Why does being able to function in the English language, to read and write fluently and speak without a distinct accent, matter so much for career achievement in a country where English is one of many languages? ……………………………………………….. But partly, it’s a question, not so much of the utility of the language, but of the accompanying markers of family background and social status. ‘Command over the English language represents both a form of cultural capital as well as a structural marker of middle class identity.