to be shocked that my friend's nursery staff have been sent to elocution lessons?

[deaconblue]

She and other mothers have apparently complained that their children are not speaking "properly" and so the nursery have sent the nursery nurses to elocution lessons. Am amazed first of all that the parents have complained and secondly that the nursery hasn't just dismissed it as snobbishness.

[FairyMum]

Why is it snobbishness? Of course people who work with children should speak properly.

[deaconblue]

but what's wrong with having a regional accent?

[duchesse]

There's nothing wrong with regional- it's glaring grammatical errors that children pick up on that bother many people- such as "we done" or "we was". I think it's perfectly reasonable and may actually make these young women far more employable, frankly.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

If it is because of the local accent, not a good thing imo. but if it is to correct poor speaking skills, grammar, pronunciation etc, then why on earth not. I would love to have some elocution lessons!

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

or, wot duchesse sed.

[fattybumbum]

Elocution = accent (= snobbery + prejudice)
English lessons = grammar (= perfectly correct in the circumstances)

[hf128219]

Elocution is exactly that - dimwit!

[GrimmaTheNome]

fattybums definition isn't correct nowadays.

My DDs school does elocution lessons. Its about speaking clearly and confidently. Its certainly not about removing local accents - we're in lancashire, and thekids speak up beautifully, and mostly grammatically, with distinct lancashire accents, I'm glad to say! (unfortunately I was raised in Essex and my DD has picked something like that up from me. I wish they would work on her misplaced accent )

[fattybumbum]

Sorry. I am old. In my day elocution was learning to lose your regional accent.

[GrimmaTheNome]

Whereas now, if you want to work as an actor or presenter, the ability to speak English properly but in a regional accent is almost de rigeur.

[cthea]

I am surprised they found elocution lessons, were willing to pay for them and gave staff time off to attend them. It doesn't sound quite credible to me.

[laloue]

I'm 36, elocution to me means losing your regional accent in my case worcs which can be anything from brummie to somersetish...only know because it was drilled out of me at 11 when i won i scholarship to a posh private school from a working class home. They taught me the good grammar in different lessons.

[blueshoes]

What a great nursery.

Parents do notice children picking up the language 'peculiarities' of nursery staff. The issue is usually rectified by attending school, as teachers tend to speak more properly than nursery staff. But so much the better if nursery staff could speak well - it can only be good for them and the children.

[Yurtgirl]

I watched an episode of Supernanny this evening.
I would quite like to send Jo Frost (aka supernanny) to elocution lessons

"Yor behaviour is unacetable!"

Speak properly woman!

[nametaken]

YABU - as long as they are not sending staff for lessons at this place then its ok

elocution lessons

[nbee84]

Yurtgirl - every time she says 'unacceptable'it makes me cringe too

[Yurtgirl]

nebee84 - I can of course spell 'your' and 'unacceptable' but was trying to accurately type what she says!!!!!!

I love the programme though cos I always feel so entirely smug that my kids are tricky sometimes but are angels compared to those featured

Shoppingbags - Sorry for rude interruption to thread!

[blueshoes]

Staff training is an employment benefit. Lockets, not sure why you are linking it with turnover.

[idontbelieveit]

YABU, correct speach has a huge impact on writing/reading skills for children later on. It is important that nursery staff have clear diction and nothing to do with accents at all.

[kitkatqueen]

My dd came home from nursery the other day with a note saying she had "drawed" a lovely picture - I wanted to mark it with a red pen and send it back!

[morocco]

certainly can't have posh children speaking with working class dialects - good grief no - look where that got that nice Lily Allen

[Seabright]

Sounds marvellous. I hate badly spoken English.

I have no problem with genuine regional accents (I have one, and I have a much stronger one when drunk ), but too often they're used as an excuse for badly spoken English (I personally don't consider Estuary English to be a regional accent, for exampl)

[choppychopster]

Could do with some round here! Nothing wrong with regional accents, but DD has recently started asking to play on her "scoo-ahhh" (scooter) with a voice straight out of Shameless. Suspect that she knows how annoying I find it and plays it up.

Actually, should probably more concerned about things like "We're having us teas" or "We was playing outside"