Pratique du Shadowing: What does 'posh' actually mean in British English? - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo
Choisissez un mode d'entraînement
Chaque mode ouvre une salle d'entraînement en plein écran.
296 phrases
Si les phrases sont trop courtes ou trop longues, cliquez sur Edit pour les ajuster.
1
What does posh actually mean in Britain?
2
Is it about being rich, speaking with a certain accent, going to private school, or simply knowing which fork to use at dinner?
3
In this episode of the English Right Now podcast, that's what we're talking about.
4
My name is British English teacher Roy, and joining me to discuss at least 10 pieces of related vocabulary
5
and teach you about this subject is my dear friend Rob.
6
Hello.
7
Hello.
8
See, I'm putting on a posh voice.
9
You did, didn't you?
10
goodness how are you sensational oh how'd you do how'd you do how'd you do how'd you do yeah
11
i'm i'm i'm i don't know i feel like i should become more formal the way you started
12
that it's interesting uh instant now
13
and say i'm smashing thank you marvelous it's a good point roy actually
14
when you put on a posh voice yeah you become more formal don't you yes
15
formality is is a weird one
16
because it's it's it's i always tell this to students in certain environments it's absolutely necessary
17
but in everyday life the more formal we are the more distant
18
and it can actually cause more kind of social problems social distance
19
if i become formal with you i'm creating a barrier you
20
might wonder what have i done to upset roy you oh i'm very well rock thank you no i'm fine
21
but of course it could be it could be down to
22
my um down to my upbringing maybe i had a very good upbringing
23
and i was taught how to uh behave
24
and speak properly you know the queen's english yeah yes okay
25
so this is we'll talk about upbringing in a moment
26
but let's talk about that exact word posh good
27
or bad what do you think
28
if somebody says oh you're posh yeah would you say it's
29
good to be called posh i wouldn't want to be called posh no no no
30
because it has lots of implications really yes um it is
31
an interesting word i mean firstly you may be going to
32
mention this anyway about the origins of the word oh no
33
go for it yeah well the word the word posh actually comes from cruise liners
34
that used to go from the uk
35
to america and to have the best cabin with the best sunshine and the best light
36
was on the port side on the way out
37
and on the starboard side on the way home so po port out
38
starboard home posh is that true or is it is it one of those
39
that is that it could be a myth
40
but that's what i was told you know what you can let us know in the car
41
because there's a number of those isn't there
42
that people go yeah there's a number of those and people go oh and then people I'm going, no, it's not.
43
It's actually from, I don't know.
44
So you can let us know in the comments below if that's true, or we'll put something down in there.
45
But that's a fascinating story.
46
It's my story.
47
My story.
48
Yeah. But posh, yes.
49
Posh.
50
Posh can have kind of two implications.
51
Yeah, posh is you're wealthy, you're well -brought up.
52
Posh also means you're kind of a bit false.
53
You're being a bit kind of trying to be better than somebody else as well.
54
Yes.
55
We have a word for those sort of people, don't we?
56
careful careful uh snob uh
57
which is one of our words a person who believes their tastes background
58
or social positions uh position makes them superior to others uh
59
and it's this arrogance this oh such an arrogant snob we sometimes hear it like
60
that he's such a snob snobbish behavior is like behaving as
61
though people from a particular social group are lower than them
62
you know it's like it's like looking down on people yeah
63
i i don't think the posh itself is a very uh it's a bit derogatory
64
and i think it i i wouldn't like it
65
so i'll give you an example i went to york
66
and there was a we were walking through the streets of york as you do
67
and this he was drunk actually it was it was in the evening
68
but there was a rather a drunk fellow i thought oh gosh no
69
and my son talks to everybody and he started chatting with this man
70
and i was like oh no he's drunk
71
and then i thought i better say something i was like
72
oh yeah we're just on holiday up from here uh we're just up from the isle of white
73
and this guy went oh you're right posh you aren't you
74
and i said thank you and he went it's not a compliment uh
75
but then after a few minutes he realized
76
that I was just I just had a different accent
77
and then he realized I was all right
78
that I wasn't I didn't think I was better than anybody no I have
79
that as well
80
because I I come from I was brought up in a town called Henley -on -Thames
81
so a nice town by the river it's famous for its annual regatta
82
and stuff very posh and so of course
83
when I always say I come from Henley -on -Thames they go oh you're you're posh
84
but I always I always then follow it up by saying
85
oh I lived the the poor end of henley we lived
86
in a small house in the poor end of henley which probably a small castle In a small castle, not a big one Yeah,
87
that's right Barely had two turrets But it's places Places and things have this Connotation of being posh
88
When it's a very Generalisation, but it's not always Always right So that word posh realistically means Associated with the upper classes Wealth,
89
privilege, or sophisticated Tastes, but a lot of people do use it In a derogatory way to sort of say Oh, you'll think you're better than us
90
um we do have a class structure still in the uk
91
i'd say um it changes from time to time we always
92
talk about something i always find funny is everybody always says the war on class is over
93
uh i read a i think it was kate fox she was talking about this
94
and she said if it was over
95
why do we keep talking about it it's never over yes
96
no no we're still there i think the thing the boundaries the divisions have changed
97
or blurred a bit more it's not as distinct maybe as it was in Victorian times or something like that.
