Basic English?

Question

With TV, books, papers, radio and listening to how the vast majority of people in the UK speak, why do some people continue to talk like morons by using phrases like "We was", "He done" and "You was". Don't they realise how thick they sound? Worse still is hearing the occasional adult on TV do it (eg Charlton manager, Alan Curbishley). These phrases are the very basics of the English language, and I see no excuse for being so ignorant. Anyone agree?

Answer 1

I agree entirely with you. This is caused basically by laziness either at the learning stage or later because people can't be bothered to put their brains in focus and speak properly. Also there is influence from families with poor vocabularies and that from friends.


I particularly dislike double negatives like 'I've not got nothing' and the inherent glottal stops that seem to have almost eradicated the letter 't;' in the speech of many young people. I.E 'I went to a par'y with Ri'a then we went watching Uni'ed'. Awful.

The phrases you mention are relatively southern in origin. I often hear them, often by football managers on TV after a football match saying things like 'The boy done well.' In the North we tend to get 'were' used instead of 'was'. I.E. 'I saw him earlier. He were going to the shop.'

Answer 2

Up to a point I do agree.

Sometimes though people mistake language with dialect which is a whole different concept.

I live in Devon and have done for nearly 7 years. My youngest son has picked up on a lot of the 'lingo' that is used here, Things like "helluva good" instead of "wow that was good" are an everyday occurrence. Although I pick him up on it, there is no real harm done and he certainly isn't a moron!!
So people are a little common in their speech! So what?
It doesn't make them stupid, just not as informed on the correct use of the English language.
I think what is more ignorant is the fact that you are choosing to judge a person by the way they speak! That makes you a snob!!

Read back on your paragraph, you are by no means perfect with your grammar which I also believe are the basics of any language!

I don't speak with a perfect tongue and I write how I speak but I am by no means a moron!!

Answer 3

Language, and its proper use, is indeed the basis of much of what we call civilization.

However, remember, that there is no permament "right" way to speak. In my lifetime, for example, there have been many new words added to the dictionaries. They include cybernetics, harddrive, surfing, and others.

I do not know whether or not the street vulgarities common today will become accepted, I rather hope not in some cases, but, if I am to grow, I must remain flexible and ready to accept change.

I do want to guard agains Orwellian(you know what that means?) pharsiology for political purposes. I am thinking specifically about people like Bush reducing my freedoms in the fight agains Terror. Notice how that word as achieved a whole new meaning and can now be used to justify alomst anything any government does if they are fighting terror.

I am far more worried about that kind of thing then about street vulgarity.

Answer 4

They speak as people around them speak. Reading your Q I had to think of Prof. Higgins in My Fair Lady and his first explanation to Pickering about "the English".

The people you refer to are simply not being corrected. The people around them speak the same way and mention no errors. They certainly hear speech on TV and in the movies but unless the are young or actively attempting to learn from the language they are hearing it doesn't have the effect of someone saying "wait. you must say it this way..."

I agree there is no excuse for it in a society that has an educational system.

BTW, the first time I heard a high school teacher in LA use the work "aks" instead of "ask" I became acutely aware that many teachers should be fired on the spot.

Answer 5

That is why other languages have organisms to determine what is correct language and what is not (Office de la langue française, for French, and I know German has that too, at least) Since language IS constantly evolving, someone somewhere decided that what is said by people should be monitored and then a group of people decided what is acceptable or not, which spellings should be in a dictionary, etc. This way, written language is controlled, and it also controls the language that you learn at school. English does not have that kind of council, and it shows.

Answer 6

For those who speak and write as you describe, I would say it reflects their level of education. It would be an indication of someone not very well read, and therefore with less likelihood of being able to engage in informed discussion about very many subjects.

To be a footballer, you do not need to know or understand much else, likewise a celebrity, shop assistant or road sweeper. Limiting your basic language or even knowing only the language of some specialised jargon, will by definition reduce your effectiveness to communicate to a wider audience.

Language is a means of communication, and to communicate effectively one needs to express oneself clearly, skilfully and without ambiguity. The greater one's tools of communicative expression, the more readily one can be both understood, and can understand. By progression, ideas, knowledge and intelligent interaction can then follow since the communication becomes more productive.

It can be very frustrating to engage in intelligent conversation with anyone who has limited vocabulary. On the other hand, it doesn't necessarily mean their contribution to the more practical is of any less value.

Answer 7

I agree to a certain extent, however, some things which are 'wrong' in standard English are actually correct in a dialect. In the past the use of dialect was very much frowned on. The BBC, especially, was very strict about this at one time.

That people sound 'thick' is (with respect) a matter of perception and says more about your attitude than it says about the person concerned. I might be inclined to agree, on occasion, but I listen much more to what the person has to say than how they say it (though I am interested in the way people use language).

English, whether we like it or not, is a living language and as such it is fascinating to hear it evolve in common usage. 'Oldies' like myself may splutter and moan about how 'it's not like it was in my day' but really the language is now no longer 'my baby' - more 'my grandchild'. I shall continue to use it, for the most part, the way I always have done, of course, but I feel less concerned and more interested in its development - especially with the introduction of new words from other cultures and new meanings for old words! 'Gay' still means primarily 'happy and carefree' for me, for example, even though the other usage was invented long before I was born.

Incidentally, my great-grandfather came from the East End (of London) and became a missionary and a schoolmaster in Kent at a very young age. My father and aunts and uncles (his grand children) spoke 'correct' English (and most of them were teachers) but in the family they always said 'he done' rather than 'he did' and claimed that it was a family 'quirk' that had been passed down through three generations. There were other ancestral oddities, too, which I feel ashamed to have forgotten.

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Comment: This is one of those questions which I feel belongs in a discussion forum rather than on a board such as this. Reading some other people's answers makes me want to endorse or reply to their points too! I hardly think that there can be any real 'Best Answer' to this but I hope that you choose one, rather than letting it go to vote. I should be interested to see your choice.

Answer 8

When an advertisement is shown on TV, year round, all over the country, to promote college education, using incorrect grammar, what can one expect?

I had a discussion with an English teacher, who found nothing wrong with this.

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste".

Answer 9

you should try blaming society and the education system in the
UK. Us english people cant help being thick, when there is such a slack approach on making sure people learn proper English.

Answer 10

No excuse for being ignorant - excatly. If someone in the public eye of the country can't even speak the language, I find it hard to take them seriously.