Forum Topic

plarstic

Someone I know says 'plarstic' and 'parsta' instead of 'plastic' and 'pasta'. I think this sounds affected and frankly preposterous.What do you think?

Angus Peterson ● 6266d26 Comments

"Any linguist worth his salt will tell you that the short pronunciation of northerners is the correct way to speak English."On the contrary, any linguist worth his salt will understand regional differences in pronunciation, will recognise that RP (received pronunciation, standard English, or whatever you want to call it) is the nearest we have to a standard pronunciation, but will NOT say that any one accent is "the correct way to speak English".

Richard Jennings ● 6261d

Yes but the English we speak now is not the English of the Angles & Saxons but a language which incorporates Norman French so why not use their vowels?Actually, I think the northern short vowels seem more logical with the spelling but I'm not taking elocution lessons at my age.

Susan Kelly ● 6261d

Celts are peoples who spoke Celtic. They are not a race in the biological sense.Celtic was widely spoken throughout Europe.

Alan Brainsby ● 6261d

Celts eh?.Are you all sure about that?There is a lot more Viking,Norman and ancient Briton blood in our veins than there is Celt(pronounced Selt).The romantic poets of the 17th and 18th century propogated a lot of myth around the celts.Now everyone and his brother claims to be one. If you had called William Wallace a celt,he would not have known what you were talking about.

Keith Iddon ● 6261d

Any linguist worth his salt will tell you that the short pronunciation of northerners is the correct way to speak English.The southern pronunciation of some words,adding an r as in 'barth'is an affectation from Norman French.

Keith Iddon ● 6261d

'Nay lad. Us Puddins from t'north Riddin regard them around Leeds as t'mucky West Riddin or Scargills. South like Sheffield is t'socialist republic of Atterslees or Slobberers..'-  And thy views on Mysterious East?

Chris Veasey ● 6262d

More hiccups (hiccoughs?) on the forum, hence the iteration. I said hence the iteration.

Susan Kelly ● 6263d

I said she WAS a Miss Lloyd: i.e. before her marriage. It's perfectly normal English usage.

Susan Kelly ● 6263d

I said she WAS a Miss Lloyd: i.e. before her marriage. It's perfectly normal English usage.

Susan Kelly ● 6263d

surely your mother got married before you were placed amongst us or did she keep her name for professional or stage purposesor are you under 25 in which case the maiden name would be commonplace north or south of Bawdry

Colin Izzard ● 6263d

Oh, and my mother was a Miss LLoyd.

Susan Kelly ● 6263d

Interesting website.

Susan Kelly ● 6263d

Susan here is the origins of the name Kelly - you could be Devonian! http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=kellyAnd as for you Colin - your surname is an ancient and honourable Welsh name! (Well we know the first bit is right!)http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=vaughn

Peter Wright ● 6263d

I'm two Celtic Nations together Susan, Irish, and the name 'give away' Welsh. We Celts must stick together!!

Colin Vaughan ● 6263d

Well, I'm a Celt too; the surname gives it away. Damn!

Susan Kelly ● 6263d

Well Colin, Northern and Celtic spies.  That's what makes this forum so particularly pleasant.

Gerry Tan ● 6263d

I'm neither Susan, I'm Celtic.

Colin Vaughan ● 6263d

See! I was right. Ealing is full of northern spies!

Susan Kelly ● 6263d

Nay lad. Us Puddins from t'north Riddin regard them around Leeds as t'mucky West Riddin or Scargills. South like Sheffield is t'socialist republic of Atterslees or SlobberersSkinner's bolshy enough to be one of us but he's not.

Graham Weeks ● 6263d

For a minute I thought you were refering to Bolsover Graham, Home of Denis (The Beast) Skinner.

Colin Vaughan ● 6264d

Bortree.But that's in t'socialist republic o' south Yorksher to me, being from  around Thirsk.

Graham Weeks ● 6264d

And how do You pronounce Bawtry, Graham?And being close is Bessacarr Besser-car or Bes-sek-ker and for Doncaster Don-caster or Donker-ster?I don't think anyone could cock Cantley, but...

Alan Brainsby ● 6264d

Yer all forriners south o' Bawtry!

Graham Weeks ● 6264d

James, I'm afraid this is a cunning trap or Shibboleth which we southerners set for northerners who try to pass themselves off among us, possibly for purposes of espionage: not all southern 'a's are long; 'barth', 'arfternoon', 'forecarst', okay, but plastic is plastic.

Susan Kelly ● 6265d

Isn't that just the Southern accent?  Northerners tend to say words as they're written like 'glass', 'gas', 'pasta' so are quite short sharp sounding words, whereas the southern accent adding in the 'r' sound lengthens & softens the word, hence 'glarse', 'garse', 'parstar'

James Lockwood ● 6265d

Sounds to me like this person's trying to 'talk posh' and not quite getting it right.

Susan Kelly ● 6266d