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8/6/2019 (BBC English) Posh People
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BBC Learning English6 Minute EnglishPosh People
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English bbclearningenglish.com 2011Page 1 of 7
Alice: Hello, I'm Alice.
Rob: AndI'm Rob.
Alice: And this is 6 Minute English! This week we're talking about the English class
system.
Rob: The English class system. This is where people are classified by their class
according to a number of social and financial factors.
Alice: Yes. So people get categorised as working class, middle class or upper class.
Rob: The upper class is where what are nicknamed 'posh people' are supposed to
belong.
Alice: And some of these people are claiming to be persecuted. More on that in a
moment but as usual, let's kick off with a question.
Rob: OK Alice, let's hear it.
Alice: Do you remember the all girl pop group, The Spice Girls?
Rob: Yes, I do!
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Alice: Well, can you remember which member of the band was nicknamed Posh
Spice? Was it:
a) Emma Bunton
b) Geri Halliwell
c) Victoria Adams
Rob: MmYeah, well, Victoria is a very posh name, so I think it was Victoria
Adams.
Alice: OK, well, as usual, I'll tell you the correct answer at the end of the programme.
Now let's talk a bit more about the word posh.
Rob: The word describes something that is often stylish, sometimes elegant and
expensive.
Alice: And a posh person is usually upper class and quite often rich or powerful. But
did you know the word is an acronym?
Rob: So each letter is an abbreviation of another word?
Alice: Thats right. It's thought that P.O.S.H. stands for Port Out, Starboard Home.
This relates to the location of the best cabins for the richest people on long sea
crossings, who preferred shadier cabins in strong sunshine - port side on the
way out, starboard side on the way home!
Rob: That's an interesting story!
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Alice: Even then, it was perceived that posh people got the best of everything, mainly
because of their wealth or power. Today, it still seems to be posh people who
are running the country.
Rob: Well, now a highly respected playwright called Julian Fellowes has said posh
people need to be protected from persecution.
Alice: Yes. He's said that 'poshism', like racism or sexism, is the last acceptable form
ofdiscrimination against a minority. For example, having a posh accent might
not help your career anymore.
Rob: So when you say 'a posh accent' do you mean like this?
Insert 1:
But it is also true that no one who looked to the future over the past centuries could have
imagined the strength of the bonds that are now in place between the governments and
people of our two nations.
Alice: That was Queen Elizabeth II speaking in an accent we would usually call posh.
It's not really the way most ordinary people speak is it?
Rob: No. That's what I would call 'the Queen's English'. Actually Alice, it's not
always cool to be posh, especially in certain jobs or social circles. Have you
ever heard of mockney?
Alice: Ah, Mockney! That's a combination of the word 'mock' meaning fake and
cockney, the traditional London working person's accent.
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6 Minute English bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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to shut down discussion about how unrepresentative the UK political and
media establishment has become.
Alice: So in other words, he thinks the debate is trying to disguise the fact that people
from all classes are not represented in politics and the media?
Rob: Yes. But Alice, what I really want to know is the answer to this week's
question.
Alice: Oh, OK then. I asked you which Spice Girl was nicknamed Posh Spice?
Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell or Victoria Adams.
Rob: And I said Victoria Adams. And I was..?
Alice: Correct! Victoria Adams was called Posh Spice. She is now married to
footballer David Beckham and together they get called Posh and Becks! OK,
before we go, lets hear some of the words and phrases that weve used in
todays programme.
Rob: categorised
persecuted
elegant
perceived
discrimination
an open season
minorities
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unrepresentative
(the) establishment
Alice: Thanks, Rob. Well, we hope youve had fun with us today on 6 Minute English
- and that youll join us again next time.
Both: Bye.
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Vocabulary and definitions
categorised divided into sets or groups
persecuted treated worse than other people (maybe because of your
race, religion or lifestyle)
elegant pleasing and graceful in appearance
perceived believed
discrimination treating a person or a group of people worse than others
an open season a period of time when the usual rules dont apply
minorities small groups in society
unrepresentative here, not typical of a group of people or viewpoint
(the) establishment (the) government, authorities, and influential people in
society (e.g. the media)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9500000/9500419.stm
Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2011/06/110616_6min_english_posh_page.shtml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9500000/9500419.stmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2011/06/110616_6min_english_posh_page.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2011/06/110616_6min_english_posh_page.shtmlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9500000/9500419.stm