Language

Is anyone else annoyed by “slippy”? I never heard it until I moved up here, we always said “slippery” where I came from.

Nora

I think I've heard both used during 45 years in the South East, 15 years in North Yorkshire and 10 years in the North Staffs Badlands, looking out in awe and wonder at the Cheshire Plain. Totally interchangeable wherever and certainly nothing to get annoyed about.

Well, if we're talking about words now (which politician said that?) the continual mispronunciation of certain letters in words really gets me.

Oh, appsolutely! Deezember! I'll not be too pacific (specific) but I'm on the wrong tarfy (tariff)......

And now I'm on my hobby horse, what is it with the voices on people nowadays? It's a difficult thing to put in words as a description... Its a grating whineyassed nasal throaty whingy sound when they speak. Hard to describe, but I bet you know what I mean.

Peatlander 2 wrote:And now I'm on my hobby horse, what is it with the voices on people nowadays? It's a difficult thing to put in words as a description... Its a grating whineyassed nasal throaty whingy sound when they speak. Hard to describe, but I bet you know what I mean.

Now, as a dyed in the wool Weegie, I'm probably the last guy to be talking about received pronunciation but............

Yes, I think I know what you mean, finishing their sentences sounding like a strangled parrot. Thankfully it appears to be dying out but I blame a certain female "property" programme presenter who used to do it (although not so much now).

I was trying to find a youchoob example to demonstrate it, but after I listened to a couple I got so, erm, annoyed I stopped looking.

And, Askit, nothing wrong with a Weegie accent! Its not panyan like an eddinburger!

There's another 'trend' in spoken language, another TV presenter thing, the habit of inserting a breath that sounds like an 'Ah', there's a few of them do it. But for true irritation value, and maybe I shouldn't point it out as once you hear it, you cant help but continue to hear it, listen to Carol Kirkwood present the weather, her breath intakes are something else.

Least it's not whingygravelleywhineygrind. :) every word sounds like it's getting whinged up in their throats. It really grinds my gears! Can you tell?

"Smashed it" or "You're gunna smash it". Hate that expression nearly as much as the Americanism which applies to everything that isn't quite right these days "Not fit for purpose."

It goes back a while now, but 'thinking outside the box' annoys me.

I was once invited by a new boss to 'think outside the box' and to write a report on the results of such thinking. The implication was I was so imbued with the existing system that I couldn't see alternatives. I did write a comprehensive alternative approach and it was a 'revolutionary'. Sadly it was too far outside his box and he didn't like it at all. So who, out of the pair of us, was more stuck in the mud?

Buzzwords. In fact, the word 'buzzword' annoys me! :D

Blue-sky thinking, that's another one but it does seem to have lost favour recently.
What happened to 'once' or 'twice'. Adverts don't seem to know such words exist. The guide dogs advert says 'one time, when we were out' instead of 'once, when we were out' and another is a cleaning product that says 'two times the power' instead of 'twice the power'.

It's true, language evolves over time, I suppose its easier to understand now than it would be if we were talking to somebody from Chaucers time. And vice versa!

I wonder what it will sound like in a few hundred years time, assuming we haven't blown ourselves up by then...

It doesn't stop me getting wound up by some of the things people say!

And, breathe... :)

Grass roots level.

Cloud cuckoo land.

Any version of politico speak....

The Pleece and their Lawn Order.

I don't like Home Seccertree either...

Hmm. Worms, can of, opened.

Most Americans can't say "nuclear". It's always "nucular".

And the singular of "criteria" is "criterion". 

Incidentally, what is the plural of "cock-up"? . . . . Don't answer that! 

Gromit wrote:.
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Incidentally, what is the plural of "cock-up"? . . . . Don't answer that! 

Well it's balls-up rather than ball-ups . . . 
                                                              . . . although perhaps that's actually singular and the plural is balls-ups?

So many important questions being raised here!

By the way, Peatlander, what's a panyan accent?  Isn't that a pickle?  

My recollection is that the good folk of the better parts of Edinburgh such as Morningside have a pan-loaf accent, which arises from the two types of bread traditionally made in Scotland: the cheaper plain loaf (referred to as a hauf-loaf for reasons I could never discover) baked in batches on a tray and having a very thick hard crust top and bottom, which as bairns we had covered in jam and known as a jeely peece; or the more expensive pan loaf which was baked individually in a tin and had a much thinner soft crust all the way around, more suited to elegant cucumber sandwiches.

Being of common stock, I still seek out a decent plain loaf when back home here in the Kingdom.

Panyan.. That's the awfu posh accent that the folk with ideas above their station adopt. Never heard it called Pan-loaf, but sure its the same thing. We live and learn! Gots to admit however, I did used to like the pickle. :)

It's true, you felt like you had eaten something with a plain loaf. Ours always seemed to be stale though. We only got to the shops once a week at best.

And, back on track... 'Everythink.' Aaarrgh.

I s'pose the Royal County of Berkshire could be considered a kingdom too.

'Fed up of' instead of 'Fed up with, it's even finding it's way into print these days.

And I still find the the Scots use of 'outwith' when they mean 'outside' jars on my Southern sensibilities. Strangely, I don't recall coming across that difference before I'd been 50 years on this earth.

"John and I" must say goodbye.

But . . . .

It's goodbye from "John and me" . . . . . NOT "John and I". 


Ever so easy to understand!! If John was not there, would you say, "It's goodbye from I"?

The Two Ronnies signed off every show with this lesson, but it didn't work!!!!

A while ago I was chairman of the local Nautical Training Corps, one of the leaders kept referring to Airship. Confused I asked where airship was. " Nah, AIRSHIP, this one.... she meant OUR SHIP.

Gromit wrote:Most Americans can't say "nuclear". It's always "nucular".

And the singular of "criteria" is "criterion". 

Incidentally, what is the plural of "cock-up"? . . . . Don't answer that! 

My current (un)favourite from our friends across the pond is the pronunciation of one of the apostles,

Peerur 

Will any of this change anything, it's a mute (sic) point 

steamdrivenandy wrote: . . .

And I still find the the Scots use of 'outwith' when they mean 'outside' jars on my Southern sensibilities. Strangely, I don't recall coming across that difference before I'd been 50 years on this earth.

Yes, my (Southern Sassenach) wife finds that one odd - often seen in car parks where parking outwith the bay will result in a fine.

When a lad, I always wondered why a green hill far away was without a city wall . . .

There is a green hill far away, outwith a city wall' doesn't scan so well.  Funnily enough typing 'outwith' on my Android phone the spell checker wants to put it as two words. Maybe I need to alter my settings to Scottish.

steamdrivenandy wrote: . . .  Maybe I need to alter my settings to Scottish.

If only!  

I tried typing that well known Scots phrase "Dinnae fash yersel" earlier and it tried to change it to "Disney fashion Ursula".
Which probably makes as much sense to most of you . . .

Why not just ignore misuses of our language and live a more relaxed life without getting so uptight about such things.

Who knows, it may even allow you to live a little longer.

Just don't get your "Knickers in a twist".

A very relaxed Leighton.

I've just noticed an Amazon email using the word 'dispatch' and it occurred to me that I've always used the spelling 'despatch'. So I Googled the difference and it appears there is none. Both spellings mean the same and come from the same Latin root. Apparently the 'e' version is the UK original, whilst the 'i' version predominates in the US. It's suggested that because of the pervasive presence of the US on the internet etc, that the 'i' version is starting to become dominant.
It strikes me as sort of rude that Amazon uses the 'i' version on its UK website.