Calling pedants, teachers, wordsmiths and class warriors.

[shylock]

I have a question.

Is it unreasonable to feel disheartened when hearing the following articulations from students?

1. "It's like that fing we were talking about last week when we were discussing somefing to do with history."

1. "Oh yes, we done that a couple of weeks ago, didn't we?"

And it is?

These are University students, btw.

maybe they dont have an inspiring teacher?

Sorry, cross posts. I have to say reading these, I am cringing over my coffee, no. 2 in particular gets under my skin, its right up there with "I is gonna do..."

Ha, I think the might need Lord Byron himself to be resurrected for that line to work.

Are these questions verbal? Or in email? Or what?

I'm afraid, I'd have to say that both are valid dialect (f for th is normal in some accents). But not great formal English.

I suppose that's what you get when 60% of the population go to university.

well, at least they remembered previous lessons/lectures!

Verbal, don't get me started on e-mail (Yo! Dr. Shylock!).

Does it make a difference that both students are about to graduate this Summer with degrees in English Literature?

Couldn't agree more. Especially when it comes from your own previously articulate offspring. I dunno...

NQC that's an interesting point about dialect.

you don't like the way they speak?

maybe you need a job where you don't have to listen to people!

I get annoyed when DS1 says the latter - but he's 3 so I think I might be able to correct it!

Actually the second would annoy me more, as it is wrong wrong wrong. I can understand (but don't like) the dialect comment around number 1.

And when he's 23, WS?

I fear shylock is just as disappointed with the content of what they said as the way they said it

It's accent. If they are capable of correct formal English, they don't need to be corrected. Although I'd get the urge to correct them, I haven't a leg to stand on - I say plenty of things that aren't Pasturised, Standardised, HOmogenised English.

Both are valid dialect, though - the first is really just an accent thing (ok, it's a really inarticulate sentence, too, far too many 'thing's in there, but I guess that's not what you're complaining about?).

And yes, 'we done' is perfectly normal dialect. Granted, this student should be trying to speak Standard English with you (as s/he will, in future, with bosses etc), so on those grounds, this isn't really correct. Do they use Standard or Dialect when making verbal presentations? What happens in job interviews?

I don't think there's anything valid in bastardising the english language to the extent where one is unable to conjugate verbs IF one is an English DEGREE student

I am appalled. There is no excuse.

The 'f' instead of 'th' is a mistake that should have been corrected at 3 years old but I assume there is little that can be done about that.

I'm trying to differentiate here between accent/dialect/pronouciation ...

Anorak, a vague recollection of the last class is a good sign at this stressful pre-exam time!

I hate when people give the excuse of 'dialect' BOLLOCKS! (I so nearly put 3 exclamation points there ... arrrggghhhh)

I hope you mark them down for it.

pronunciation, even (this has to happen on a pedant thread, it's expected.)

I can't correct their speech, Twiglett, only their written work, in which case, only the second example would invite the red pen.

I agree with NQC.

"Fing" instead of "thing" could just be the students' accent, and "we done" instead of "we did" could be their dialect.

For example, in my accent I would be likely to say "somethin'" rather than "something", but I would always write "something". I have been known to use "I done" rather than "I did" in speech but would never write it as I know the difference between dialect, and formal English.

If people speak in a certain way, it doesn't always follow that they will use the same words, or spell the words in the same way they are spoken, when using formal English.

If they did, then that would be disheartening.