Re enunciating the 't's' in words?

[JimbosJetSet]

My accent isn't the best but I generally enunciate the t's at the end of my words. DH doesn't, never has done, and it's never bothered me before.

However, DD (3.5) is now dropping her t's, including the t at the end of her baby sister's name. It drives me crazy, I hate it, and I am constantly correcting her (and mostly being ignored).

DH thinks I'm being absolutely ridiculous to be constantly correcting her, and to get so wound up by it. AIBU and a snob? And if I try to let it go, is there any chance her enunciation will get better in time anyway (clutching at straws)?

Thanks!

I am too old for this.

Ah, yes, Terra, well put. When I say that I found my father's carping on "annoying" in fact what I meant was - I thought he was being a dick. It didn't make me want to change my diction. It made me think - you're being a dick and you don't care what I'm talking about.

ldr I did take back the word lazy, and it was in relation to the adult modelling speech, not the children themselves.

will try and come back with a ref for you at some point!

this goes against my point

but this is sort of saying what I am indicating

Yes LRD please do tell me what error of English I made! In a PM or here, I don't mind at all.

Feel like this has become a bit weird now. Bowing out. Night.

I don't pronounce my t's. I say 'f' instead of 'th' and never use the word 'the.' I can spell perfectly fine and have never struggled. I find this concept very odd.

It took me awhile to find this, I find this interesting reading.

for example I have never come across a barrister or high court judge, or any City professional, who drops their Ts. - really? I have. I used to run a pub in the city, when they're 'off duty' there is still a range of regional accents.

I'm prone to dropping my T's but to a varying degree depending on the company I'm in, or what a certain situation may require.

My personal bugbear at the minute is dropping 'the'. For example I keep picking my dc up on 'I need toilet', rather than 'the toilet'. Drives my potty (sorry, couldn't help it)

nil - YY, I acknowledged you took back lazy. I was just saying, if anything, it would be the parents/carers of a child who'd not been spoken to enough that I would judge. I'd love to see the stats and will check out the links, thanks.

mini - you had 'any City professional' followed by 'their'. This is colloquial (like a regional accent) but incorrect. Your punctuation is a bit off, too - it's consistent, but for example, 'gosh everyone' should be 'gosh, everyone'.

These observations are massively wanky and my own English is shit. That's why I said it'd be obviously rude to point this stuff out - my intention was to suggest that accents are the same, really. Some people don't speak in RP. Does it really matter? If you can tell enough to know what they meant to say, and to diagnose (as people are doing on this thread) which letters are non-RP, does it really matter?

Derek I live here but I'm originally from just south of Sheffield, but it's basically the same! I admit, I am sounding more West Yorkshire by the day

Ok last thing.

You learn the rules, you apply them. Then you can switch them on and off, break them. Most of us do that all the time.

I very rarely swear in front of my children, but can turn the air blue with friends.

Can talk regional with old school mates, but sound a bit RP BBC most of the time.

Some kids are being put at a huge disadvantage because of speech delays. Is that tied up with other socio-economic factors, absolutely!

Anyway, thats it, night!

We've gone against the grain a little here, we drop 't' and 'h's but add them at the start of various words so 'we are off to the ospital to visit hOscar' annoys people no end.

I have a true estuary accent but my day to day accent is now nondescript as I've found it easier to get work. My DH has an estuary accent still and the DC are picking it up and here (the SW) it just sounds lazy on them.

Who cares? I love ALL British accents; posh cut-glass, Cockney, Dales, Cornish, Brummie. I was yanked across the Atlantic as a child and quickly adopted the accent of my adoptive country. You ALL sound lovely to me and should be proud of your regional differences and various ways of pronouncing things. I think it's neat .

Thanks LRD my curiosity is satisfied. Actually I can spot various other errors in my posts, if judging to that level.

In the interests of balance, I just conducted a survey of foreigners as to which accent they find it easiest to understand. Well, a survey of one. The Frenchman snoozing on the sofa.

The easiest accent to understand spoken English in is apparently: French.

So, there we are.

The way in which we speak is important. I did not realise care until I was in my late teens. People are more likely to take you seriously if you are well spoken.

^^ I totally disagree.

Just be glad you're not a Danish speaker OP!

No worries, mini.

It's amazing what different people notice. Someone I know can pin-point an accent in her local area to within 20-30 miles. It's amazing. But she's never judgy about it.

Ah, tethers brings in the science.

I would add my in-depth study of one Russian, but I know the accent he finds easiest in the one that mentions snoozing most often.

this 'RP' business though, it's not simply a matter of pronouncing all your Ts and sticking a few extra Rs in for good measure. For someone like me whose accent bears absolutely no relation to that sort of accent it would pretty much involve learning to talk all over again.

I can, and do, speak perfectly clearly in my own accent. Why should someone else decide my speech is 'wrong' or 'lazy'? Who decides? Maybe I think their speech is wrong