To think you shouldn't correct an accent?

[Catsu]

Am disagreeing with dh over this.
We moved just before ds2 was born. Where we now live there is a regional accent different to how dh and I speak.
Ds2 is 3.5 yrs and is starting to pronounce words the local way. Dh keeps correcting him. I keep telling dh not to correct him.
Ds2 was born here, will grow up here and why wouldn't he speak with the local accent??

What do you think? Aibu or is dh?

Dh IBU

One of dd's friends mum is always correcting her dd and mine and i hate it, you should be proud of who you are and where you are from/where you live.

YANBU. Nothing wrong with accents.

The guidelines for schools used to be that children should be able to speak in'standard English' (i.e. not be restricted to using local dialect) and with clear pronunciation, but that any regional accent was okay so long as people could understand it.

I have a friend who has corrected her child's accent and she now sounds affected and the other kids say she is "weird".

I think we need to know what the accent is to be on the safe side...

It depends whether the accent means that he says words completely wrong, or whether it's just a twang.

I'd correct things like hoose instead of house, but not extra rrs in things - can you tell I'm in Scotland? lol

You DH IBU. I have a Scots accent, my son is and sounds English. I would never dream of trying to get him to speak like me (although he does occasionally put my accent on jokingly).

I am with your dh, to be honest.

But then, my accent is fairly "received pronunciation" and we have just moved to Wales. Where they say "haitch" instead of "aitch".

So I DO correct my children (quietly, and when the locals aren't listening).

I know it's wrong and that I'm --probably)) unreasonable but I'm with your DH on this one.

We southerners lived in the far north when the DC were younger. I hated the accent and was forever saying, "No, it's WORRIED not WURRIED, DD".

We moved back to yhe south after a couple of years and boy was I glad to be home! DDs now speak as anyone else in this area does.

He says things like 'boike' instead of bike, it's a Suffolk accent!

Depends on whether it's accent or dialect I think.

I grew up in Norfolk and my parents would not have allowed things like 'I hent' ('I haven't') or 'that be the roight one' as they're incorrect.

Oddly, I've grown up without an accent at all, my older brother speaks pure Norfolk.

Dh has a 'nice' southern accent. I'm a bit more London so drop a few 't's here and there :)

Haha I was going to say, depends on the accent...

Actually, saying boike and loike and roight etc is a normal preschool phase and is to do with developing the skills to pronounce properly. Most children have a West Country (or Suffolk!) twang for a while and it's normal at 3 or 4 to hear it while they're learning how to use their mouths properly to make that particular sound. The thing to do is to repeat it back to them correctly ie 'yes ds, bike' and he'll probably stop doing it. If not, he's just picking up the local accent and there's nowt wrong wi' tha'.

We had a v similar disagreement with ds1 who is left handed. Dh wanted to discourage the left handed ness for ds's benefit as being right handed will be easier for him later on in life.
I said no way, his natural instinct is left handed and do that's what he will be.
I won that one without too much effort.

The accent one is dragging on a bit longer!

You would probably agree with your DH if you lived in 'the heart of the black country' like I do.

I correct my DD when she picks up ridiculous local mispronunciations like calling a bus a buz because, if I didn't she would have the piss taken out of her for the rest of her life.

A slight twang is lovely.. full on yampyness is not.

I'm from daahhhhnnn saaahhhff and live in Liverpool now with my Scouse OH. I couldn't care less what accent my boys pick up, but I will be correcting 'haitch'

boike is cute

I get more annoyed when people try and make their children speak like the queen, even though they have regional accent themselves. Theres nowt wrong with a lilt, I dont think. Its nice.

YANBU. I do not correct my DS. He has a scouse accent even though he was born in the Midlands and has been in nursery for 4 years, since he was 6 months old. I do not correct his speech - he says boike sometimes too. I have asked nursery not to correct his scouse accent.

I am English and my DD is broad East Coast Scotland. I wouldn't ever correct her accent - it would sound odd! I used to correct her grammar but it made her cry. I can't bear her saying that she has "been given in to trouble". I've wound my neck in a bit now. One day I'll beat it into her. When she's older!!!

Worzsel loving the yampyness

Where are you OP ? Because, seriously. I think it depends on how strong the accent is. If you have a very strong brummie accent, devon accent, kent accent, it seriously makes a difference. lets not kid ourselves otherwise.

I am from the Black Country but live in Essex

The only things I "correct" are grammatical. Eg "we was going to the shops" is very common here and annoys me

I also correct tropped 'Ts" in wods like naughty and butter

I also correct them when they say "f" instead of "th" eg thirty three pence instead of firty free pence

Is that wrong ?

Other than that I leave them to it - I certainly don't "correct" accent pronunciation and also object when they try and "correct" mine!! ("Mom it's pronounced barth not bath" )

It is Barth though

Catsu, regarding your DH discouraging left handedness, can I just say .

Is he like, 900 years old? It's a slight inconvenience that I'm crap at using scissors, but really there's no disadvantage to being left-handed, just a sense of smug superiority and otherness!

And he's wrong on the accent thing too, and fighting a losing battle. DH is American, and I am northern, and we are set to have a pair of daughters with real London accents!

worzelmummy I have a slight accent but oi ay no yampy :o

I do love to hear the dialect spoken properly though