Comments on: Why did the middle class shrink?

By: Rajat Sood

Rajat Sood — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:27:39 +0000

Spiros, from my ancient experience (early ’90s), it would be 95% if you included the selective and sought-after high schools such as Melbourne, Uni, Glen Waverly, Balwyn, etc. I was friends with a girl who went to the non-selective Heathmont High, but her accent was as middle-class as they come.

By: Andrew Norton

Andrew Norton — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:16:38 +0000

The ABC show on accents last night was pretty good, particularly on the role of kids in setting accents. People from all classes speak with what they called the ‘general’ Australian accent, but I think it would be most dominant in the middle class.

By: David Rubie

David Rubie — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:34:26 +0000

No shearers left Yobbo - he’d be working at the mines making $100,000 instead. His accent wouldn’t change though.

By: Yobbo

Yobbo — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:11:05 +0000

Are professional footballers upper class? Jonathon Brown earns 600,000 a year, if there was no AFL he’d probably be a shearer.

By: Spiros

Spiros — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:03:56 +0000

“Melbourne Uni law students (three-quarters of whom I’ll bet come from private schools)”

Three-quarters? Try 95%.

By: John Greenfield

John Greenfield — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:45:51 +0000

Rajat

Well I agree with you on the example you have given, but I think you have chosen probably the two most extreme outliers in Australia!

By: Andrew Norton

Andrew Norton — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:35:45 +0000

John - I don’t know enough under-25 people to judge this - there is definitely a new set of accents among younger people but I am not sure how uniform they are.

It reminds me, there is a program tonight on the ABC on accents.

By: Rajat Sood

Rajat Sood — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:30:05 +0000

John, I have to disagree with you. There is a real difference in both accent and class between Melbourne Uni law students (three-quarters of whom I’ll bet come from private schools) and the average Broadmeadows teenager. While private school kids may not speak the Queen’s English, they have their own accent (Ja’mie from Summer Heights High is a corker of an example), which is quite different from that of less privileged kids. I’m not a speech therapist, but I think the private school accent involves stronger/clearer enunciation, representative of kids who are encouraged by their schools and middle-class parents to speak their minds.

By: John Greenfield

John Greenfield — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 05:58:35 +0000

Also universities are so easy to attend nowadays that two generations ago half the current student body would either have been jockeys, chippies, check-out chicks, hairdressers, or in jail

By: John Greenfield

John Greenfield — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 05:56:01 +0000

Andrew Norton

I think accent went out as a class signifier about 15 years ago. The old rough nasally “working class” accent is pretty rare among people under 25, and even the most expensively educated and well-groomed child will sound no different that some airhead from Neighbours.