Except there is, a little bit. I accept
that there is irony in me writing about correct English (feel free to
point out my mistakes). This article has prompted much media
discussion today:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/primaryeducation/9851236/Middlesbrough-primary-school-issues-list-of-incorrect-words.html
A headteacher in Middlesbrough has
issued a list of “incorrect” words and phrases that she wants her
students to avoid, including “yous”, “I done that” and “nowt”.
I have to say that I agree with her.
I love different accents and dialects –
the variety in vocabulary, the sing song Geordie accent, the fact that if you are familiar with the accent it is
easy to distinguish between someone born and raised in Leeds between
someone from Bradford, a city just a couple of miles away. It amuses
me when a Northern word unthinkingly escapes my mouth as if to
purposefully confuse a bemused Southerner who has no idea what I have
just communicated. For example when I direct them to the park via the
snicket (or ginnel) or say that the kids have been in the clarts or
“could you hoy me that tea towel please?”. Our new house has a
toilet in an outside porch area and after numerous occasions
referring to the fact we had a netty it finally dawned on me that
nobody had a clue what I was on about until my Geordie friend pointed
out that it wasn't a word used in Royal Berkshire.
As a student working in pubs in West
Yorkshire I was berated by the locals for being posh and stuck up
because my Yorkshire accent was so mild. My first teaching job in
Tooting, London left me feeling equally conspicuous – it was
impossible to hide my short “a”s when saying graph or safety
glasses, despite my protestations that “there is no R in glass”.
Mind you I had no idea what the kids were actually saying in their
youthful patois: “he jacked my pen Miss innit”.
Now that I have my own children I am
particularly sensitive to how they speak. One of the most rewarding
aspects of parenting is to follow the development of their language –
how amazing the human brain is that it can learn vocabulary and
grammar at such a fast rate. Every addition to their vocabulary is to
be rejoiced, a wonderful gift. So it REALLY pisses me off when they
speak poorly. This is because, if I am truly honest, I am a big fat
snob. I had never really noticed the Berkshire accent before – it
just sounded Southern to me. It is quite pleasant, with a slight West
Country twang but sometimes people (i.e. those caring for my children
at nursery) speak, how can I put this without causing offense...carelessly. Consequently my children (who are only 3 I
hasten to add) say phrases such as: “I done it”, “let's go
park” and “don't it”. It is like hearing nails down a
blackboard. I am the epitome of the pushy middle class mum and I am
perpetually correcting them. After all, they won't get into medical
school if they do not speak correctly (JOKE, partly). These sayings
are not examples of a dialect or accent they are just lazy English.
As a result it is so easy to place someone into their social class
simply by the way they talk. This may be wrong, but it just reflects
the society in which we live. My Geordie family can speak pure
Tyneside when they choose to but you can rest assured that when they
need to speak to someone important on the phone they speak the
Queen's English.
So, am I a big fat snob? Your opinions
are always welcome!
Gemma
PS I have to admit that my husband
keeps picking me up on my acquired Berkshireisms...nobody is perfect.
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