Language, social class and education: listening to adolescents' perceptions

Young people's perceptions may offer an insight into the complex associations between language, education and social class. However, little research has asked young people what they think of their own talking. Forty-two British adolescents aged between 14 and 15years were interviewed: 21 attended a school in a working class area; 21 attended school in a middle class area. This paper examines and compares interview extracts from the two groups of adolescents. Results of a thematic analysis suggest that adolescents in both schools use language to signal their identity and to identify the group membership of others. Identity was linked by participants to social class. For example, adolescents attending school in a working class area described how they avoid talking posh' and those in a middle class area avoided talking like a chav'. Adolescents attending school in a working class area described differences between the requirements of talking with teachers versus with their peers. Those in a middle class area discussed how their language skills were related to literacy and educational success. Implications for educational policy and practice are examined.