ABSTRACT
Social classes can be thought of as cultural categories, for the various classes have some different forms of standardized behaviour and material culture. As every class is not a discrete entity there are many qualifications to be made to the idea of ‘class culture’. The structure of the system analysed in the preceding chapter appears in culture also, so that while it is easy to describe upper middle and working class cultures, there are difficulties in attempting to describe a culture for the lower middle class which could be said to be characteristic. Accordingly I shall contrast upper-middle class culture with working class culture here, adding only a few notes on that of the lower-middle class. There are many other qualifications to be made, but if the idea of’class culture’ is accepted as a merely regulative one I need not list them, and they will become apparent to the reader in this and the following chapter. Since some selection has to be made among all the traits that distinguish the classes I shall describe here only those which function most conspicuously as symbols of class status - house, clothing, meals, form and content of speech.
