I done me best, but...

My bette noir? - Haitch! Even heard it on radio4, my god what is the world coming to? (Irony)

My mother worked for the GPO as a telephonist and she picked me up all the time on how I speak- even now some people think I'm posh as I enunciate clearly and can add the necessary g’s and t’s. (Note to self need more tonic).

I think it's a shame we are losing out accents and local sayings.

I have not lived in my home town for almost 30 years but when I have gone back, my accent thickens and I start using words and sayings I thought I had forgotten.

I remember my husband (who is not from my home town) being helpless with laughter when my friend was telling me a tale and she said she was 'sweating on't top line'. He had no idea what she meant.

I knew exactly what she meant - was getting a bit panicky. I am not sure where it comes from. Possibly from the cotton mills??

I do get annoyed with 'could of' instead of 'could have'.

Also saying borrow instead of lend and vice versa.

Might have gone a bit of topic here

This might be the chance to vent my feelings. Too good to miss. I get so wrangled when our Prime Minister when making his speeches, always says ter instead of to. For someone with an expensive education such as his, I would expect an example in grammar. I am so busy listening for this error, I realise L haven't heard a word he has said.

(Or even "Me 'n mi 'usband" sometimes.

Don't forget that "you and me" can be perfectly correct when it is not the subject of the sentence.

For instance, "He's going to drive you and me to the shops" is correct.

I have an inlaw who was a primary school teacher, and is forever correcting the family (adults as well as children) on how they should speak, but she has had 'you and I' so drummed into her that she frequently uses it when she shouldn't!

The way you were taught to get it right, Esspee, works well in the present tense, but not so well in all tenses.
For instance, If someone said, 'My friend and me /me and my friend were watching a film', it wouldn't help, as we can say neither me were watching nor I were watching.

Personally, I know the 'rules' but, perhaps because of where I grew up, feel slightly awkward saying thinks like My husband and I ..., You and I ... etc.

They can sound rather affected in many settings, and I often deliberately choose to use Me and my husband etc., instead, depending on the setting.

Aldom

Alioop

I think my Northern Ireland accent would probably drive you potty...

I absolutely love a Northern Ireland accent!

No it wouldn't I would understand you. We have a lot of northern Irish in our accents because of the trade between the two areas and lots of Irish ancestors. Even the way women all seem to have deep voices. I luck not look, I coock not cook and read boocks not books. I only wish we said tree instead of three. I love to hear the Irish anthems sung at the rugby matches.

Oh..seem to have lost half a sentence .." one child, non-verbal with ASD, met a pupil from my class in the middle of a rope walk way..."

ShazzaKnazza I taught in a school where several children from the special school next door joined our classes and activities. One day we took a group to an adventure play ground. One child, non-verbal in the middle of a rope walk way. They stood and stared at each other and I was just about to ask my pupil to make way when the other child said, very clearly, "F-Off"! How all the adults praised him! It was a breakthrough moment and his first utterance in public/school. We might have hoped for a different one but it was progress nevertheless. Don't give up..your DGC may speak yet. [flowers}

Reminisces of Elisa Doolittle?

The advert for the Booming house sales website really sets my teeth on edge, you know the one; the polar explorer arrives on his knees at what he thinks is an discovered land only to find a woman hanging out her washing (in a blizzard). Her screeching accent is awful.

I love accents and quirky words .

We have lots in our family and enjoy them .

We call mangetout mangytuts .

Once in Waitrose - I asked my daughter not to forget them mangytuts .
I saw the look of complete disgust on the face of a yummy mummy .
I heard her say,the people they allow in here .
When she heard us speaking at the till she looked puzzled .

Does anyone remember Stanley Baxter's "Parliamo Glasgow?"

ShazzaKanazza

I dream of the day my autistic 7 year old grandson speaks to us. Any way he chooses to is fine by me. I will never correct him.

Absolutely! I work with children with additional support needs, many of whom are completely non-verbal. Their parents would give anything to hear them speak...

