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Original poster

Do you correct your DC's accent?

172 replies

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 30/03/2019 09:58

We live in East London, and DS (4) goes to nursery for 10 hours a day, 3 days a week. He hasn't picked up a massive accent, but he is dropping his Ts pretty consistently (or pre'ey consis'en'ly as he would say).

He has just asked to watch the Go Je''ers, and shown me wha' a lo' of grapes he's go'. Am I wrong to keep correcting him? No' tha' it's working anyway Sad.

I came from Dublin, so it's not that I speak like the queen anyway, but...what is wrong with the letter T?!

OP posts:
KateGrey · 30/03/2019 10:01

Have to say I have. My dh and kids were saying teef (teeth), barf (Bath) etc. My kids are a lot better and eldest doesn’t do it anymore. Dh still does but it’s too late to save him.

LittleCandle · 30/03/2019 10:04

The glottal stop is the worst thing. DGD has just started doing this recently, but will hopefully grow out of it again, but that is the local accent where she is. It is definitely something that I will be correcting her on if it doesn't sort itself out. She is only 3 1/2 though.

There's nothing wrong with the local accent (although there are some that set my teeth on edge!) but you should always be able to make yourself understood and that includes pronouncing the letter t.

Chocolateisfab · 30/03/2019 10:06

Our dc have dropped 'h', regularly pull them up about it. Bloody awful!!

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JesusInTheCabbageVan · 30/03/2019 10:07

Only when he tries to sound like the American kids he watches on YouTube. Drives me up the wall.

Fluffiest · 30/03/2019 10:08

We do try and soften the edges on DDs northern accent. It's "mummeeee" not "mummeh". But we do try and do it gently!

OKBobble · 30/03/2019 10:08

Yes I do

pansydansy · 30/03/2019 10:09

I don't correct my children because I talk like that too. because I don't pronounce my t's.so Bath is barf, teeth is teef, wart ah.

Dh calls me a commoner but I don't care lol everyone knows what I'm talking about. It's not important to me.

Heulog · 30/03/2019 10:09

I'd correct it, it would irritate me.
I'd also probably go to the nursery and say something like "I've noticed a few issues developing with ds's speech/pronunciation please can you support him by reminding him to sound his t's so that we can nip it in the bud before it forms a habit".
They would likely think I was being arsey, but it would matter that much to me.

Nnnnnineteen · 30/03/2019 10:09

East London also. Dd mostly quite a neutral accent but then does this very unneutral
"woah'er" for water. I correct her with that.

Zoflorabore · 30/03/2019 10:10

Yeah my dd is 8 and we live on the outskirts of Liverpool and she has a mixed scouse/American accent! She sounds bizarre.
Ds (16) goes to school in a neighbouring borough and has picked up a slight accent from his friends who live there.
It's literally 3 miles away but the accent is quite different.

JugzyMalone · 30/03/2019 10:10

Same op and same age! I told him he can speak like that to his friends, but he has to speak to me and other grown ups properly. (My own definition of properly! Yours may vary etc)

Original poster
Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 30/03/2019 10:10

Oh I'd forgotten f instead of th! He does that too. He can't even hear me when I correct him!

How is he ever going to learn phonics if he can't hear the sounds properly?

OP posts:
Orangeday · 30/03/2019 10:11

Ha my DD says “li’rally” for literally and “wha” - but there is no glottal stop, the ts are just not there. I love her accent but I prefer her to say pardon instead of “wha?”

Tolleshunt · 30/03/2019 10:12

We're in London too, and DD has also picked up the glottal stop in nursery. I correct it every time, with the ruthlessness and relentlessness of the Terminator. She does seem to be doing it a lot less at home, but presumably still speaks like that at nursery. Heaven knows how things will go when she starts school in September. I fear I may be fighting a losing battle.

Nnnnnineteen · 30/03/2019 10:12

Heulog- you cannot expect local people in your local area to change how they speak because you don't like it!! Correcting one's own child, fine. Correcting an adult, not arsey, spectacularly rude.

Dramatical · 30/03/2019 10:12

Yes I do. I can't stand lazy speech.

Original poster
Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 30/03/2019 10:13

I can't say anything to the nursery. His absolutely wonderful key worker has a Limerick-London accent, and I don't want to upset her pointlessly.

OP posts:
Tolleshunt · 30/03/2019 10:14

Oh, we also get 'mouf' and 'barf' too. It is quite cute now, I have to remind myself that it won't be so cute when she's 18.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 30/03/2019 10:17

Don't say anything to nursery OP, that's pointless and nasty advice. Imagine if someone wandered up to you in a work environment and said they didn't like the way you talked!

I think it's fine to correct at home, I wouldn't necessarily bang on about it, but I'd do it.

My DS has autism and has always had speech delays and problems, he has this absolutely cut-glass English accent (we're Scottish and live in Scotland! so god knows where that came from). We were once walking in the street and an old man said 'aw poor we cunt, are you English?' - so ya know, even the purest accent comes with issues.

Tolleshunt · 30/03/2019 10:17

I won't be saying anything to the nursery staff either. It would be very insulting, and they are lovely kind people, who wouldn't deserve that.

Tolleshunt · 30/03/2019 10:18

Lonny that pity for being apparently English made me laugh!

nometal · 30/03/2019 10:25

that pity for being apparently English made me laugh!

I assumed the pity was for having autism. After all, to be born an Englishman is to win first prize in the lottery of life.

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 30/03/2019 10:25

It's not 'properly' it's 'differently'. Regional dialects are all 'speaking properly'. Some people had the power to say this is standard English but any English is equally valid. Are you worried that your child sounds 'common'?

Moondancer73 · 30/03/2019 10:27

I did try and correct mine. For me the worst thing is people in 'good' jobs (doctors, teachers) who don't enunciate words properly - one of my sons had a teacher who did a 'welcome to high school' presentation' and spent the whole night saying 'free' not 'three'. It sounds massively snobby but it's always stuck with me. The same with DM's GP last week, he did exactly the same thing and it's something that just grates. We live in the West Country and I'm sure we have local accents, unavoidable really.

Grosserygangrule · 30/03/2019 10:28

I spend my life saying it has a t in it pronounce it Hmm his dad is proper south London and think he picks it up from him