英國在歷史上一直是一個(gè)有著明確階級(jí)意識(shí)的國家，而不同的階級(jí)有屬于其自己不同的行為言語方式。上層階級(jí)不會(huì)輕易的去使用讓他們看上去不是那么“gentle”的語言，Kate Fox將七個(gè)被上層社會(huì)所敬而遠(yuǎn)之的詞稱之為“The Seven Deadly Sins”(七宗罪)。

一宗罪：Pardon

Pardon在我們看來是最為普通也是普遍運(yùn)用的詞了，沒聽懂時(shí)來一句“Pardon?”問清楚說話人剛才說了什么。但是在英國的上層社會(huì)看來，這個(gè)詞可是用不得的！Kate Fox提出來了這個(gè)小小的測(cè)試來分辨不同的階級(jí)，但這也正體現(xiàn)出了英國人中存在的比較明顯的階級(jí)意識(shí)。

This word is the most notorious pet hate of the upper and upper-middle classes. Here is a good class-test you can try: When talking to an English person, deliberately say something too quietly for them to hear you properly. A lower-middle class will say "Pardon"; an upper-middle will say "sorry"(or parhaps "What- sorry?" or "Sorry- What"); but an upper class and a working class person will both just say "what".
這個(gè)詞被上層和中上層階級(jí)視為眼中之沙。這兒有一個(gè)分辨階級(jí)的好方法：當(dāng)你和一個(gè)英國人說話的時(shí)候，說的快一點(diǎn)讓他們聽不清楚，那么這時(shí)，一個(gè)中下層階級(jí)的人就會(huì)用“pardon”，而中上層階級(jí)的人會(huì)用“What”或者“What-sorry”或者“Sorry-what”,上層階級(jí)和工人階級(jí)的人都會(huì)說“What”。

二宗罪：Toilet

"Toilet" is another word that makes the higher classes flinch or exchange knowing looks, if it is uttered by a would-be social climber. The correct upper-middle/upper term is "loo" or "lavatory".
當(dāng)一個(gè)想擠進(jìn)上流社會(huì)的人說了個(gè)“Toilet”,立馬會(huì)讓上層社會(huì)的人為之色變。因?yàn)樯狭魃鐣?huì)會(huì)用到“l(fā)oo”或者“l(fā)avatory”，而非“Toilet”。

三宗罪：Serviette

It has been suggested that "serviette" was taken up by squeamish lower-middles who found "napkin" a bit too close to "nappy" and wanted something that sounded a bit more refined.Upper-middle and upper-class mothers gets very upset when their children learn to say "serviette" from well-meaning lower-class nannies, and have to be painstakingly retrained to say "napkin".
有一個(gè)講究的中下層階級(jí)因?yàn)椤皀apkin”的發(fā)音太像“nappy”，他想要一個(gè)聽起來更優(yōu)雅的詞，便創(chuàng)造出“serviette”。所以當(dāng)中上層以及上層階級(jí)的人發(fā)現(xiàn)他們的孩子跟著處于好意的下層階級(jí)保姆學(xué)會(huì)說“serviette”時(shí)，她們不得不費(fèi)心思的將孩子們改回到說“napkin”。

四宗罪：Dinner

There is nothing wrong with the word "dinner" in itself: it is only a working-class hallmark if you use it to refer to the midday meal, which should be called "lunch". Calling your evening meal "tea" is also a working-class indicator: the higher echelons call this meal "dinner" or "supper".
“dinner”這個(gè)詞本身并沒有問題，只不過這是一個(gè)工人階級(jí)的特點(diǎn)，用“dinner”而不是“l(fā)unch”來形容午飯。將晚飯稱之為“tea”也是工人階級(jí)的一個(gè)特點(diǎn)，上層人士稱其為“dinner”或者“supper”。