Where has the word "sitting" gone

I agree with gracesmum. The Sat Nav is sitting on the dashboard - unless he's the man having a break from digging up the road. Perhaps I should have a lie down until the hen has laid an egg for my tea.

Thank heavens for gracesmum. I cannot bear it when people say: "We were sat in the pub" or, worse, "we was sat in the pub." And the misuse of "lying" and "laying" is equally infuriating. Charlie on BBC 1 News says "sat" when he means "sitting" and he should be corrected. And far too many people go for a "nice lay down" when they mean they are going to "lie down".

I don't think these grammatical howlers have anything to do with where you live in this country. I think they are a result of sloppy educational values and a reluctance by parents and teachers to correct children when they abuse our lovely language. It probably has something to do with children's human rights. Grrrrr!

Yes indeed. Well done gracesmum . I hate hearing 'lay' for 'lie' as well, and your rants are just right.

Carry on ranting, gracesmum. You are our grammatical conscience.

Sometimes it is pure stubbornness that stops people from speaking correctly. DD is "going in for" a good deal of sloppy teenage-speak at the moment. When I correct her she says Everyone speaks like that.

My reply: I don't. Keep it for when you're with people who talk like that and talk properly at home. I've explained why it's important to be able to talk clearly and grammatically.

DH is stubborn about the word recognise. He says recodnise even though he knows it's wrong

Weird.

I love this thread!

Let's start another ................
How do you "fall" pregnant! Is it like "falling ill" or are there connotations of being a "fallen woman". It seems a perfectly acceptable usage today -
but not to me!!

Nor me! I've never understood that one - and I certainly wouldn't use it. It sounds very careless...

I'm forever tripping and taking a tumble - should I be more careful or even (!) take precautions?

Nothing new about the phrase "falling pregnant", it has been around as long as I can remember, also "she fell for a baby". Not something I would say, but I think it is a shame if you lose old-fashioned and regional usage in the name of linguistic purity. I like the use of "sat" for comedic emphasis as well. I love hearing thou and the use of were (as in "he were a right pillock") in Yorkshire.When I taught in there the children said I "talked like the queen".

'falling pregnant' suggests an unplanned pregnancy which most were until the era of the pill.

mamie, I'm not sure that Yorkshire usage is in fact "were". I think it's He wa' (short for he was and pronounced as if the vowel sound is a mute e (Schwa)) and an r stuck in to separate the two vowels.

as in LaurarAshley and drawring

Not that w is a vowel but it's treated like one sometimes.

Mamie, I know 'falling pregnant' is not new - we were just commenting on how odd it seemed to us!

There are so many Yorkshire/Lancashire accent variations, I don't think you can say one way of pronouncing a word belongs to either county!

I agree about he wa.., but the children in school used to write "he were". My favourite was, "I went into town and when I got back I were naked". I asked him to read it to me. "And when I got back I were knackered". Ah...
We also used to struggle with u for umbrella, because when I said it, they used to write the letter a.
Of course there is the famous traffic problem caused by "wait here while lights are red". While meaning until in parts of Yorkshire.

Googling came up with an article by Simon Heffer in 2006. If you can read his stuff it's here:

www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3626615/How-words-fall-pregnant-with-the-possibility-of-being-twisted.html

In short, 'fall pregnant' has been around since at least 1722 and later, in Victorian times, was used to describe the position of housemaids who found themselves pregnant, possibly after a liaison with the young man of the house.

Falling pregnant usually comes after falling in love doesn't it? - or am I being a bit old fashioned?

Then comes the falling out.

I agree. I find it very grating when people say 'There I was sat at the station...'. and all those other examples. I don't care if it is 'text' speak.

Why would it be text speak?

With the Olympics looming. No doubt we shall be hearing on the BBC athletes who may "medal" instead of athletes who have a good chance of winning a medal. This along with any other noun that somehow has turned into a verb. (such as "duetted" instead of playing in a duet)

Oh and any things that smacks of management speak really gets up my nose!

Rant over

Not heard of anyone being 'medalled' yet. I hope I never do - how ridiculous!

Or should that have been I've not anyone use the verb 'to medal' yet?