English Grammar, Spelling and Vocabulary

[Fiona1986]

I think I got pretty much everything they said. To be fair they both seemed under the influence which makes any speech harder to understand. Of course they were also using words and phrases specific to Scotland like "grassed" which means told tales on, and "ken" which means to know something, and that doesn't help either.

[sixret]

Thank you, Fiona.

[Daisy]

I think "grassed" is in fairly common usage all over the UK.

[Fiona1986]

That's interesting, Daisy. I don't think I've often heard it from non-Scots. Maybe we just do an awful lot more telling of tales!

[Jack400]

I'm very confused about the 't' in hospital. When I say it, it definitely has a 't' sound in it.

One thing at the moment that really makes me grind my teeth is a radio advert for PPI claims. It mentions a quote along the lines of 'if you do nothing, you'll get nothing'. Except that the man actually says "nothink". I've even found myself tutting and telling the radio it isn't nothinK, there is no K at the end of the word!

Maybe it is a region difference, but in every other respect I would say the man is speaking 'normally', so it doesn't make sense that he should put a different ending on the word.

Yes, I've never heard "hospital" without the "t"- "hospial"- I wouldn't have a clue what it meant.

I've also heard that PPI advert (on LBC) - it drives me mad too!

[Katharine]

I thought the phrase 'grassed' was from London, and associated it with the gangs that were around in the 1960s.

[Daisy]

Yes Katharine, I definitely associate it with criminal activity!

[Rob Houghton]

Yes - heard the word 'grassed' a few times - also 'grasser' or 'grass'. I think it probably spread around the country due to some London-set detective/police series (maybe like 'The Bill' etc). I can remember kids using it at school when I was a teenager - when The Bill was really popular. Everyone would say 'don't grass!' or 'he's a right grasser!' etc.

[KEVP]

Hey folks, languages all have multiple dialects. What happens historically is that one group takes over the country and announces "Our dialect is the correct way to speak the language, all other dialects are wrong!" In the UK, the group that did this was the group that lived in southeastern England and went to University at Oxford and Cambridge.

For much of history in the UK, you had to speak this particular dialect of English if you wanted a job say in the British government or in radio or television. The barriers took a long time to fall. I have studied acting, actors call this particular dialect "RP" for "Received Pronunciation".

What can confuse foreign visitors to the UK is that in addition to regional dialects there are also class dialects. The members of the different British social classes speak English differently.

The glottal stop, which some humorously call the "glo'al stop", is not a part of Received Pronunciation (with some particular exceptions, like the word "uh-uh"). The glottal stop is found in some British regional and class dialects.

(There is a general rule, not always applicable, just a general rule. The more you go "down" the UK social class spectrum, towards the "common" or "working class" end, the more folks tend to drop out consonants. Sometimes replacing them with glottal stops. And the more you go "up" the UK social class spectrum, towards the "posh" or "upper class" end, the more people tend to clip their vowels, sounding almost like they are trying to talk without vowels at all)

Also, different professions have their own specific vocabulary. This is called "Jargon". One profession that has its own jargon is the underworld. Underworld Jargon is sometimes called "Cant". "Grassed" is a fairly standard part of underworld jargon all over the UK.

[pete9012S]

I noticed that Prince William's wife,Katherine sounds even posher than he does!

[Rob Houghton]

As someone whose family (on my mom's side) were second or third generation 'Brummies' there were aways plenty of dialect words buzzing around. Words like 'guzunder' or 'suff' or 'behopes' and of course 'tarrah a bit'

People often lived in a 'backus' and did their washing in a 'brewus' My nan and grandad put their rubbish in a miskin, and went up the monkey run when they were courting. If they were feeling ill they might get a dose of jollop which would result in the back door trots.

Kids would play by the cut or on the ackerduc and one of their favourite sweets was 'kay-lie' as well as maybe a 'piece' or some bread and scrape or dripping cake (sometimes pronounced 'coike'). they'd play tip-cat or glarneys, spending their time up the 'ossrowd until being told to oppit and go an play down their own end. They'd probably end up getting a proper sherrakin and a right BSA when they gor back um..

[Katharine]

We've used the word jollop in our family too.

I don't mind regional accents or local words, but I think that an advert should be spoken 'correctly'. The 'Beat Cancer Sooner' radio advert is voiced by a lady with a Northern Accent, but as far as I can recall, she didn't completely alter the ending of a word such as the 'nothink' man in the PPI advert. Perhaps I'm just a snob, but I expect 'experts' such as TV presenters, radio announcers etc. to speak clearly, and be easily understood. I don't have a problem with accents, Michael Parkinson obviously has one, but I've never had a problem with what he says.

[sixret]

The fact that I, as a non-English speaker and English is my third language could understand English spoken by the Southeastern English speakers very clearly speaks volume.

[Moonraker]

Why do so many people nowadays appear to be unable to pronounce 'th' - instead saying it as an 'f'. I fought so, at least I fink I do. It now seems universal, whereas at one time it was consigned to Londoners. We used to have a forum member who had as his signature, if you pronounce thick as fick, then you probably are.

[Rob Houghton]

Again, I think its the influence of TV - especially on younger viewers, who watch rubbish like 'The Only Way Is Essex' - which seems to be strewn with 'fick' people.

I certainly never say 'fick' or 'fought' instead of 'thought' Hate it!

Mind you, I've never even spoken Brummie either! One thing I did say as a kid, but not now, was 'skelington' instead of skeleton.