Why do lower class English not pronounce their consanants?

Question

Like Wha' (what) inni' (Isnt it) i'(it) mo'a(motor) 'ouse(house) etc

And FFF instead of TH

Answer 1

i think it depends more on local accent rather than class.

Answer 2

You have esteem problems yourself if you think that omission of consonants makes some one inferior. It's mostly because it just takes too long and sounds like, as stated above, you have a silver spoon up your rose-scented shaft.

By far the best people I know say wha' etc., and the standard english of proper t's i.e. better, harriet, timothy ETC. just make for no character in speech whatsoever. All those middle/upper class people who are trained like dogs to speak with the 'right' accent simply end up as clones devoid of character.

It's also worth noting that the glottal stop, used in words such as be'er, wha', go' (got) etc., is used in many other languages; this is a fundamental characteristic of danish, for example. Also, the omission of consonants in languages is a natural linguistic process - it is simply that the english traditionalists want to cling on to their dated customs of croquet, afternoon tea and proper english. No one is considered lower class in sweden if you say 'stan' instead of 'staden' (the town) or 'hudet' instead of 'huvudet' (the head) - in fact it is perfectly normal. Nor is any one considered lower class if they said 'se iactasse' (to have boasted) rather than 'se iactaVIsse'. Of course there was the great vulgar/classical latin division, which definitely was discriminatory, yet how many people consider french and italian to be the most sophisticated of languages these days when, so ironically, they sprung from the tongues of 'peasants'. Then you can see how much of a farce this is and why you any one who discriminates based on speech, dress or indeed any other criterion as old and worn as those, should really take a look at him-/herself to find out why you feel the need to give yourself a pathetically false high and mighty stance.

I'm not saying that we should all speak and write in text message language, of course.

Answer 3

Try getting your facts right before making assumptions and generalising. In major cities, this is more likely to happen with teens and youths. The reason they are using such lazy speech has nothing to do with them being English nor their class as even wealthier families have children that cannot speak English correctly. The problem comes from the US and is known as "Street Talk". If you want to complain about standards of language, try asking why Americans speak such poor English and are constantly attempting to change the "English" dictionary to suit their poor standards of the English language? American pronounciation is appalling as is their grammar, both verbal and written. Those American "so called" pop stars should be banned from cutting records and banned from public. They are the biggest influence on today's teenagers / youths and they are a very bad influence. Either teach those Americans, that are always in the public eye, to speak English correctly or criminalise them.

Answer 4

The use of what is called the 'glottal stop' in place of consonants is not do do with class, more of local dialect. It is particularly prevalent in the South of England, especially in areas where there has been a large influx from the East end of London. In Essex for instance, it is pretty much endemic in the accent regardless of class, and as a South Londoner, it is a part of my speech, though in a much less definite way.
In fact, in it's most extreme form it seems to be the preserve of middle-class suburban kids trying to establish some sort of 'street cred'.
In the North of course, the glottal stop is rarely used, again regardless of class,which rather shoots your lower-class assumption down in flames.

Answer 5

I suggest that you get out of the habit of judging others as sooner or later you will have to be judged yourself. Yes there are a lot of people who badly misuse the English language but to look upon others as a "lower class" than yourself is very arrogant.

Answer 6

I am suprised that after 12 years of labour rule and the 1950s being well over 50 years ago, that class actually means anything.

That is of course unless the current government has drastically widened the gap between those that have and those that have not?

Answer 7

There's a simple correlation between class and education. Those oriented towards low-earning roles prefer to use unpolished pronunciation, and regional variations on standard english as a way of increasing the sense of identity with their peers.
Where people need to travel significantly for work, and communicate with others living in other parts of the country, or even other countries, regional dialects reduce directly, and people speak with more correct English.
I grew up in the wilds of Norfolk, (or the woilds o'Naafok as they're known), but I avoided the regional accent, and as such sound less like a retard.

Answer 8

It's not the lower class it's the "never worked" class who are slowly turning into Orcs. They've given up shoe laces, ties or knives and forks as too difficult - now they are giving up writing for text and speaking for threatening noises. (Don't tell evolution isn't true, I can see it going backwards on my local estate).

Answer 9

Why the "lower class" put down - its a common dialect phenomenon - if you're interested, read a book on language and phonetics, if you're just havin' a pop, then naff off!

Answer 10

It's not necessary to pronounce every single final consonant especially when you're speaking because certai sounds in linguistics get omitted in order to maintain the speed of speaking as well as to for the comfort of the speaker because different sounds require you to use different positions to vioce them out.

Answer 11

Upper class do not pronounce their vowels. And by the way, I think a whole lot of people don't pronounce consonants. Try saying 'don't pronounce' and pronounce the 't' of don't clearly. Do you really say that?