Words and phrases

Unless your like my 93 year old mother in law who has dementia, Ana. Somehow I do not think she will learn anything again.

Oh dear durhamjen, it was just a turn of phrase in response to your comment about your son's Danish partner being a lot younger than soontobe.

No need to try and make me feel guilty...

I really enjoy learning almost anything new and get an extra kick from learning a new word or phrase. I read a lot of detective stories and always expected to read something new about language or to learn an unfamiliar word from Colin Dexter (Inspector Morse books). However, a new book from the library surpassed even those this week. I settled down to my "nice murder" and in the first three pages I encountered entoptic imagery and chthonic. I can't imagine any situation in my rather ordinary life when I would be likely to use either the phrase or word but I now live in hope of having a meaningful discussion with an anthropologist some time in the future.

What a ridiculous idea that we should dumb down our use of language (= 'ow we speak or write) because some people "might not understand" words of more than one syllable. We do not all of us have the reading age of the average Sun reader and I think this is a total insult to anybody who uses language correctly, uses the right word or phrase within the context and can use correct grammar.
God help us if that is unacceptable!
If anybody needs simple words, go and try some of those "Easy Readers" I see referred to on Amazon for adults whose reading skills are not too well developed.
What in particular was exercising (=bothering) you Soontobe?
I imagine the likes of Granjura could feel (rightly) patronised if not outraged (=cross).

I don't think I could change my speech pattern or vocabulary, I've had it for too long. I didn't ever simplify it for my children, they learnt to say Thank you, never 'Ta', which I have often heard.

soon I think the more you read, the more you learn, without even realising that you are doing so. If you read books that are a little out of your usual comfort zone, you also pick up a wider vocabulary. You can usually get the gist of a word's meaning by the context in which it is used. If you don't read much, maybe you could try it.

Yes, I did notice that your speech pattern changed when you were passionate about a certain subject. Your speech became more fluent. Maybe you weren't overthinking it at the time.

So, are you saying also that regional dialects shouldn't exist? The people who live where they are still used don't always know that their speech is different. My daughter went to school with children who had never left their county of Lincolnshire - how would they ever know that the Cornish vocabulary can be so different? Or the Scottish? Nothing they hear on television would ever prepare them, because the news programmes are so localised.

<Checking the calendar -no, not April 1st, but must be a wind-up though> Does that need explanation?

Eh, now look 'ere ower kids! Will yow lot stop this ere squabblin over ow I as true Black Country maid from Wedgebury spakes.
This ere dialect is the closest to chaucerian english what is spake today.

Given that the OP finished with I really dont [sic] care if all sorts of strange words and phrases, local or otherwise are discussed, I'm not sure why the rest of us are bothering to reply, let alone "squabbling over ow".

Obviously I am outnumbered in this regard!
Unless other gransnetters are afraid to speak up?

I will retire gracefully from this idea, I think.
Though I still very much suspect that there are a whole load of posters who dont understand parts of threads, and very much wish to.

jr - no I am not asaying that local dialects shouldnt exist. Language is what it is. It cant be stopped. And I most definitely wouldnt want it to be.

Soutra - I think that several posters should bare in mind that others wont be able to understand. I do sometimes wonder if it is done deliberately? To keep the site elitist?
I could be wrong on that.

Ariadne and Nelliemoser - it has been mentioned before that I can be articulate. But I dont use big words I dont think?Not sure I could be called articulate or not. I wouldnt mind you pointing out examples of where I am and where I am not. Perhaps I am both?? Is that unusual??

absent - I meant, like pompa and Galen are doing.
I think that is fun.

We learn the meanings of new words by their context (= the meaning of the words around them and of the whole text) and by reading and talking (and listening)

I suppose we could stick to "The cat sat on the mat" type sentences, but English is such a flexible language that we could substitute feline, moggie, Blue Persian, - or any of these (I googled cat and thesaurus)

bobcat
cheetah
cougar
grimalkin
jaguar
kitten
kitty
leopard
lion
lynx
malk
mouser
ocelot
panther
puma
puss
pussy
tabby
tiger
tom
tomcat

I would google mat and thesaurus too, but I have better things to do (like going to bed) than demonstrate that there are many words which mean almost the same and that meanings shade into one another. Reading posts by people who use unfamiliar words is an excellent way of collecting new ones and stretching your vocabulary.

But I don't think you need to employ too much modesty about your vocabulary, soontobe

Soontobe it might be best if many grannies don't bare too much !! Certainly not this one!

As for Keep the site " elitist?" Come off it, this is a wind-up, right?

soon please be assured that the reason I have not commented in your support is not because I agree with you, but I am afraid to 'speak up'.

It's because I have a personal rule, which I have now broken, not to comment on the more ridiculous threads.

soontobe As you are a relatively new member of Gransnet, perhaps you perceive the site as elitist, but you are very much mistaken. In the past there have been threads on topics where members have discussed their childhoods, first homes, current homes, education, holidays, jobs and careers, experience of joblessness and redundancy, the effects – financial and otherwise – of retirement and many other personal subjects. If ever there was a cross-section of society – with the exception of age and even that covers a considerable extent at the top end of the range – it is Gransnet.

Soutra I think it's another example of what I mentioned elsewhere - DAS (ditsy airhead syndrome) which manifests (shows itself ) in deliberate attempts to appear sweet, naive, girly even cute!!!
Could continue with the synonyms but it's late and it might be too late for you to cope after Elegran's fairly comprehensive (big) list.

Words fail me !!

Well said Absent

I concede defeat!

re the words and phrases idea I mean.

and the site being elitist I suppose.

I still maintain that I find it hard work, and reserve my right not to be able to understand things. And to therefore choose just how much effort I put in to decipher many things.

And I still maintain, that because this site has numerous ex teachers and professionals, that others are not all happy to be constantly learning.
Personally I dont come on gransnet to learn all the time.
Others may wish to be lifelong learners. I would rather dip in and out thanks.
I think I may not contribute so much on some threads. I cant be doing with all the "work".
I am sure that this will meet with the approval of some!

Galen duck - yow iz ther ownly wun wich I understud.

But thinking IS hard work.

Oopps Soontobe You are coming on well. You have now used "concede" and "elitist" accurately.

Can you explain why you are pretending that you do not understand English? Apart from enjoying the attention.