Quote:
Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob
I was watching an interview on the box the other day (BBC1 News) and could not help feeling really riled by the laziness of both interviewer and interviewee who over-employed that linguistic crutch so common today; "y'know". Is it really asking too much of these overpaid and underempoyed simpletons to actually use the language, as opposed to abusing it at every available opportunity? Of course, what makes the matter worse, adding insult to injury, is the attempt to make a virtue out of their inability?
Thinking about it. It seems to me that the language is a fairly accurate mirror of society. Consider, prior to 1968 and the summer of love and protest. Society was a good deal more buttoned up than it subsequently has become. Recieved Pronunciation was the standard of spoken English in this country to which most attempted to aspire. Gorgeously rounded vowels and sounded aspirants and percussives were the hallmark of the upwardly socially mobile. Whereas, dropped aitches and glottal stops were the signs of a background of economic hardship and academic underachievement.
Since 1968 society has shifted to become more mid atlantic in its attitudes and sadly the language has followed suit. Of course, the trendy liberal/left equate this shift with the growth and development of a language that is living and culturally vibrant. Having little appreciation of, or liking for, the culture and heritage of our nation, they would, wouldn't they?
And so it is that we see the entry into the language of the abomination that is known as Estuarine English. At best a regional accent that, through the prominence of the South East as the driver of the economy, has come to dominate all that is produced by the broadcast media. I am sick to death of hearing the word 'drawing' mis-prononced as 'drawring'. I loathe the use of the word 'innit', particularly as it is used by the immigrant population as a sort of catch all 'Don't you agree/QED/see what I mean' expostulatory, exhortative and interrogatory, all rolled into one, speaking only of the lack and deficiency of the speakers vocabulary.
There are other words and phrases that excite similar distaste and ire, here are a few.
Feel free to add your own
'what it is, right' at the commencement of an explanation.
'it's doin my ead in' an expression of inchoate confusion and/or anger
'warrameanis' (trans) what I mean, is ...
'I was like...' / ' and I'm like...'
'I'm lovin this... that or the other' I hate Macdonalds!
And the next person to tell me that something insignificant and commonplace is 'Awesome' is just asking for a swift and none too gentle smack round the chops.
Also, while we are at it. can we regulars get our heads round the difference between
there and their
and
your and you're
it really isn't that difficult!
Anyway, rant over. Please add your own particular linguistic bettes noir below.
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Know what I mean.
Should of, would of, instead of should have, would have etc
And, sorry A-B but you are guilty (see title of this thread), the greengrocer's apostrophe as in your tic's above. Pear's 70p/pound, avocado's 50p each etc etc.
And it should be betes noir not bettes noir plus a circumflew but I don't know how to do one on this computer.
I used to be a proofreader/editor.