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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be concerned about DS picking up bad habits in his speech?

33 replies

catgirl1976 · 21/03/2015 19:19

DS is 3. He is at pre-school 3 days a week.

He's recently starting picking up some bad habits around his speech from one of the other boys.

He is bascially dropping the middle parts of words. So saying "li-ull" instead of "little" and "nor-ee" instead of "naughty" etc.

It's odd as it's not actually the local accent. I am Northern and we live in the North and DH is from Tonbridge so neither of us speak RP and I'm not expecting that or being snobby.

It just bothers me as it sounds really lazy. If he developed a strong local accent I would roll my eyes a bit as I don't like it, but I would accept it as that's where we live, but this is different. It's not a local accent, it's just plain awful.

DH thinks it's just a phase and I shouldn't keep picking him up on it. But it grates like mad. So much so I had a moment about changing pre-school (though I'm not going to and I know that was U).

It's a really recent thing and I think he is copying one particular boy as none of his other friends speak like this. Again, this isn't snobbery, his other friends have Northern accents as you would expect (as does he with the odd, random long vowel thrown in from copying DH )- this isn't about accents, it's about him dropping whole chunks of words.

AIBU to think he is going to grow up sounding like this or will he grow out of it?

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 21/03/2015 19:22

He'll grow out of it

Kids pick up all sorts of different language/accents etc when they're little because they're like sponges.

Once he's a bit older he'll find his own way of speaking and probably stick to it.

Having said that, I'm like bloody plasticine because after 3 days abroad, I start speaking a weird pigeon English Blush Grin

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 21/03/2015 19:25

Thanks Worra

That's good to hear. He currently sounds like the man from the Shamen who says "Naughty, naughty, very naughty" in the middle of Ebenezer Goode.

Which is disconcerting in a 3 year old. ;)

OP posts:
dragdownthemoon · 21/03/2015 19:29

My daughter went through a phase of this, but then she took it further, I think as an attention thing, would just randomly drop the Middle sounds of words, e.g. Pur - Ull instead of purple. Funnily enough she doesn't do it anymore but I hadn't really twigged that she had stopped until I read this thread...

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 21/03/2015 19:31

Hmm. If it is an attention thing maybe I should just ignore him.

Glad your DD stopped doing it.

OP posts:
TwinkieTwinkle · 21/03/2015 19:32

I've always corrected any mispronunciations my son makes. Not in a scolding way, just repeating the word how it should be pronounced, he would repeat without prompting and that's that. Sounds daft but worked for us!

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 21/03/2015 19:34

I've spent the last few days saying "NaughTy DS. NaughTy. T. T. There is a T sound"

He probably thinks it's marvellous he's found such and easy way to wind me up :)

OP posts:
BrianButterfield · 21/03/2015 19:39

We were walking by the harbour one day when DS mentioned the "wa'er". "DS!" Said I, "there's a T in water!"

Cue him peering over the harbour wall, "because I'm looking where the tea is, Mummy."

Grantaire · 21/03/2015 19:43

They do grow out of it. Just model the correct way instead of picking them up on it. DD went through a phase of saying boike and loight and similar. We ignored it and it stopped as suddenly as it started. Much harder to stop is the odd question inflection nonsense which has crept in since starting KS2. She can switch it off at home but at school they all do it. At least it's not like saying like all the like time like.

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 21/03/2015 20:07

Grin Brian

I'll wait for him to grow out of it and just repeat the word back to him properly.

In the meantime, if they recast Oliver Twist, he's a shoo-in for the Artful Dodger role. Hmm

OP posts:
zoemaguire · 21/03/2015 20:11

Dd went through an odd phase of sounding very welsh. Which was lovely, except that we live 250 miles from Wales and have no welsh connection whatsoever, so it was a bit perplexing! She also glottal stopped her Ts for a while (copying local accent of nursery nurses), but since she's started school sounds more like us again!

DrEllieSattler · 21/03/2015 20:12

My technique is that I just "can't" understand any word without the correct pronunciation.

