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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dropping her T’s

439 replies

Stick0rTwist · 04/09/2025 10:51

My daughter has just gone into Yr1 and is an articulate child, relatively smart with a love for reading.

We moved her to a new school in the new year and have noticed since then she has started dropping her t’s when saying many of her words, like water, better, bottle, little etc.

This gets corrected consistently at home as although we don’t speak the queens English (and are not snobbish by any stretch of the imagination) we would prefer her to speak properly and not get into bad habits speech wise.

Over the summer holidays she was fine, but I’ve noticed in the two days she’s been back her speech has reverted back.

So here’s the AIBU - would I be unreasonable to mention this to her teacher? Or would I sound like a massive snob 🙈

Sounds dramatic but it’s even making me want to move her school again as this was not a problem at her old school at all. Its been a direct result of moving school as it started the week we moved.

OP posts:
Xiaoxiong · 04/09/2025 13:29

(We live 250+ miles away from Liverpool)

Supposedly, little kids are coming to school in the States with English accents from Peppa Pig, while kids here are putting on American accents thanks to tiktok/youtube...

EasySqueezy · 04/09/2025 13:26

There is nothing wrong with wanting your children to speak nicely. Keep correcting them OP.

Xiaoxiong · 04/09/2025 13:24

DS1's got massively into the Beatles and over the summer watched every interview and film with any of the Beatles in it - and is now affecting a mild Scouse accent. It's driving me mad but I'm trying to bite my tongue as I know it won't last!!

whynotwhatknot · 04/09/2025 13:24

my dad used to correct me about this we lived in east london and essex-pointless

Bateson · 04/09/2025 13:23

Differentforgirls · 04/09/2025 13:18

What is "properly" though?

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So that you can be understood by anyone, not just someone with the same accent?

Wordsmithery · 04/09/2025 13:23

You're not snobbish by any stretch...
Of course you're snobbish. Accent bias is the epitome of snobbery!

vitahelp · 04/09/2025 13:22

My DD has started doing this, she’s 7. I did it too and remember my parents repeatedly correcting me but I didn't listen. Anyway once I was an adult I stopped so I wouldn’t overthink it.

HundredMilesAnHour · 04/09/2025 13:20

Anyway it could be worse alot of the year2s that come into the service I work in put on an over exaggerated high pitched American accent. Now that is annoying when they are from Hebden Bridge and Todmorden!!

@notacooldad that’s hilarious!!! 😂

indoorplantqueen · 04/09/2025 13:20

My dd went through a phase of dropping her ‘t’ sounds. I could tell she was mimicking someone who spoke like this. I did pull her up on it (not in a telling off way) as it wasn’t in keeping with her accent. It gradually reduced and she now very much pronounces her t’s. I’d did grate on me as she’d say those words like a cockney and it wasn’t natural. Nothing wrong with speaking in a cockney accent btw if you’re from there.

Differentforgirls · 04/09/2025 13:18

Someone2025 · 04/09/2025 13:07

Why? She wants her daughter to speak properly

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What is "properly" though?

HundredMilesAnHour · 04/09/2025 13:18

icedout · 04/09/2025 12:57

I’m of a similar background to Amol Rajan and I find his south London twang annoying. It’s the way he just rolls into it.

To the OP, I would watch the Bluey episode about the dunny with your child and discuss it with your own examples. I wouldn’t worry about it too much though.

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What’s wrong with his ‘sarf’ London accent? He was raised in Tooting. How is he expected to speak?

I speak French with a Parisian accent because I went to uni in Paris and then worked in Paris (with an office full of Parisians). To me I’m just speaking French.

notacooldad · 04/09/2025 13:13

Dropping of the T's does drive me nuts. I can't watch Stacey Dooley's programmes because she is one of the worst 'T doppers' offenders i can think of!!

I went through a phase as a child of dropping them.and would say things like 'war-er' for water.
My mum was forever saying ' There's a t in that word!'

