>>>>>>
>>>>>>Our monarchy is always an import.
>>>>>>Before the Germans it was the French with William the conqueror.
>>>>>
>>>>>Oh well at least half of your vocabulary is French import.
>>>>
>>>>They seem to take some satisfaction from mispronouncing a lot of the words. For instance, saying filet as "FILL-it."
>>>
>>>I have a theory that the vowel shifts came from the British nobles trying to imitate French pronunciation, and then common folks imitating them.
>>
>>Common or poor? There seems to be a difference in the pronunciation of some words (and accent) among the "common" folk as well...
>>
>>Here, education does have an effect on language to some degree, but more often than not, it's simply a different accent which is caused by geographic location and not education.
>>
>>I just find the whole common versus royalty difference interesting (especially since we don't have it) :o)
>
>I find the denial of a class system in the US always amusing.
>
>Your child has exactly the same opportunities and connections in life as an Ivy League student from one of the older families. I'm sure . Not. :-)

Actually, for most that is true. It really depends on the career choice. With grants and student loans it is possible. My co-worker's sons both went to Harvard on student loans. The benefit Ivy league students get is when they graduate - family connections and the degree can get your foot in the door of some companies - especially when the competition is tough.