98
But we still talk about, we still, yeah, have this sort of class structure in our head, don't we?
99
I mean, I've heard it instead of class, talking about socioeconomic groups and other kind of ways of introducing it.
100
But traditionally, the class system was basically the upper, middle, and working class.
101
They didn't like the word, we didn't, some people said lower class, but we tended to avoid that word
102
so upper class belonging to the highest social class in society
103
or the hoi polloi as they say the bourgeois this kind
104
of you know the the kind of uh tradition it was people
105
that didn't really work or was had money from inheritance we'll talk about
106
that the middle class the middle class which really grew, I think it grew out of something called the merchant class
107
and it was basically belonging to a social group traditionally associated with professional jobs education and relative financial comfort
108
and now we have lower middle, upper middle and then in the past working class traditionally referred to people who did more manual jobs industrial,
109
lower paid work so maybe somebody who worked in a coal mine was considered working class
110
and somebody who worked in an office
111
middle class but you're right it has blurred hasn't it yes yes
112
because i think people well we don't have many coal miners do we
113
but you're kind of your plumber
114
or your electrician i don't think they would think of themselves
115
as working class now they have quite a bit of money
116
for a start they're not quite wealthy some of them um
117
so yes and you have all these status symbols you know the size of the house you live in
118
and what kind of car you drive all that kind of stuff
119
and And the other term we used to use is like white -collar workers and blue -collar workers.
120
Yeah, blue -collar were more industrial and white -collar were office, even though I'm wearing a blue -collar at the moment.
121
And I don't even have a shirt at all, no collar.
122
Oh, God, I can barely look at you.
123
But yeah, I mean, you're right, it's blurred.
124
I mean, in the past, maybe a plumber would have been seen as skilled but not educated, lower paid and all this but these days plumbers they're
125
so hard to find they're so they're
126
so in demand they can charge a fortune there are plumbers
127
earning far more than somebody working in an office job
128
so yeah you're right it's blurred in a lot of ways
129
and i think i think that's a good thing
130
but i think there's kind of this sort of middle working class all punched a bunch together
131
and it's basically how much money you've got where you stand on
132
that scale really uh but there's still anyway But there's still that higher tier, as you say, of posh, people who think they're posh.
133
I think it's getting to the upper class and the rest.
134
Yes.
135
And it's trickled down.
136
We might call these posh people toffs, mightn't we?
137
Oh, it's a good word.
138
It's a good word.
139
You know, toff, it's a slightly informal, it's an informal word.
140
And it's slightly mocking for upper class or wealthy people.
141
If I were upper class or if I were wealthy, I don't think I'd like somebody to call me a toff.
142
But it's got this image, hasn't it?
143
What would you describe a toff as?
144
Oh, somebody who, well, they dress quite smartly.
145
I always think they have their nose in the air as well, for some reason.
146
Yes.
147
Like they look down on you.
148
Oh, jolly good, jolly good.
149
It's almost a toff has this idea of being rich,
150
like snobbish maybe yeah totally unaware of how people live yeah uh real people live
151
and of course the opposite of a tough
152
if you wanted to insult somebody who wasn't a tough you'd possibly call them common
153
which is a bit that's also a derogatory term uh it's quite insulting to say well it's not always
154
but insulting description for behavior considered lacking in refinement and class
155
so if you if you say all right all right roy you know
156
yes you don't know how to comment It's like you don't know how to use a soup spoon, you know, rather than using it properly.
157
Yes.
158
What's a soup spoon, Rob?
159
But I mean, this is this is the thing.
160
It's fascinating to sort of talk about those sort of things about common, you know.
