Social Class in the Simpsons

Abstract

Since the media’s representation of language and social class can maintain and reinforce attitudes and values in society, the purpose of this essay is to describe how social class is depicted in selected episodes of The Simpsons, which is the longest-running sitcom in television history. By using ad hoc analysis on judgment samples of transcripts of two episodes of The Simpsons, this essay may claim to be an empirical, qualitative essay with a hermeneutical approach. Based on the assumption that social class is “the most linguistically marked aspect of our social being” (Chambers 2003:43), a person’s choice of language creates identity for the individual as well as for the group, and thereby also signals belonging to different social classes in society. This means that linguistic variations are related to language in use and influenced by social features that are important for the individual, in this essay exemplified by Cletus and Side Show Bob. The results of the characters’ linguistic features are in accordance with their belonging to different social classes and by that also in accordance with how the different social classes can be depicted in the media.