Anyway it could be worse alot of the year2s that come into the service I work in put on an over exaggerated high pitched American accent. Now that is annoying when they are from Hebden Bridge and Todmorden!!

GingerBeverage · 04/09/2025 13:13

Is she spelling those words correctly when writing?

wavingfuriously · 04/09/2025 13:12

Not sure if you're for real 🤔 but exactly the same happened to me. Went from a small private school to a massive comprehensive.

Someone2025 · 04/09/2025 13:11

Stick0rTwist · 04/09/2025 10:51

My daughter has just gone into Yr1 and is an articulate child, relatively smart with a love for reading.

We moved her to a new school in the new year and have noticed since then she has started dropping her t’s when saying many of her words, like water, better, bottle, little etc.

This gets corrected consistently at home as although we don’t speak the queens English (and are not snobbish by any stretch of the imagination) we would prefer her to speak properly and not get into bad habits speech wise.

Over the summer holidays she was fine, but I’ve noticed in the two days she’s been back her speech has reverted back.

So here’s the AIBU - would I be unreasonable to mention this to her teacher? Or would I sound like a massive snob 🙈

Sounds dramatic but it’s even making me want to move her school again as this was not a problem at her old school at all. Its been a direct result of moving school as it started the week we moved.

Do all the kids in the school speak like this, is it an area / location thing?

seaelephant · 04/09/2025 13:11

Quite, we should all be speaking properly. As a Scot, I can't stand people dropping their 'r's. If I ever hear anyone saying 'cah' rather than 'car' or 'doah' rather than 'door', I make sure to pull them up on it - I won't stand by and hear incorrect pronunciation!

RazzleDazz1e · 04/09/2025 13:10

YANBU - switch schools as quickly as possible. No point in trying to make any naysayers see your way of thinking. Do what is right for you (and your daughter).

Mydoglovescheese · 04/09/2025 13:10

@Stick0rTwistI don’t know whether this has been pointed out to you already, but the correct pronunciation is Yes, not Yep

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 04/09/2025 13:10

I was brought up to speak correctly.

I rebelled against it all at 13 and started speaking with a much more local accent. I still speak like that now.

Trendyname · 04/09/2025 13:09

Thursdayschild2025 · 04/09/2025 12:07

This is your retort? Good grief, woman. Ask mumsnet to delete this thread. You have utterly humiliated yourself and are digging a deeper hole with every pig-ignorant comment.

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You are being very rude.

maudelovesharold · 04/09/2025 13:08

EuclidianGeometryFan · 04/09/2025 12:51

so a hard g, not a soft g like a j ?
What accent is this?

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My Scottish (w. coast) relatives would say girl like that - almost ‘gearo’ because the final ‘l’ sound isn’t formed with the tongue touching the front palate, but much further back, so almost lost.

Someone2025 · 04/09/2025 13:07

tumblingdowntherabbithole · 04/09/2025 10:59

In the nicest way, you’re being ridiculous.

Why? She wants her daughter to speak properly

Illegally18 · 04/09/2025 13:07

HundredMilesAnHour · 04/09/2025 11:18

Same for me. My mum was a teacher and was very insistent that I learn to speak properly so she always pulled me up on my pronounciation at home.

It put me in a good stead as an adult and I now work in a global company (and deal with 55 countries) with constant communication with mainly non-native English speakers so me speaking ‘correctly’ makes it much easier for them to understand me. I’ve also learnt the hard way myself when speaking other languages how much harder it can be to understand people who speak with stronger accents/dialects.

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Yes, not dropping Tees, is important when speaking to to non native speakers. Your daughter can learn to switch accents from home to school.

Bateson · 04/09/2025 13:03

There’s never going to be a rational discussion about this subject on here. It’s going the same way as the shoes on/off inside threads.

Bateson · 04/09/2025 13:02

AnPiscin · 04/09/2025 12:59

That's a nice way of sliding out of it and avoiding actually discussing what you mean. Well done.

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I’m a pro hun.