161
And also, of course, common can also mean every day.
162
I'm just, you know, common people and all that.
163
And it's it's not necessarily negative, but it just basically means ordinary.
164
I mean there are two types I think
165
when I think of upper class
166
and I think of being posh I usually think of what we would call old money
167
which is wealth that has existed in a family for several generations it's passed down
168
new money is the opposite which is wealth acquired relatively recently rather than through inheritance like maybe
169
I mean I don't know but some of these businessmen
170
that now you know maybe they are new money
171
because they've made money from money
172
or they've made money from money they've made money from nothing yes
173
and interestingly and generalizing here but these people don't seem to be
174
so posh it's the old money that's no posh new money
175
yes you've got lots of money not necessarily uh high class or or sophisticated
176
you know yeah and i i think
177
that the in the uk in general we are quite class conscious uh
178
which is aware of the differences between classes i think we're very class conscious um
179
but more so of them and the rest i think it's getting to that level
180
because i would consider myself for example relatively well spoken i would consider you uh well spoken uh
181
which is speaking clearly and in a way traditionally considered i mean it was considered educated
182
and socially prestigious not so much now it's just an accent um
183
but well -spoken also means a good command of the language uh
184
but i wouldn't consider you posh rob oh thank you not in
185
that kind of no yeah well no
186
but i wouldn't consider you posh in the sense of you know i consider you well -spoken educated
187
yes it's interesting but i wouldn't consider you
188
that level it's interesting about the voice i mean these days regional accents are you know perfectly accepted and stuff
189
when you listen to old recordings of bbc programs they have
190
very well pronounced rp accents who would say oh that's a
191
that's a bit posh posh voice you know yeah i i
192
mean i think you know there is the difference between a
193
modern rp standard southern british english those kind of accent
194
that accent and the traditional rp
195
which is more you know you may hear the king using traditional rp
196
and it's an interesting scale i know this is fascinating well the learners the the listeners will love it
197
but the there is an idea that the posher you are the more you clip vowels vowel sounds
198
and the more common you are the more you clip consonants
199
so i mean i think this is a massive stereotype
200
and it's a massive judgment and i i don't necessarily subscribe
201
but you know you could say uh a handkerchief but
202
if you listen to an rp speaker they say handkerchief handkerchief a handkerchief
203
and they clip their vowels hello oh it's very good very
204
good they clip it i i wouldn't even call it a handkerchief i call it a hanky
205
so what does that make me hanky that's that's off the scale isn't it uh
206
but uh that's that's that's incredible i i don't we do we do
207
we do use the word posh quite informally
208
when we talk about something a bit fancy like i'm going
209
to a posh restaurant tonight a posh restaurant might be somewhere
210
that has a tablecloth on the on the you know how
211
you live rob um yeah the mcdonald's with a tablecloth um
212
yeah we do use it you know i think it's also
213
sort of saying oh i'm going somewhere swanky uh posh also i think
214
if you describe a person as posh it's a bit more derogatory than a than a restaurant or Or, you know, I mean, if you came over to my house and went, oh, very posh, I might think,
215
you know, I think you'd just mean fancy.
216
But then we also have a mutual understanding from years of knowing each other.
217
Yeah.
218
Well, I do know you live in a huge castle on your own personal island.
219
So it does all sound very posh.
220
You have a very posh lifestyle.
221
It's true.
222
Let's not talk about personal islands.
223
It doesn't seem to be.
224
Anyway.
225
But, yeah, no, no. My castle is always open.
226
The drawbridge is always down.
227
um but yeah there's this idea i think i think the word posh when we use it in general for things
228
it can be a bit a bit more like banter like
229
slightly joking it's quite it's quite a posh restaurant isn't it especially i think
230
if it's a make it you know you go i'm going to
231
that new restaurant oh it's quite posh for you isn't it
232
it's almost still attacking your life saying you're trying to be above your station i think yeah um
233
but there is this idea that the upper class they're quite privileged as well
234
and i think that's the key piece of vocabulary we really
235
need you know it's this idea their social status is higher
236
they i don't think they necessarily do look down on the
237
rest of the yeah some may some may not people are different
238
but this i think there's this idea
239
that we look up to the upper class and they look down
240
and i you know i think i think it's this idea
241
of privilege they've gone to the most expensive private schools private
242
education they've had yes everything to handed to them they've had it yeah exactly they've had stuff handed to them
243
because they've had rich parents who in turn had rich parents
244
and so it's all been very easy they've not had to worry about money.
