Though I am American and have never even visited England, in reading this article I find myself reminded of something I read (well, wrote) on Medium relating to class structure in the American south. Though your article is more specifically about dialect, it was the video clip (which was new to me) that make the true connection between your descriptions of English class structure, and that of class structure in the American south prior to the American civil war (and perhaps beyond.)

I apologize for what may appear self-serving, and rather than wishing to draw attention to my words, I'll state as clearly as I'm able that I hope for them to act more as tribute to your fine article. :

"... slavery existed because a certain number of wealthy white southerners were unwilling (or unable) to personally commit to the amount of labor necessary to provide the lives of luxury and status they desired. (Most southerners were neither slave owners nor lazy, and typically, white sharecroppers were little more than multi-generational economic slaves themselves. But they did have their freedom. And even those white southerners without slaves generally became an undeniable part of the slave-owning south regardless. One presumes, content to have their status defined by those still one step beneath.) Paradoxically, slave owners were forced by self-loathing to hate what made them rich, and feel conflicted over the status provided them entirely by people with none. Southerners felt required to despise Blacks by their desperate need to deny the link between Blacks and their own equal needs for 1) wealth, status and luxury, and 2) their own preference of status over hard work. (None of these slave owners were initially lacking in resources. Had they wished, they could have hired workers instead of buying slaves. But that would have very frequently required that the “bosses” and their family also work long, hard hours, and the status they craved did not permit that.)"

Thank you for your patience, and for sharing your ideas.