Why do people get bought and brought mixed up?

You have now! 😂

I know this so well! It always really amazes me when otherwise well-spoken or intelligent Scots do this. At a push it is dialect, but I don’t think it qualifies as Scots language so not legitimate on those grounds.

A similar one is “I done” instead of “I did”.

“The markets have went down significantly in the last quarter. When I done a comparison with 2021/22, I observed that…”

It's a total affectation with my brother, but 😂 the west of Scotland did not feature in his upbringing! Daft lad

Another Cambridge graduate here who mixes these up unless I think carefully, boop (sort of!). This more likely to make the mistake in speech than in writing. I can recall the moment in my tweens when I realised they were two different words, and why, and that I'd been getting them wrong.

Am also well read, educated, and pretty excellent at all other parts of English grammar, to put the other suggested reasons to bed (so to speak).

Think you just demonstrated why it's often mixed up in your last set of definitions.

I wouldn’t judge based on MN threads OP. People are often typing quickly, on phones with tiny touchscreens, and my phone does an annoying autocorrect. I can’t be bothered to proof everything because I have a masters degree and know I can spell very well ta very much. Also let’s not forget this is just a SM platform and (mostly) supposed to be a bit of fun/light relief.

There are threads on this sort of thing ALLLL the time. Any minute now someone will come along agreeing with you and make a typo themselves. Then quickly highlight it was ‘a mistake’ and of course they know how to spell, it’s just everyone else who doesn’t 🤷‍♀️

One thing an English friend pointed out to me was when I said ‘I’m coming just now’. I didn’t realise until then that we unnecessarily say ‘just’

😂 I would definitely just say this and not even realise it. It's been pointed out to me that I say 'so' a lot, and in particular I start every sentence with so... My brother ends every sentence with 'but' for some reason.

Was work ok this week?
Yeah, glad it's Friday, but.
You having a takeaway?
Nah, got some food in the fridge, but.

🤷‍♀️

I also think it's true people live in a more verbal world - it's therefore easy.
Also, as PP's example showed, the two words can be used in similar circumstances as in:
At a party: Did you bring any wine? v Did you buy any wine?
Answer yes. (I bought it and then I brought it - either way - we have wine)

Secondly though poor education followed by an outcry, (trying to be inclusive) if you try to educate or correct.

I think r is quite a weak sound in a lot of English accents and it can easily be missed, but also, people mispronounce words all the time, and not everybody thinks about language in a joined up way (past tense of bring vs buy etc) - somebody could very well assume that there is just one word (bought/brought) and it's just people pronouncing it differently. So they use whichever is their preferred pronunciation interchangeably.

There are lots of words in English which have two meanings, so it wouldn't be that weird. And the meaning isn't even that dissimilar anyway. You could use brought in most places where you mean bought and it could have the same meaning, because in purchasing (buying) an item, you usually also take (bring) it away from the shop or vendor.

As a side note, where I now live in Scotland I have never come across anyone get this mixed up. Perhaps that’s why it irks me when I see it?!

We know how to roll our Rs.

The main thing I notice with Scots is saying 'have went' instead of gone. My own extremely well educated DH, in a senior job, thinks nothing of saying

And as you'll see from figure 19a of your packs, the markets have went down significantly in the 3rd quarter...

🤦🏻‍♀️ He says nobody at his work is bothered by it as long as he makes them money but it bothers me!

While writing?

come on OP, I am sure there's one spelling you occasionally get wrong!

The majority of people seem to say loose when they mean lose.

Does anybody actually say loose when they mean lose? I see quite a few people make the mistake whine writing. I often wonder if they tut whenever they see it written correctly.

Maybe they need to start teaching as if the taught ESOL students. Don't know personally single fellow immigrant who would not get have/of, brought/bought and so on. Schools proper drilled it in! I still wake up thinking of irregular verbs!😂

Same with draw and drawer. Scots tend to say dror or draw-er so harder to mix up with draw.

I do think bought/brought is an English thing. I'm Irish and an equivalent one I've seen among Irish people is thought/taught because a lot of people pronounce them similarly.

Have you noticed a Scottish equivalent OP?

The majority of people seem to say loose when they mean lose.

I always use the wrong discrete/ discreet

The way to remember is: Crete is an island, on its own. So discrete is a standalone point. That was a game changer for me 🙂

I think with bought and brought it's mostly down to Scots rolling their rrrrrrrs. I've never really seen or heard it up here.

That one really does make me cringe. Bought/brought I find much easier to understand. It's quite obvious to me how that happens.

'Lead' is frequently written where 'led' is meant. But life goes on ...

I’ve never really seen this. But it’s the “draws” instead of drawers thing for me. It’s such a common term, spoken and written regularly, it’s surprising when people don’t know a drawer is called a drawer and erroneously think it’s a draw.

I always use the wrong discrete/ discreet.