How is language used as a signifier of Identity or Class? Accent and dialect are often the first impressions that people get of others, over the phone, on television or even the radio. This may not be how the people want to be necessarily judged, however others do so to identify their background and class. The media and graphic design are all used to help people to judge others through language and image which results in people presuming things about certain people that may not be necessarily true, such as people who have a strong regional accent being seen as less intelligent. One example of someone who was unfairly judged due to their accent is Steph McGovern, business news presenter on BBC Breakfast. ‘I remember at the end of one BBC job interview being told by the BBC manager, “I didn't realise people like you were clever”. (Duell, 2013) Her Teesside accent resulted in her receiving abuse not just from her managers but also the viewers of the BBC Breakfast program as well, she was branded “too common for telly”. Steph McGovern is a great example of why it’s hard for people with regional accents to break into any industry above what is expected of them, because when they do they are discriminated by not only their managers but also the public. ‘It's inevitable that not everyone will like me. All presenters deal with that. What's scary is the ignorance about what having a regional accent means.’ (Duell, 2013) This may be a symptom of regional accents slowly creeping their way into what used to be a predominately traditional ‘received English’ industry, making regional accents more pronounced which grates on viewers who aren’t used to them. It’s hard to please everyone and have them represented, although this is in BBC’s current effort. On the other hand, in 2008 Edward Stourton former BBC Radio 4 presenter was sacked for sounding ‘too posh’. While the traditional ‘received English’ accent offers the most clarity in speech, it carries its own stigma associated along with it. That of its speakers being perceived as elitist and snobbish, due to many of the speakers coming from public schools where the accent was

most commonly bred within old boy networks, although this is no longer the case. It is an accent that just isn’t suited to social situations because it is very plain and context free within its dialect and tone. This neutrality is what makes it perfect for news broadcasting where it was made famous with the BBC. Stuart Hall recently spoke about his time as a BBC presenter in the 1960’s: ‘we had an enormous audience, including thousands of Asians living in Bolton and Blackburn. They listened because the spoken English was what they desired, neutral-voices that never detracted or distracted from the material.’ (Revoir, 2010) With the BBC and other English channels being broadcasted to so many corners of the world ‘received English’ is well suited for listeners where English isn’t their first language because it’s clear and well pronounced. While regional accents do offer more diversity and representation for the people who use them, they do comprise on both of those factors especially when it comes down to use of dialect which people outside of that region would perhaps not be familiar with. The case with Steph McGovern been labelled as ‘too common for telly’ was down to what her accent represented, the working class Teesside accent she carried is seen as exactly that: working class and unintelligent. This is an example of othering: to ‘view from and alien to oneself.’ Both the public and her manager view her in this way, by othering her they see them selves as better then her by being better spoken. This reassures them of their class status and identity. These labels are perpetuated by media sources such as the Daily Mail: ‘It's one of the most distinctive and recognisable accents in the UK and now research has found that Scouse is also considered to sound the least intelligent, least friendly and least trustworthy in the whole country.’ (Wollaston, 2013) This is an example of the type of prejudice that is spread by the media, according to them if you carry the scouse accent you’re most certainly unfriendly, unintelligent and untrustworthy. Which just isn’t true, some people may be, but it’s these generalisations that have been created that do make people judge one another based on how they speak. These working class regional accents such as Scouse, Geordie and other Northern accents have become targets for othering due to what they represent in terms of identity and social status.

