Please visit the Club's website https://www.dloc.org.uk/ to join. Visit https://www.dloc.org.uk/adhoc to DONATE towards the cost of the forum.
Please don't post someone's email address to avoid it being harvested by spambots and it's against GDPR regulations.
Always look at "ACTIVE TOPICS" to see all posts in date & time order as they are sometimes moved; or look at "Your Posts".
Please add Reg. nrs. when posting a photo or anything about a car as this will help searches. Don't add punctuation next to nr. as this negates search.
CHANGED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS since registering?, click your username and check your address in User Control Panel, Profile, Account Settings.
If you want help to register, use "contact us" at page bottom for help.

Use of English

Website Comments, instructions for REGISTERING and POSTING, Chat about anything
Post Reply
New Dexter
Wise Man
Wise Man
Posts: 555
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 9:41 am

Use of English

Post by New Dexter »

Now I know this subject has been mentioned before but I detected that there are some members of this forum who prefer English to be written and spoken correctly.
Listening to Broadcasting House this morning I noticed this disparity in the quality of speech. We had Sir Vince Cable who can speak good English but later the review of the papers involved the contribution of a young woman called Poppy. Each time she was asked for a contribution she started by saying "Yeah, so....." Add to that the modern Yoof speak of dropping every letter t at the earliest opportunity we had quie' instead of quiet and had she needed to use opportunity, doubtless you would have heard opportuni'i. In addition why do some people have to keep saying "I mean" when answering a question?
One of the male reviewers was prone to use "so" and the other used "y'know" more times than I needed to hear.
However, listening to Woman's Hour a few weeks ago I heard Alison Moyet describing her recent life. Now if there was an award for the maximum use of "Y'know" she would have won the Olympics. She said "y'know" fifty two times. Fifty two. OGG!
On the subject of WH one of the worst users of the English language is Jane Garvey who uses such phrases as "she authored" or "It was referenced". Clearly one of the lazy speakers who thinks that using a noun as a verb is acceptable.
It's always a pleasure to people such as Peter Hennessey who knows how to speak properly.

User avatar
theoldman
Extremely Wise Man
Extremely Wise Man
Posts: 1110
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 2:39 pm
Location: Bacton on Sea, Norfolk UK

Re: Use of English

Post by theoldman »

I do admire people who speak properly, like what I do, innit :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: .

Two of my pet hates ate "promoted TO and comprises OF

One of our senior managers at the railway is prone to saying "you see" to fill up his speeches.................
Normal for Norfolk

User avatar
John-B
Site Admin
Posts: 1755
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 9:10 pm
Location: Salisbury, UK
Contact:

Re: Use of English

Post by John-B »

Sometimes I wonder if it's just because I come from Bristol (Ass the Oideal for That's the idea, Bristolians add an l on every last a and pronounce it as ideal not idea, lots of similar examples). There's a booklet for those who want to learn about talking "Bristle".

My current pet hate is the weather forecasters who add an adverb (I thinks it's an adverb) unnecessarily after a verb:

"The wind will ease down", when "The wind will ease" is all that is necessary.

They do it every time the verb is descriptive on its own.

In the west country we tend to say "The clouds are moving east" rather than "The clouds are moving eastwards".

The spoken language will always change and I suppose we have to get used to it. I had to study Chaucer at school and never really understood much and it was English, not French.

Stan Thomas
Wise Man
Wise Man
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2016 2:14 pm
Location: Penkridge. Staffs.

Re: Use of English

Post by Stan Thomas »

Yow orter cum ter Berningum an ear us speak like. Wid tell yer about owz ower babby wuz playin in in the orse rode wunce an got run over an adter goo ter the orsepiddle. I heard im say "Have I come here to die"? - an the the docter said "Nope - yow cum here yester-die".

Back um, ower wench wudern wack her rocks out before wi went to the pichers, sows mi dad gid her a sherrackin an said whats this cagmag an slugged em in the miskin. Mi mom woz in the brewus an when she heard the barney she finished the washin an powered the suds down the suf. Ar - she ad a face as long as Livery Street.

Any rode up, I'm gooin up the Bull Ring now on the rattler - sow tarar!

grahamemmett
Chief Geek
Chief Geek
Posts: 1361
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 8:12 pm
Location: Northwich, Cheshire
Contact:

Re: Use of English

Post by grahamemmett »

Thanks Stan, that's made my day 😀
Graham Emmett ¦ DLOC Chairman ¦ chair@dloc.co.uk ¦ 07967 109160
Northwich, Cheshire
DB18 1949 LCV522 (Yes that one with the P100s)

User avatar
sherlock
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 9:54 pm

Re: Use of English

Post by sherlock »

Being far more clever with a bag of spanners than with an English grammar or dictionary, I am not sure I always write/speak a very good English, but I try anyway. :D

It is always funny when I speak about my "spectacles" (my glasses), my automobile, my telephone, etc...

And I shall always refuse to say "that's sucks" in place of "What a pity !" :mrgreen:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am a froggy, nobody is perfect

1934 BSA three wheeler - 1968 Daimler 250 V8 - 1993 Daimler XJ40 Majestic LWB
Image

User avatar
John-B
Site Admin
Posts: 1755
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 9:10 pm
Location: Salisbury, UK
Contact:

Re: Use of English

Post by John-B »

Nothing beats the look on the face of a secretary in an office in Memphis USA where I was working of five months when I asked her for a rubber. :oops:

Vortex O'Plinth
Extra-Wise Man
Extra-Wise Man
Posts: 1065
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 8:15 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Use of English

Post by Vortex O'Plinth »

John-B wrote: Fri Jul 21, 2017 11:29 am Nothing beats the look on the face of a secretary in an office in Memphis USA where I was working of five months when I asked her for a rubber. :oops:
Well at least that meant you weren't intending to 'knock her up' John.. :o ;)
Nick

"Don't bother with the Air & Space Museum - there's nothing to see.......".

Post Reply