General Chat

are driving me mad!
Why, in Heaven's name, do they employ so-called celebrities on their TV adverts who cannot speak the Queen's English??
I make a point of walking past anything advertised by anyone like Bob Hoskins who apparently CANNOT put any final 'g' onto a word - nor any preceding 'h'.
I will NOT add any of my money to fuel that ad campaign!
Is it any wonder that our children cannot speak their native language properly?
What examples do they have, when Jamie Oliver is on the Sainsbury ads talking about 'tom-arters'??
He had a decent upbringing and education - if you have seen any programmes with his parents in - they do not talk like him.
So WHY does he talk like he does on TV? Do 'they' think it will sell more of their products to the uneducated??
I am so glad that both my children are way past being influenced by TV ads.
Can we not ask the ad promoters to stop this?
Still fuming.

quite agree with you - tomarters indeed!!! like you say, he wasn't brought up to speak like that and I'm sure he wouldn't wish his children to speak in that manner either. Nigel Kennedy is another one who has adopted an accent and an appearance totally different from that which he was born into.

Jamie Oliver has a speech impediment .... i.e a lisp.
You only have to watch his mouth to see that there are some sounds he cannot produce. His tongue is behind his lower front teeth.

Viv

I am aware that Jamie has a speech impediment - but I still think his pronunciation of words has become worse just lately.
If this is caused by an impediment then he has the money to correct this - and should do so, and be an example to the young people with whom he comes in contact.

Unfortunately not all speech impediments can be corrected.

Well, I am sure that pronunciation - and grammar - can be corrected!!

I wonder how perfect you yourself speak Joanna?

the thing is though that Joanna is not in the public eye is she! children tend to copy what they see and hear and I agree with Joanna that those on TV should speak properly - I'm not saying clipped English as was spoken years ago on the BBC, regional accents are fine, but it is sloppy pronunciation we are talking of here - very sloppy indeed. Jame could say tomatoes rather than tomarters if he wanted to, even with a lisp.

Joanna

I'm afraid human beings are not all perfect.

I had a decent upbringing and education , yet I might still say words like *Tommorra* instead of *Tomorrow*,

*Ain't* instead of *Isn't*

*Fink* rather than *Think*

Reason being I'm London born & bred & now live in Essex. its my accent.

Others have different accents which cause them to miss pronounce words...

You can have parents with one accent and children who pick up another accent from the environment they live in.

My sister & brother in law are Londoners, and speak with a London accent. Their daughter, who was born in Birmingham talks with a Birmingham accent.

Because I speak like this, it doesnt mean im uneducated or thick because I dont talk with a plum in my mouth..

I will put my money into what cause, shop or establishment I feel like because I want to buy from, or support it. or like their products

Not because the person doesnt talk proper Plum voiced English.

(Not knocking those with proper English accents)

I was Grammar School and University educated, but I would far rather hear people being their natural selves than tripping over plums in gobs.

Nothing gets me more irked than a 'BBC' accent.

Dianne xx

Does it really matter how we speak. We all are good people regardless of the Queens English. I quite often drop letters when speaking, dont we all?

I'm a Black Country bloke born and bred and can't stand "upper crust proper English" pronunciation"

There's a girl that does one of those house buying programs on the telly, she's got a right "plum in the mouth" upper crust accent or "lah de dah" as they say where I come from, it's one of Carols favourite programs.

Listening to her means I vacate to the office and find some work to do. "It duz me 'ead in.

Most people speak with an accent and anybody that hears me always say's "do you come from Birmingham", my answer is always "don't insult me".

My sister on the other hand has the same upbringing as me but she " speaks posh" 'er cor 'elp it she's always worked in a position that requires a "proper" speaking voice. I try and be a bit posh when I answer the telephone but usually lapse back into my Black Country accent. R cor 'elp it, it's where I come from and they're ay no h's (aitches) in the Black Country dialect. I'm proud of my accent and r doe purron no aires and graces for anybody, I'm me, I'm unique, if yow doe like me cus o' the way I speak, that's yower problem.

:0))))))
Ron
www.genealogyprinters.com

Good for you Ron, be proud of what you are and how you speak.

Linda

Well, I was beginning to think I was on my own here but I'm not!
As you all have said, it doesn't matter where you come from, what education/upbringing you have had or your accent .... it's what you yourself are like.
I have worked with many children who have speech and language difficulties and their vocal language has often been supplemented by a range of sign languages to enable them to communicate.
We are all different and should celebrate our language/s and accents.

*gets off soapbox*

Viv

Isn't the way we each speak down to where we come from and the local dialect therein???

Like Bob Hoskins - he's a Londoner, most of those born and bred in London talk similarly to him to some degree..............

You can take the man out of London but you can't take London out of the man lol


McAnne (former S'arf Londoner)

It'd be boring if we all sounded exactly the same.



Another former S'arf Londoner!

as long as people have good manners who cares how they speak.
i would not be able to text so quick if i have to text in proper english lol
plus i cant spell anyway lol
Rose without a plum in her gob

Jamie Oliver has done a huge amount to try to improve our school children's diets & spent his own money on a restaurant to train employed teenagers.

For goodness sake leave the poor bloke alone instead of suggesting he changes the way he speaks.

Claire (who has a 1/2 London accent)

I can't help but think how boring life would be if we all spoke perfect Queen's English. I love the fact that we are all so different. I don't see anything wrong with how Jamie Oliver speaks - that is what makes him his unique self and the same goes for Bob Hoskins and others. You only have to hear the voice and you immediately recognise the celebrity.

I would never put someone down just because they don't pronounce their "H's" or because they speak with a cockney-ish accent. To me, that would be snobbery, thinking someone is less worthy or less educated because they don't speak textbook English.

Preventing celebrities like Jamie from being used in advertising just because of the way they speak would not suddenly encourage young children to become "well spoken" - you only have to visit any London school and you will find the majority of teachers do not speak the Queen's English themselves! So we can't really blame the celebrities for the way our children speak. It is a regional, cultural thing.

I think we should embrace the diversity of the British culture and appreciate each person for the individual that they are. The main thing is that we are all able to communicate, not the way in which we do it.

Just my point of view - Athena

I really couldn't care less how someone speaks so long as I can understand them. How many kids watch the adverts anyway? I know my two don't. Kids are more likely to watch television programmes than adverts so complain about them instead. I'd love to hear the actors on Eastenders talk in standard English, I might even tune in to hear them lol