You can bend your legs under the chair? Obviously I'm exaggerating but I don't think it really takes away that much of the tiny amount of leg room you get anyway!
Isn't "carry on" just the American name for "hand luggage"? As in you're only getting one free bag which has to be small enough to fit under the chair anyway, right?
That was the stereotype in the west too, it only reversed when having a tan meant you were wealthy enough to have been on a summer holiday somewhere sunny!
That is kind of accurate though if you're basing the story on history. Like if it's Robin Hood or King Arthur then the nobles will sound posh and the peasants won't.
Less of an excuse for it in high fantasy; I guess it's a quick way to telegraph to the audience who's who, but you're definitely right that it reinforces traditional class stereotypes.
Isn't this just a necessity of the storytelling medium? If the audience is English-speaking then they will appreciate a pun in English a lot more than a sign saying "this is an excellent pun in my made-up language, you wouldn't get it though". Even Tolkien basically says "this whole story has been translated into English"!
I imagine it'll help a lot, but if you're in and around a smithy for years you'll still end up breathing a lot more bad stuff than the average breather
You can bend your legs under the chair? Obviously I'm exaggerating but I don't think it really takes away that much of the tiny amount of leg room you get anyway!