People aspiring to become wealthy and move up in the ranks from regions associated with the lower class (e.g. East London) adopt a more region-less accent so to increase their chances of job prospects. ‘Social classes are not clearly defined or labelled entities but simply aggregates of people with similar social and economic characteristics; and social mobility – movement up and down the social hierarchy – is perfectly possible.’ (Trudgill, 1974) Through disguising their accent and dialect, they hide all representations that would signify they are of a lower class. Representations of accents and what they signify do change over time and a notable example of this is the Geordie accent, which has had a slow but significant change over the past 50 years. With more people in the media retaining their regional Tyneside accent, the general perception of the Geordie accent has changed from representing the coal miners and working class of post-industrial Tyneside to notable celebrities and stars such as: Cheryl Cole, Ant McPartlin, Declan Donnelly and Sting. Through retaining their regional accent they appeal more to the public and this makes them more relatable, even if they are of a higher class. In doing so they boost the reputation of what the regional accent represents to the public in terms of the ‘good life’. Cheryl Cole became the ambassador for L’Oreal back in 2009 and was subsequently used for advertising their hair and skin care ranges, which ran both in print (fig.1) and on television. In the print advert (fig.1) the use of language directly targets the lower classes. ‘97% of UK skin tones true matched’ is a wide consensus statistic which shows that it’s trying to include all women. Cheryl Cole appears in the adverts as she is widely known for her Geordie accent and looks. By purchasing this product women will be able to buy their way into her lifestyle and identity. Helga Dittmarr touches on this point saying: ‘Idealised media models and celebrities, heavily airbrushed and with digitally enhanced appearance and body shapes, do not just promote products, they communicate lifestyle and identity instructions to consumers, providing cultural ideals of beauty, success and happiness.’ (Dittmar, 2008) The use of regional accent spoken by Cheryl Cole does just that, it’s

communicating the established lifestyle she has now become associated with. As with the likes of BBC presenter Steph McGovern where the audience perceives her accent as lower class, they see her to be less intelligent because she’s not very well known and the accent it’s self not carrying much reputation associated with wealth and the ‘good life’. They mock her whereas with Cheryl Cole’s Geordie accent any prejudice is more in jest with quotes such as: ‘whey aye man.’ Which is more of a general take on the accent it’s self rather than the individual. The language used in adverts such as (fig.1) purposefully influences the audience into buying into the lifestyle that these idealised images present within adverts. If the audience is already heavily influenced by what the media presents to them it will most likely have a bigger effect on them, as opposed to someone who doesn’t take much notice of what the media presents. Self-doubt begins to develop in people that do take notice of the media and by consuming the products all their “problems” will be solved. It’s from there that the consumers ‘begin to confuse self-image with self-worth. Ultimately, you (the consumer) may think you are only as good as the car you drive or the newest pair of shoes.’ (Catalano & Sonnenberg, 1993) To the materialistic consumer “to have is to be” (Fromm, 1978), and the goods they buy are to comfort and reassure of them their social and economic disposition even when they are economically unsound. ‘Buy and this will enhance your sense of self-worth; indeed, buy “because you are worth it!” The L’Oreal slogan (fig.1) directly targets people who self-doubt, it’s aiming to make them purchase the product to reassure they really are worth it. Although this advert (fig.1) is targeted at women, language and image within advertisements does affect men as well. ‘A person with highly materialistic values believes that acquisition of material goods is a central life goal, prime indicator of success, and key to happiness and self-definition.’ (Catalano & Sonnenberg, 1993) The influence of these messages and their constant bombardment to which they address us comes as no surprise to the effects they have on people and their sense of identity. The use of the French language when it comes to proposing the idea of something luxurious is a common tactic in advertising used to increase

perceived value within fashion, food and accessories, among others. It’s used because of the cultural and social associations with France and what they represent within our own culture, which is that of the good life. ‘People, especially the British have this stereotypical view of sexy French women in Paris, the haute couture, the French cuisine and we consider them stylish people, and all this adds to their sex appeal, which is basically what makes their accent seem sexy’ (http://www.thelocal.fr/20131030/why-french-is-the-worlds-sexiest-language, 2013) Through use of the language on luxury brand advertisements such as in (fig.2) they assume you understand French, in doing so they create the exclusiveness they are well known for by stopping the uncultured from accessing the lifestyle advertised. This then allows them to stay exclusive and retain their status and power associated with them. ‘Objects cease to serve as status symbols once they become shared too widely to denote exclusiveness’ (Dittmar, 2008) This commonly used by luxury brands such as: Dior, Gucci and Channel or ones that are trying to target the lower class who are materialistic. The use of language and image is what separates them the two different advertising styles. Where as in the Dior advert (fig.2) the use of French denotes exclusiveness to signify the good life, whereas in the L’Oreal advert (fig.1) the use of language is more associated with the model, Cheryl Cole whose accent represents the good life. The L’Oreal advert’s use of language (fig.1) promotes ‘a personal transformation through the function of the product it is selling’ (Berger, 1972) It promises to match your skin tone to the foundation they are selling, using Cheryl Cole’s skin tone as an example. It is promoting the idea that you can have the same skin colour as her through the use of the product, allowing you to in effect be just like her. However the Dior advert (fig.2) ‘promises a transformation of relationships through a general atmosphere created by an ensemble of products.’ (Berger, 1972) The product here is the glamour; it’s more than just the perfume. It is an accessory to with which you can show off and pride your self. The bottleneck is designed just as the neck of the dress, intrinsically linking the two together to say they come hand in hand just as the lifestyle would.

