Why is everyone referring to "Santa"

[WinWinnieTheWay]

DH and I (from different UK countries and different social class) were both brought up with Father Christmas. Why are so many people calling FC "Santa" these days? Is it just the impact of American culture? Each to their own, but I don't like it.

have trouble accepting that many people do speak with no açcent particularly in the south

I can assure you, that's an accent. Just because it's your accent and you don't hear it as an accent doesn't mean it's not an accent. And it shows up how south-centric and ignorant you are. RP, Thames estuary, Essex, all accents and quite grating, nasal and whiny sounding, frankly, to us softly spoken Scots who know what the letter R is for. You know the best Queens English is spoken in Inverness, I'm sure.

@CorianderQueen oh do keep up love we are into full on fisticuffs now!!

This is my first Christmas on mumsnet. I always seen reference to the Santa Claus v Father Christmas on other threads and couldn’t understand how it could be seen as an issue. What an eye opener!

many people do speak with no açcent particularly in the south

This is the funniest quote in the thread.
DH with just such an accent has found the USA a trial because of the many comments on his accent.
He is used to being in the norm and having no comments.

If you speak, you have an accent. I’m pissing myself laughing that someone thinks that the majority of people in the south have no accent. Are they all mute?

It's easier for small children to say. Santa Claus is a derivative of St Nicholas.

@Chemenger

I did have it in my diary to start a “why do people call Santa Father Christmas “ thread today to get in before the “Santa is so horrid and common” thread but it was already too late. What I don’t understand is why the Father Christmas, lunch not dinner, supper not tea, lavatory not toilet, no Halloween etc posters can’t stop at “I’ve always said X not Y”. They have to add a little nasty comment about Y as well. Which provokes the Y people to retaliate. Live and let live.

I say Father Christmas but have breakfast dinner and tea. I go to the toilet, but I don't like Halloween. I think in my case it's regional not class. My friends would hoot if I told them I was !middle class.

Talk about exaggeration and outright making things up to fit your argument. I don't think I said, that people in the south don't have accents. I was referring to the neutral modern RP accent which is more likely to be found in the south, particularly in parts of London. You very much do find accents in the south- my children have them but they are influenced by their North London Jewish father and obviously their own area. I don't find their accent whiney at all but I'm biased.

ImNotMeImSomeoneElse if your theory is only Catholics call him Santa then you are sadly mistaken

Not my theory. Read the thread! I was hoping to disprove it 😂

Always been Santa Claus in my neck of the woods. I'm 30.

I don't think I said, that people in the south don't have accents. I was referring to the neutral modern RP accent which is more likely to be found in the south, particularly in parts of London.

But you've been asked to explain what you mean by a neutral accent, but you haven't done so. And you specifically said that some people, particularly in the south, have no accent at all. It makes no sense. How can an accent be neutral, and how would it be possible to have no accent at all?

And in all honesty, I think it is quite obvious what I meant. I haven't coined the term neutral accent, isn't it just stating a fact about the intonation, vowel sounds, the way you hold your mouth etc.

It's not obvious to me what a neutral accent might be, I really don't understand what it would mean.

I've never heard the term 'neutral accent', so I did a, quick Google.

*A neutral accent is an accent that is not discernable as originating in any specific region. At present, there IS no neutral accent on a global level. That is, English accents are still divided into British, American, Australian, etc. However, within some of these accents, there are sub-accents that are considered "neutral".

In British English, there is no neutral accent. Instead, there is a "standard" accent: Received Pronunciation, otherwise known as the Queen's English or BBC English.

In American English, there IS a neutral accent called General American*

Well despite the first thing that comes up on Google, it is quite common to talk of a neutral accent.

So how did Father Christmas become confused with St Nicolas? I mean - why would St Nicolas live in the North Pole (or Lap Land) and drive a sleigh of reindeer, when he lived in Southern Italy/Turkey??
St Nicolas is a saint. ‘Santa’ is the guy in the winter outfit - surely he’s someone else?

I speak with an RP accent (even though I’m from the North). RP is not a neutral accent. There is no such thing in the United Kingdom. And it was not obvious that you were referring to RP. You said many people didn’t have an accent. And then attempted to clarify that by saying you were referring to an RP accent.

I’m just saying I don’t the think ‘Santa’ fans have thought this through?

With that line of thought are you honestly saying nobody ever refers to people as having strong accents (wherever they live) as if you are I think you are being disingenuous and actually you are the one applying good/bad value to something not me.

Just because it is common to talk of something, doesn't make it correct.

As an example, lots of people talk about the term Santa as being an Americanism.

So neutral is actually received pronunciation?

@Dadaist of you really want to know, people have already put in the research.

No 'thinking it through' required.

www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history/2017/12/saint-nicholas-santa-surprising-origins-mr-claus

Although I'm not convinced that you can really complain about not thinking through Santa Claus yet defend Father Christmas as someone who travels the whole world on a sleigh pulled by reindeer delivering gifts through chimneys in one night 😂

@Goldenbear

With that line of thought are you honestly saying nobody ever refers to people as having strong accents (wherever they live) as if you are I think you are being disingenuous and actually you are the one applying good/bad value to something not me.

Erm, no, it’s rather silly to make that leap, isn’t it?

I’m saying RP is not a neutral accent.

I’m also saying RP is an accent.

I also prefer to be specific. I might refer to someone “dropping consonants” or having a “flat tone”, a “rhotic accent”, “nasal resonance” etc.

Well you're all wrong, he's the Hogfather, personally I'm not keen on him, he stole my curry!

I said London RP, actually meant contemporary RP as I don't know anybody that speaks with an RP accent as it is quite old fashioned. I did then say neutral accent so I did suggest it 'was' an accent. I have not coined the term, 'neutral accent', it is very much an expression, term or whatever that people use. I hope that is cleared up now. Oh, and there was no 'attempt' about it, I 'was' clarifying my point about accents.