"Can I 'ave wa'er"
"Sorry?"
"Can I 'ave wa'er"
"I'm so sorry, I don't know what you're saying"
Repeat until pronunciation is correct. You'd be surprised how quickly they learn how to speak, at least to you and at home!

bumbleymummy · 21/03/2015 20:16

Twinkie, we do the same. Not in an obvious 'you're wrong' type way. If they mispronounce a word I'll just say it the correct way and then they usually repeat it themselves, correctly, and continue on with what they're saying.

CharlesRyder · 21/03/2015 20:20

Oh, DS does this. Drives me mad. He grew up in the commuter belt where everyone spoke the Queen's English. Now we live in a moneyed area of Dorset and most of his classmates are ex-pats of central London.

He says 'nordee' 'wader' 'gonna' 'wanna'- you name it. His teacher is a kiwi, but that doesn't count for the half of it. I think it's just a 'thing' they go through.

SlinkyB · 21/03/2015 20:23

My ds turned 4 in Jan, and now knows it bugs me when he drops the t in the middle of words...hence him grinning and asking "are we having peanut buh - err?" most lunchtimes Grin

I do the same as others; say "buTTer" and "par T y" but don't scold.

We're in the West Cunt reee tho, so basically fucked!

RugBugs · 21/03/2015 20:24

I do the same as DrEllieSattler with pre-school DD.
She picked up a terrible Scouse accent from her key-worker in the two terms she was in a nursery. I don't know if she's dropped it or if I've just become used to it (not Scouse myself and the area of Liverpool we live in doesn't have the thick Scouse accent).

Ikeatears · 21/03/2015 20:26

My ds has started to put extra syllables in words! It's very bizarre! He says things like ho-um for home and my-un for mine. Don't know where it's come from.

mumofboyo · 21/03/2015 21:10

I've got the opposite problem lol! My ds speaks with a really posh accent which is difficult to explain in writing whereas we all speak with quite a strong South Yorkshire twang. It does sound odd when I'm saying, "Ah seh [ds], ge' ovver 'ere," and he answers sounding like a newsreader Grin

OrlandoWoolf · 21/03/2015 21:13

Wait till he's older. He'll pick up all sort of things on the playground. Mainly from kids with older siblings and who've seen and watched all sort of things.

OrlandoWoolf · 21/03/2015 21:14

OTOH - a TA friend of mine told me her DS was picking up my "posh " accent from me Grin

LadyGregory · 21/03/2015 21:23

I'm slightly baffled by my toddler at the moment. His father and I are Irish, living in England, with our original accents possibly a bit worn down by living in a lot of different countries over a couple of decades. DS was born here and has lived in our little village since he was under one. Yet he has neither our accent nor the local accent. In fact, he sounds rather like the Queen. 'Mummy, I want to get out of the BAWTH!' 'That doggie pooed on the GRAWS' etc.

eltsihT · 21/03/2015 21:24

My pronunciation changes, depending where I am teaching. I have just changed school and am currently revelling in letter T being back in words.

My accent very quickly changes though when I move. I used to go up the hull to get the mulk when I was a kid which drove my parents mad and now that don't live in west Lothian any more I go up hills and drink milk!

I would just correct when you remember and not stress about it.

DrankSangriaInThePark · 21/03/2015 21:29

He'll have the accent of the local area when he's older, so I really wouldn't 'correct' him now, unless you intend doing it until he's about 20.

reni1 · 21/03/2015 21:58

Oh the joys of the glo'al stop. They'll be able to switch it off at will later I think.

We get nor-ee for naughty and li-ull for little, too. My personal favourite is wa-uh for water, drives me up the walls.

keepsmiling2015 · 21/03/2015 22:07

Completely normal. Don't make a big deal out of it. Just make sure you always say the word properly.

Littlefish · 21/03/2015 22:12

Ikea - adding extra syllables is very common around the Kidderminster area in Worcestershire. e.g. I walk-ed into tow-en to get some shoe-es.

My personal bug bear is "wor-uh bo-ull" (water bottle).