Strongbow, the UK’s biggest selling cider launched a campaign in June 2013 named ‘EARN IT’. It was broadcasted through television advertisements as well as print (fig.3). The language used in the slogan “Earn it” entitles that the consumer has to work for their drink. In comparison to L’Oreal’s slogan of “because you’re worth it” it’s clear it’s not trying to highlight any aspects of the good life and is very directed towards low wage male working-class labourers. Because of their economic position, they aren’t able to easily escape their social status and turn to spending their money on alcohol instead of saving it. ‘Working-class individuals use their leisure and utility objects, such as “switching off” or “escaping” (Ditmarr, 1991). The campaign and its adverts are all fairly straight forward and don’t present anything to truly aspire to in the same terms as the L’Oreal advert (fig.1) and Dior one (fig.2) does, they perpetuate the lifestyle they are living in and enforce it through the consumption of the product. The language: “Hard earned” is simple and without glamour or sophistication, it’s straight to the point with its target audience just as the language of the advert is, no fuss or bother and it’s just trying to do its job just as the labourers would. In contrast, ‘Women typically focus on the (often enjoyable) process of buying, whereas men focus on the outcome: obtaining the actual good with least fuss.’ (Dittmar, 2008) This is similar to the way in which advertisements are targeted towards men, although they do deviate and use celebrity endorsements, it’s not all to often you will find a male advert using French in the way the Dior advert (fig.2) does due to the association of the French language being soft and feminine within our culture. The print advert for the Strongbow advert (fig.3) was presented on billboards throughout the country where it would lend its self to been viewed by commuters on their way back from working, making the language: ‘Hard earned’ even more relevant to their situation (hard day of work, finish it off with a ‘hard earned’ drink). On a billboard it’s unavoidable to miss it unlike a magazine advert such as L’Oreal’s in (fig.1), influencing the audience even more. Dior’s advert placement (fig.2) is used to a similar effect, however in this instance the advert is found from the interior of a bus stop where it the advert’s messages would be absorbed slowly. This is a total opposite of what

the luxury brand identity represents in contrast to its less then prestigious placement, because the people here are more likely to buy luxury goods as a one off the influence of the advert has more impact on those who aspire to achieve that lifestyle. ‘People react to ideal images quite automatically, i.e. regardless of whether or not they want to, and without necessarily being fully aware of the impact that advertisements can have on them.’ (Dittmar, 2008) This allows placements of the adverts such as the Strongbow (fig.3) and Dior (fig.2) where they will be seen multiple times to work better in the long run because the messages they perpetuate aim to destabilise the audiences identity overtime, while the L’Oreal advert (fig.1) spreads it’s self over multiple magazines issues to achieve the same impact. In summary, language can be one of the initial ways to identify identity or class within a person, although that initial first judgement isn’t always correct. Just as you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, the same applies to someone’s accent and dialect. The media almost always perpetuates these assumptions. Just as BBC presenter Steph McGovern was heavily prejudiced for sounding ‘too common’ and Edward Stourton was for sounding ‘too posh’, as long as people other one another there will always be prejudice towards people’s accents and dialects. However these assumptions towards people aren’t always for the worst as in within advertising they are used in a more positive way to promote a better lifestyle to aspire to. L’Oreal’s advert (fig.1) is a good example of this. By using Cheryl Cole they know people recognise she’s a Geordie from various media and the way she speaks within the television advert. In doing so people will associate the product with Cheryl Cole and what she represents (Middle-class). In the Dior advert (fig.2), the use of the French language to signify the good life influences people to purchase the product to achieve that, because of the upper class values it carries within our culture and society. Word count: 2670

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Bibliography:

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3. Dittmar, H (2008) ‘Consumer Culture, Identity and Well-Being: The

Search for the ‘Good Life’ and the ‘Body Perfect’, Sussex, Phycology Press

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