(BBC English) Posh People

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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6 Minute English bbclearningenglish.com 2011

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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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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)

More on this story:

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

Documents

(BBC English) Posh People