I normally speak fairly good English (I think!), having been strictly forbidden to use colloquial expressions, along with my regional accent, at the small independent school I attended. I am interested to hear the different use of language, expressions and words although I am quite conservative in my own speech. Take the word ‘lunch’. To my parents, both northerners, it was the word ‘baggin’, usually a workers packed lunch. In Cornwall where I grew up it was ‘crouse’ (can’t spell it!). A geordie friend called it ‘piece’. My father pronounced ‘south’ as ‘salth’. My ex husband ‘huge’ as ‘ooge’. And the grammar variations are even more varied! I just think we have a wonderful language which is spoken all over the world in some form and it is to be celebrated. But, yes, I do get a little, shall we say, exercised in my judgement about some of the sloppier forms, although I do try not to!

Yeah grammaH it’s called acceptance isn’t it totally agree I hope aussiegirl is perfect

Oh dear Aussiegran59, how delightful it must be for your DH, knowing neither he nor his family quite reach your standards of acceptable English. Get over yourself! DD's partner is a really lovely man, he says "we was" and mispronounces various words - so what? In the great scheme of things, it's really not important. It's how he is as a person that counts, not how he talks.

I really like regional accents and terminology.
There used to be a book called How to Speak Krect Brizzle (or something like that) which being a Bristolian made perfect sense to me!
I do have a friend who in our group we all call Me Babbers?
Also, within Bristol there are regional accents, so growing up in the east of the region, I used to have a different accent to my now neighbours in south Bristol.
A bit of wrong g grammar doesn't hurt now and again but the recent use of the word 'of' is a bit irritating, as in "it's not that big of a deal". I don't think that's grammatically correct but happy to be corrected on that?

In the recent Scottish Census, there were questions about language - do you understand, speak, write in English (I think was one), Gaelic, Lowland Scots. I don't know what you mean by 4 though?

It was actually just Scots, ElaineI, which takes in Doric as well as Lowland Scots, but I can't think of a 4th one either.

polnan

what "gets" me is ... "two" instead of my upbringing it was "twice"

and now.. I was always taught to put the other person first

you and me,, is now me and you! even on the BBC! (posh accent instead of my Brummie accent)

You and me*and *me and you are equally wrong however posh the accent polnan.

The way I was taught to get it right is to break it down. If you want to say you and me are late - break it down to you are late which is correct and me am late which is wrong you should say I am late, so it has to be you and I are late.

My gran and my mum were from the North East of Scotland.

Faaraboots, seadragon?

I am just now in the process of writing a book celebrating 'mothers' sayings' - my own, my gran's and my mum's. My dad was English and was strict about the way I spoke, constantly correcting my grammar and pronunciation. I grew up a silent child, seldom asking questions - rather than be corrected - though I have made up for it since. My gran and my mum were from the North East of Scotland. Although my mum spoke 'proper' after serving in the Royal Navy, as did my dad, she would slip into the 'Doric' and its rich vocabulary and phrases with my gran. Hearing it fills me with warmth. Amongst my favorite words is my gran's version of 'contumacious' - 'contermashussss' - always uttered firmly in condemnation of behavior that was rebellious or argumentative and carrying much more of the meaning, I think. Hearing my accent, Scots think I am Englash and English people think I am Scots. As I get older, I am learning to appreciate the Scots and especially the Doric part of my heritage more and more.

NannaFirework here’s hoping. ?

christine96777

I am Scottish and we have 4 official languages, which ever one I choice to use annunciation has always been the key. I have lived in England for over 40 years, for the North to the south and now the Midlands, and there are some beautiful dialects, small communities still using old English words and phrases, even families with their own dialect and turn of phrase, and it's all the correct use of language, as there has never been one way to speak English, long my they survive and prosper

In the recent Scottish Census, there were questions about language - do you understand, speak, write in English (I think was one), Gaelic, Lowland Scots. I don't know what you mean by 4 though?
I'm finding it funny the words and sentences and accents DGS2 is coming home from nursery using (fortunately nothing rude) ?

I am quite capable of saying 'I am having my dinner,
but if I was to text my sister or best friend, I would probably write .....
'See ya in a bit, just avin me dinner' with a ? at the end.

Horses for courses.

ShazzaKanazza - he may well surprise you ❤️