245
They've had this privileged lifestyle that they haven't had to suffer.
246
That's our impression.
247
Maybe it's an inferiority complex, though.
248
We think, oh, yes, they've got more money.
249
They're better than us.
250
You don't need to feel inferior when you're talking to me.
251
It's fine, Rob.
252
I love that we're painting me as posh.
253
I definitely wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth.
254
That's a great expression.
255
If you're born with a silver a spoon in your mouth
256
it basically means you're posh upper class uh this kind of thing it's probably
257
because of the way they talk oh yeah like this uh
258
horse riding tends to be associated with the upper class doesn't
259
it as well it's another thing i don't know what polo gosh
260
if you said i'm trying taking up a new sport roy
261
polo i'd be like oh it's too too posh for me rob
262
i'd be worried um
263
but i mean it's yeah it's it's background private schools public schools uh private school
264
and public school are the same thing aren't they basically well they're slightly different
265
but they're both fee -paying schools if you go to state school
266
which is the actual school then you're seen as more normal your average private private school
267
or public school seen as a as a privilege hmm doesn't always mean by the way
268
that doesn't calling it posh doesn't always mean it's better it's just um an idea
269
that it's rich and and privileged that it's
270
or feels it's better you know you know oh it's a posh restaurant
271
but i know i just prefer you know the food may
272
be better at this what we call a greasy spoon cafe
273
like a like a just a bill you know sort of
274
place where you see builders the food may be better there than some in fact
275
if i'm totally honest a lot of sort of posh restaurants i don't really enjoy them
276
because they come with small portions and i'm like
277
but that's true all these swirls
278
and kind of you talk about the difference in the restaurants
279
and a kind of fry up place the thing is they
280
could serve the same food greasy spoon would serve up bacon and eggs
281
but a posh restaurant would serve up a beautifully served perfect
282
egg with some beautiful crispy rashes of bacon same food
283
but it's served differently therefore it's it's posh
284
and they charge you more money for it i mean this is a whole different story isn't it
285
because people do
286
if something seems to cost more money they possibly do associate
287
it with it being better oh you know this is a real treat uh
288
so i mean that's a whole thing about human the human brain psychology working there uh
289
but it's a fascinating one
290
but I want to say thank you very much Rob for joining me on this subject
291
if you would like to buy us a cup of tea
292
or apparently a bottle of champagne no just a cup of
293
tea there's always a link down below you can buy us a cup of tea to support this podcast
294
and help it keep going but Rob thank you very much I'd say you're a down to earth typical bloke
295
thank you very much Roy it's a privilege to be on this this posh podcast welcome your majesty
296
take care see you in the next one bye
Télécharger l'application
Tout pour parler couramment
Prononciation IAChaque phrase notée
Phonétique (IPA)Maîtrisez chaque son
VocabulaireEnrichissez votre lexique
Jeu de vocabulaireApprenez en jouant
📺 Même chaîne
B11
Making the perfect cup of tea | English Right Now Podcast
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2Talking about the Cost of Living in the UK | Real British English Conversation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
How Do British People Really Complain
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2The TRUTH About British Schools!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
✨ Vidéo recommandée
B21
237 phrases
비오는 날 영국인이 좋아하는 건? | 영국영어 팟캐스트 This or That ep06 A rainy day walk
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
19 phrases
The RP English Accent – What is it, how does it sound, and who uses it?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
12 phrases
16 British Food Insults You Need to Know
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
21 phrases
How to be polite in English | Part IV #learnenglish
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2507 phrases
Modern identity labels | Intermediate-advanced English listening | Chatterbox 331
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2142 phrases
What Does “HELP YOURSELF” Really Mean in Britain? Please DON’T Take It Literally! 🇬🇧
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
44 phrases
Can You Guess These Victorian Slang Words?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
213 phrases
What Do Indians Think About The UK? | Street Interview
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B29
339 phrases
2 Idioms You May Be Saying Incorrectly
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2410 phrases
Is Rosie Ramsey The Strict Parent?!? | Shagged. Married. Annoyed.
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulaire et conseils d’expression pour cette leçon
Cette leçon d’expression orale de niveau B2 s’appuie sur la vidéo « What does 'posh' actually mean in British English? ». Cette vidéo contient 296 phrases et 3455 mots à répéter en shadowing. La partie parlée dure 19:10. Le locuteur parle vite, environ 180 mots par minute : attendez-vous à des liaisons et à des sons réduits. Seuls 81 % des mots font partie des 3 000 mots les plus courants en anglais, le vocabulaire est donc exigeant.
