazil. In Equador, too, upper-class people from the Andes, not from the coastal areas, would avoid at all costs the 'rr' pronunciation as the indigenous people do. And you too can tell the class origin of someone by the way they talk and their accent. Very interesting lesson.