1) Middle Class can mean many things in Britain, and for a lot of people middle class means a similar thing to what you've describe for the US: people who don't do manual labour but who aren't super-rich either. You get people talking about lower middle class and upper middle class (no-one talks about middle middle class though. Strange.) As someone who has been to university and works behind a desk and occasionally eats cous-cous, I could class myself as middle class (lower middle, maybe, but still middle).
But in Britain there is also a traditional meaning (which is maybe falling slightly out of favour these days). This meaning is basically that middle class = rich. Middle class people often own property, go to public school and university and enter a profession. What separated the middle classes from the upper classes, back in the day, was that upper class people did not work for a living; it would have been horrifically unthinkable for an upper class man to have a job. This means that all the wealthy people who did work (doctors, lawyers, brokers etc) were middle class.
When I was talking about Sherlock being middle class, I was using the traditional sense of the term. And I'm pretty sure that that's what Baldrick was using too.
2) I have no idea why received pronunciation is called received pronunciation. Most people nowadays aren't taught how to talk. However, back in the day, if you wanted to better yourself, then you would probably try to get rid of your regional accent by learning to speak with received pronunciation. (Mostly because received pronunciation is the accent of the rich; if you didn't have it, then people looked down on you). This is why, in the early-mid 20th century, all the people on the BBC sounded so, well, BBC. Luckily, nowadays, people are far more accepting of regional accents, so you don't have to change your accent to go far, not even if you want to be on TV. Accent is still generally a big indicator of class though.
3) There might be some middle class black people (in the traditional sense of the term), but if there are then they are few. The class system is inherently predjudiced.
4) I don't know what an Appalachian patois sounds like, but cool!
5) Well, I think a large part of it is Sherlock just liking suits. Very few posh people nowadays would wear suits all the time, and people who wear suits every day are not necessarily posh. But with the obvious expense of Sherlock's wardrobe, it does suggest that he's a little on the richer side.
6) I feel sorry for the poor boy. I don't even know how to pronounce Barned.
7) That's ok. My own knowledge of American accents is pitiful. I know Southern and Brooklyn and then I group everything else under the banner of 'general American accent', even the Canadians! (Yes, I am embarrassed about my shortcomings.)
8) Well, the difference in accent between Mycroft and Sherlock is very slight. You do get points for Alan Rickman though! From what I've heard, Benedict Cumberbatch prides himself on his Alan Rickman impersonation (1:21 minutes in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG0F2rnKS08) I could listen to Alan Rickman all day and someone once described Benedict Cumberbatch as sounding like a jaguar trapped in a cello, so it's good all round if you ask me.
9) I don't know why this is, but yes, 'Mummy' is posh. I can imagine them being brought up by a Nanny too, with Mummy at arm's length, but that's my own flight of fancy.
10) Like everything else over here, when it comes to schools, we get everything arse-backwards. In the UK, 'Public School' equates to what you in the US would call 'Private School'. Over here, the vast majority of people go to state-funded schools, which are free. But if you have enough money, then you can pay to send your kids to public school instead. (Of course, some lucky kids can get scholarships to go to public school without having to pay). The traditional public schools are stereotypically boarding schools, with all their special quirks like funny uniforms, strange customs, fagging and cold showers (think Harry Potter or Tom Brown's Schooldays). To get some idea of public school, I would highly recommend reading Stephen Fry's autobiography, Moab is my Washpot, or watching the film, If... Of course, having never been to public school myself, I'm only going by stereotypes.
11) When it comes to public schools, Harrow is up there with the big guns. It's not quite as posh as Eton (which is probably the most posh out of all of them), but it's definitely up there.
12) :D I'm glad there's a reason for my enthusiasm. It might not explain the fanart of Sherlock with cat ears though, but no-one need ever know about that one.
13) You don't need to complain about long comments! I like long comments! <3
no subject
Date: 2010-11-04 10:07 pm (UTC)But in Britain there is also a traditional meaning (which is maybe falling slightly out of favour these days). This meaning is basically that middle class = rich. Middle class people often own property, go to public school and university and enter a profession. What separated the middle classes from the upper classes, back in the day, was that upper class people did not work for a living; it would have been horrifically unthinkable for an upper class man to have a job. This means that all the wealthy people who did work (doctors, lawyers, brokers etc) were middle class.
When I was talking about Sherlock being middle class, I was using the traditional sense of the term. And I'm pretty sure that that's what Baldrick was using too.
2) I have no idea why received pronunciation is called received pronunciation. Most people nowadays aren't taught how to talk. However, back in the day, if you wanted to better yourself, then you would probably try to get rid of your regional accent by learning to speak with received pronunciation. (Mostly because received pronunciation is the accent of the rich; if you didn't have it, then people looked down on you). This is why, in the early-mid 20th century, all the people on the BBC sounded so, well, BBC.
Luckily, nowadays, people are far more accepting of regional accents, so you don't have to change your accent to go far, not even if you want to be on TV. Accent is still generally a big indicator of class though.
3) There might be some middle class black people (in the traditional sense of the term), but if there are then they are few. The class system is inherently predjudiced.
4) I don't know what an Appalachian patois sounds like, but cool!
5) Well, I think a large part of it is Sherlock just liking suits. Very few posh people nowadays would wear suits all the time, and people who wear suits every day are not necessarily posh. But with the obvious expense of Sherlock's wardrobe, it does suggest that he's a little on the richer side.
6) I feel sorry for the poor boy. I don't even know how to pronounce Barned.
7) That's ok. My own knowledge of American accents is pitiful. I know Southern and Brooklyn and then I group everything else under the banner of 'general American accent', even the Canadians! (Yes, I am embarrassed about my shortcomings.)
8) Well, the difference in accent between Mycroft and Sherlock is very slight. You do get points for Alan Rickman though! From what I've heard, Benedict Cumberbatch prides himself on his Alan Rickman impersonation (1:21 minutes in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG0F2rnKS08)
I could listen to Alan Rickman all day and someone once described Benedict Cumberbatch as sounding like a jaguar trapped in a cello, so it's good all round if you ask me.
9) I don't know why this is, but yes, 'Mummy' is posh. I can imagine them being brought up by a Nanny too, with Mummy at arm's length, but that's my own flight of fancy.
10) Like everything else over here, when it comes to schools, we get everything arse-backwards. In the UK, 'Public School' equates to what you in the US would call 'Private School'. Over here, the vast majority of people go to state-funded schools, which are free. But if you have enough money, then you can pay to send your kids to public school instead. (Of course, some lucky kids can get scholarships to go to public school without having to pay). The traditional public schools are stereotypically boarding schools, with all their special quirks like funny uniforms, strange customs, fagging and cold showers (think Harry Potter or Tom Brown's Schooldays). To get some idea of public school, I would highly recommend reading Stephen Fry's autobiography, Moab is my Washpot, or watching the film, If... Of course, having never been to public school myself, I'm only going by stereotypes.
11) When it comes to public schools, Harrow is up there with the big guns. It's not quite as posh as Eton (which is probably the most posh out of all of them), but it's definitely up there.
12) :D I'm glad there's a reason for my enthusiasm. It might not explain the fanart of Sherlock with cat ears though, but no-one need ever know about that one.
13) You don't need to complain about long comments! I like long comments! <3