What are your pet peeves re English usage?

Ooh! speaking of emphasis, I can't stand rootBEER, or iceCREAM.

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There's nowt wrong wi' regional accents, and dialect words. Although once we were taught that there was.

I grew up to the west of the fair city of Glasgow, and grew up very nearly bilingual- the local dialect, spoken in the streets, and the Scottish version of standard english, spoken at home and at school.

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McTag

I can appreciate that. I speak at work and home with one type of accent/dialect (McTag has met me so knows how I speak - for the rest of you, assume this isn't greatly different from the way Hugh Grant speaks!)and with cabbies, market traders, misc. Arsenal fans in pubs, etc. I speak a more "London" version of the language (though not exactly "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" Cockney!). If my mother happens to be there when I use this alternative register, she can't help but embarrass me by commenting on it. Embarrassed

It just makes life a bit easier all round to do this rather than have accusations of being "lah-di-dah". Laughing

KP

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I turn my accent up and down as well, KP, depending on who I'm talking to. At the office, it softens, but with my family, and friends from my home town, it gets stronger (especially when drunk). When I'm down south, I turn it up on purpose, just because... :wink:

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Although not much use to those who dont watch much British TV, the celebrities with accents closest to mine are probably Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer.

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Speaking of the Arsenal....

they've got a long, wet trip home tonight. AND, they've got to play City on Wednesday. They must be petrified.

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I'm sort of glad that Arsenal were beaten, as it opens up the top of the table a little, but of all the teams who could have done it - it HAD to be soddin' Man Utd. Oh well. City seemed unlucky against Newcastle as well, coming back from 2-0 to 2-2, then 3-3 then losing 4-3. And the Boro (my team) scraped 1-1 at home to Portsmouth, despite having 23 shots on target to Pompey's 3.

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All good things come to an end.

It was a hard-fought game. The penalty that Rooney won was arguable but Ashley Cole was lucky to get away with the later appeal in the box.

Ruud van Nistelroy was VERY luck not to be sent off (long before he converted the penalty) for the stamp to Ashley Cole's knee. I hope the FA look at video evidence and ban the cheathing c*nt for a few games.

McTag - I'm interested to see the side that Arsene chooses for the League Cup game against City. We've got such a huge squad, now, that even the 2nd XI could be quite powerful.

Off the top of my head, I'd guess the side will include: Taylor, Clichy, Cygan, Flamini, Fabregas, Pennant and Van Persie. I don't know which other "youngsters" he will select but there may well be someone experienced on the pitch as captain.

KP

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There are plenty of things that peeve me about football commentary - cliches and bad grammar - but then I realise how difficult it must be to talk quickly for an hour and a half without using cliches, repeating yourself, or making any mistakes. I was sad to see Barry Davies retire, and it will sadder still when John Motson goes as well. Jonathan "Shout Shout" Pierce just doesn't do it for me.

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I'm interested to hear more about this English version of football.

Do they stop for a spot of tea after a tackle?

Does the referee shout "Pip...Pip" when someone commits a foul?

So many questions.

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Gus - your questions may have been troubling many other US folk over the years, so I'd like to take a minute to answer them.

As far as I know, no tea is drunk after tackles (it would slow the game down even more), but quite possibly they have a cup of Earl Grey at half-time in the dressing room.

I've never heard a referee shout "Pip...Pip" after a foul, but they do have whistles that make a sound not unlike "Pip...Pip", but more like "Phreeep...Phreeep".

I am interested to hear more about your American version of football.

Do they stop for a quart of kool-aid and a double-cheesburger after a tackle?

Does the referee shout "Yo dudes, high-five, whoop, yeah! USA! USA!" when someone commits a foul?

So many questions...

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Grand Duke wrote:

As far as I know, no tea is drunk after tackles (it would slow the game down even more), but quite possibly they have a cup of Earl Grey at half-time in the dressing room.

But you do have to admit that most Brits are indeed drunk at football matches.

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The authorities have tried to reduce this by banning alchohol inside the grounds, closing pubs near the grounds in the hours before a game, and moving certain "trouble" games to midday kick-offs, but yes, many people are either drunk or at least tipsy. It helps to keep the cold out!

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SCoates wrote:

Ooh! speaking of emphasis, I can't stand rootBEER, or iceCREAM.

Those are British pronunciations which alas! are being replaced by the American versions, throwing the emphasis onto the first syllable. Likewise Hong KONG, New YEAR, and many other 2-word phrases.

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kitchenpete wrote:

McTag

I can appreciate that. I speak at work and home with one type of accent/dialect (McTag has met me so knows how I speak - for the rest of you, assume this isn't greatly different from the way Hugh Grant speaks!)and with cabbies, market traders, misc. Arsenal fans in pubs, etc. I speak a more "London" version of the language (though not exactly "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" Cockney!). If my mother happens to be there when I use this alternative register, she can't help but embarrass me by commenting on it.

It just makes life a bit easier all round to do this rather than have accusations of being "lah-di-dah".

KP

Many of us are traitors to our class in this way, Pete...

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(sorry for the footy digression, people)

Clary - do you think we can blame the change in emphasis on American TV and films, or is there some other cause? Bad teaching? Lazy parents?

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I hate when people say "I seen him the other day" instead of "I saw him the other day." That is so annoying.

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Grand Duke wrote:

I am interested to hear more about your American version of football.

Do they stop for a quart of kool-aid and a double-cheesburger after a tackle?

Does the referee shout "Yo dudes, high-five, whoop, yeah! USA! USA!" when someone commits a foul?

So many questions...

god I love cultural things like this...it's so funny to hear how other countries view us. Americans have the rest of the world's culture catagorized into neat little generalizations so it is interesting to see what others think of our cultural stuff. :wink:

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That was indeed a fine response by the Grand Duke.

This football banter has caused me to recall an incident several years back. A couple of American football teams were in England to play an exhibition game. As they were disembarking from the plane a crowd of Brits had gathered round to watch. A reporter roamed the crowd and asked questions.

The camera zoomed in on a couple of elderly gentlemen. The one on the left, a rather distinguished looking fellow, smoking a pipe, and wearing a tweed jacket and Sherlock Holmes hat, removed the pipe from his mouth as the players paraded past and said, "They're so bloody thick."

I had to chuckle at that.

Gotta love those Brits.

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I can understand footie all right. We have it here in 'Murrica. We just call it soccer. What I don't understand even a teensy weensy little bit is the game of cricket. When you Brits start talking about 'overs' and what the batsman has done, it is a totally foreign tongue to me. As it involves a bat and a ball, one would think there would be similarities to baseball, but, apprently, there are none whatever.

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What are your pet peeves re English usage?

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