Vocabulaire clé de cette vidéo
Les 15 mots les plus avancés de la vidéo, avec leur prononciation et leur sens :
| Mot | Prononciation | Sens |
|---|---|---|
| handkerchief nom | /ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪf/ | mouchoir |
| accent nom | /ækˈsɛnt/ | accent |
| privilege nom | /ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/ | privilège |
| spoon nom | /spuːn/ | cuiller, cuillère |
| collar nom | /ˈkɑlɚ/ | col |
| derogatory adjectif | /dɪˈɹɑɡəˌtɔɹi/ | péjoratif, dépréciatif |
| fascinate verbe | /ˈfæsɪneɪt/ | fasciner |
| plumber nom | /ˈplʌm.əɹ/ | plombier, tuyauteur |
| blur verbe | /blɝ/ | estomper, brouiller |
| traditionally adverbe | /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ə.nə.li/ | traditionnellement |
| upbringing nom | /ˈʌpˌbrɪŋɪŋ/ | éducation |
| vowel nom | /ˈvaʊ.əl/ | voyelle |
| educate verbe | /ˈɛd͡ʒ.əˌkeɪt/ | éduquer |
| insult nom | /ɪnˈsʌlt/ | insulte |
| podcast nom | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | podcast, balado |
Les verbes à particule que vous entendrez
| Mot | Sens |
|---|---|
| look down on verbe | mépriser, regarder de haut |
| bring up verbe | élever |
| look up to verbe | respecter |
| pass down verbe | transmettre |
Des phrases à répéter
Des phrases courtes et complètes de la vidéo, à réutiliser dans la conversation de tous les jours :
- See, I'm putting on a posh voice.
- You did, didn't you?
- We have a word for those sort of people, don't we?
- We might call these posh people toffs, mightn't we?
- What would you describe a toff as?
La grammaire de cette vidéo
Les structures que le locuteur utilise le plus, avec les mots exacts de la vidéo :
| Structure | Dans la vidéo |
|---|---|
| Phrases conditionnelles if + proposition, will/would + verbe — une condition et son résultat | if that's true, or we'll put |
| « Used to » used to + verbe — une habitude ou un état passé qui n’est plus vrai | used to go · used to use |
| Present perfect have/has + participe passé — une action passée qui compte encore maintenant | have i done · have changed · I've heard |
| Voix passive be + participe passé — l’accent est mis sur ce qui arrive, pas sur qui le fait | was taught · be called · was told |
Prononciation à surveiller
Le locuteur utilise 131 contractions et formes réduites, comme don't, you're, I'm. Prononcez-les sous leur forme courte, telles que vous les entendez.
- Les sons « sh » et « zh »: traditionally /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ə.nə.li/, snobbish /ˈsnɒbɪʃ/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, conscious /ˈkɑn.ʃəs/
- Mots longs — placez bien l’accent: derogatory /dɪˈɹɑɡəˌtɔɹi/, traditionally /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ə.nə.li/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, inheritance /ɪnˈhɛɹɪtəns/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/
Les sons difficiles pour les francophones :
- /h/ — il se souffle, il n’est pas muet: handkerchief /ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪf/, inheritance /ɪnˈhɛɹɪtəns/, behave /bɪˈheɪv/
- /tʃ/ et /dʒ/ — à ne pas adoucir en « ch » et « j »: handkerchief /ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪf/, privilege /ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/, educate /ˈɛd͡ʒ.əˌkeɪt/, jolly /ˈd͡ʒɑli/, drawbridge /ˈdɹɔːbɹɪd͡ʒ/
- /r/ anglais — langue recourbée, sans frotter la gorge: privilege /ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/, derogatory /dɪˈɹɑɡəˌtɔɹi/, plumber /ˈplʌm.əɹ/, traditionally /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ə.nə.li/, upbringing /ˈʌpˌbrɪŋɪŋ/
Comment s’entraîner avec cette vidéo
- Écoutez la vidéo en entier une fois sans parler et notez les mots que vous ne connaissez pas.
- Commencez à la vitesse 0,75×, répétez phrase par phrase, puis revenez à la vitesse normale quand cela devient facile.
- Enregistrez-vous et comparez avec l’original, en faisant attention à des mots comme handkerchief, accent, privilege.
Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?
Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.