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Re: It really depends Camilla Send a noteboard - 21/05/2010 01:05:21 AM
There's an insinuation in that sketch that Received speech is the only "proper" English. It's not; it's just one of several dialects. I was just noting that I didn't accept much of what was noted because the semantics behind the phrases have shifted over 400 years and an ocean apart. Might as well ask why the hell do people still say "God save the Queen." Save her from what? A whole host of people who don't think of that as being a verb in the subjunctive mood?


How does it insinuate that received speech is the only proper? That is how David Mitchell talks. Surely his dialect does not invalidate his point?

You really do not need to tell me about dialects. I'm Norwegian.

But then again, whenever someone is "knocked up," do you go for the pregnancy test or ask if they are tired?


I really don't know what you are on about.


Edit: I just realised you are probably talking about the herbs/'erbs bit. I believe that was a comic dig, the main purpose of which being to taunt Americans with a comparison to the French.


And no, I wasn't talking about word pronunciation. I say poe-TAY-toe, you say po-TAH-toe. Or I say EYE-ther and you say EE-ther. That's variation that sometimes occurs within dialects. I was thinking more about structures of speech and how they vary. Sure, some might mock "right as rain," but it is an accepted, commonly-used phrase within one dialect group. It has a semantic meaning for that group that likely differs from how an individual from another dialect would interpret such a phrase, if s/he did not immediately dismiss it.

Just as there are accepted group understandings of "hold down the fort" or "800 lb. gorilla in the room" that will seem odd to those who think "hold the fort" or "800 lb. elephant in the room," who's to say which is privileged over another, except by conventions that often do not correlate well to general speech patterns of the various dialectal groups?


The difference being that one makes sense and the other not.


But which is which varies from region to region, dialect to dialect.


In part, but the sematics are still more coherent in one than in the other.


I happen to differ - they are different. So tell me, "knocking up" - which meaning(s) do you assign to it? Or how about the use of "coger," since that one was quite embarrassing to me once upon a time? :P


I am not disputing that languages change over time (I am not touching that last one), but that does not mean that pointing out the inconsistencies of new developments are invalid.
*MySmiley*
structured procrastinator
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From David Mitchell: Dear America Camilla - 20/05/2010 03:16:38 PM 695 Views
He's got a point about plow, sidewalk, and trunk. *NM* PhotoJim - 20/05/2010 03:29:59 PM 399 Views
definitly. *NM* LadyLorraine - 20/05/2010 03:32:32 PM 169 Views
As a non-native Eng-spleaking person... Bramhodoulos - 20/05/2010 03:32:14 PM 391 Views
Where did you learn to spleak Eng? *NM* Tim - 21/05/2010 12:54:52 AM 160 Views
Wablief? *NM* Bramhodoulos - 21/05/2010 05:30:37 AM 182 Views
this isn't funny for one simple reason LadyLorraine - 20/05/2010 03:36:26 PM 438 Views
"Could care less is" a personal peeve of mine, too. Joel - 20/05/2010 03:43:08 PM 385 Views
Re: "Could care less is" a personal peeve of mine, too. Camilla - 20/05/2010 03:45:40 PM 360 Views
Mine also snoopcester - 20/05/2010 04:08:23 PM 518 Views
So you don't say it like "Ace of Basil"? *NM* Tom - 20/05/2010 04:33:10 PM 161 Views
Heh. It's more like, Razzle, dazzle BASIL! *NM* Avendesora - 21/05/2010 02:32:58 AM 168 Views
You say "basil" like Basil Exposition from Austin Powers? *NM* TaskmasterJack - 20/05/2010 09:51:16 PM 171 Views
YES! nossy - 21/05/2010 02:52:05 AM 364 Views
American English contains a lot more mistakes than that. Tom - 20/05/2010 03:58:42 PM 401 Views
Oh, and for the record: the use of "table" as a verb in politics still confuses me for about 5 sec. Tom - 20/05/2010 04:38:35 PM 389 Views
Nice one, though I've been guilty of that on occasion. *NM* Legolas - 20/05/2010 10:27:23 PM 180 Views
What a grating accent Larry - 20/05/2010 10:41:38 PM 364 Views
what grammatical conventions? Camilla - 20/05/2010 11:11:10 PM 355 Views
Subjunctive, reflective pronouns, things like that Larry - 20/05/2010 11:26:09 PM 385 Views
His main two points had nothing to do with all that, though... Legolas - 20/05/2010 11:39:28 PM 484 Views
I know. I just merely said I disliked the accent and that the divergent dialects were just that Larry - 20/05/2010 11:59:25 PM 383 Views
How does that apply at all? Camilla - 20/05/2010 11:43:49 PM 378 Views
Different rules for different dialects Larry - 21/05/2010 12:03:31 AM 487 Views
.... dialects? Camilla - 21/05/2010 12:06:03 AM 448 Views
Yes, dialects Larry - 21/05/2010 12:20:09 AM 451 Views
Re: Yes, dialects Camilla - 21/05/2010 12:24:25 AM 353 Views
Perhaps Larry - 21/05/2010 12:54:49 AM 429 Views
Re: Perhaps Camilla - 21/05/2010 12:56:18 AM 373 Views
It really depends Larry - 21/05/2010 01:03:13 AM 534 Views
Re: It really depends Camilla - 21/05/2010 01:05:21 AM 508 Views
But it isn't inconsistent Larry - 21/05/2010 01:14:32 AM 341 Views
Re: But it isn't inconsistent Camilla - 21/05/2010 11:30:55 AM 606 Views
It's not his accent, it's his voice. *NM* Rebekah - 21/05/2010 12:26:18 AM 160 Views
It's both Larry - 21/05/2010 12:54:04 AM 406 Views
Tickling the fort sounds like fun! *NM* Birdeye - 21/05/2010 02:37:03 AM 182 Views
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