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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Calling pedants, teachers, wordsmiths and class warriors.

469 replies

shylock · 14/03/2007 08:22

I have a question.

OP posts:
JanH · 14/03/2007 14:34

No darling, I didn't - will check spam box.

snowleopard · 14/03/2007 14:36

Really makes you want to do it, doesn't it JanH?

"Bastard!"

Lovecat · 14/03/2007 14:40

Oh, I love it!

If only I had caller recognition so I could do it to salespeople....

Ellbell · 14/03/2007 14:43

Have added to favourites, JanH. Thanks!

Had to go and look up the etymology of 'salopette'. Those who are easily bored had better look away now

Salopette originally means an overall (first used 1836). So it's something you put on for work when you are going to get dirty (dirt is the common theme here!).

Salop is a variant of salaud, which comes from sale meaning dirty and dates back to the 13th century.

Oh and salope can also mean 'prostitute'.

Am LOL at GGG calling the bank manager a bastard! Did you explain? Or did you make like nothing had happened?

JanH · 14/03/2007 14:45

Ooh, ta, Ellbell - I wonder if that's where "slapper" comes from?

WaynettaSlob · 14/03/2007 14:49

PMSL at the journey this thread has taken.

GGG - what did your bankmanager say?

IdrisTheDragon · 14/03/2007 14:54

Ooh I like the page with cedillas and grave accents on .

pointydog · 14/03/2007 16:51

"in her beautiful house in a beautiful town with beautiful children and beautiful husband"

and you may tell yourself, my god! what have I done!

Tamum · 14/03/2007 17:33

Anna, you may live surrounded by beauty but you sure as hell don't know how to judge science and scientists. Winston is a good (in some people's eyes) populariser, and he's undoubtedly a medic who has made a lot of people happy but he barely rates as a scientist let alone one of the "great scientists of our time".

And yes, point 1 would bother me a lot if this was someone who was going to teach primary school children phonics, and point 2 would bother me full stop.

Tamum · 14/03/2007 17:33

pointydog, my thoughts exactly

yellowrose · 14/03/2007 18:21

Shylock - you ARE being unreasonable, they used words, ok, not in an articulate way, but words nevertheless.

They are not supposed to use words at all, they are supposed to grunt like they did with a friend of mine who is a retired lecturer !

Aloha · 14/03/2007 18:29

I would be utterly appalled if my children were taught English (or anything, actually) by teachers who could not pronounce their 'th' sound, or were too lazy to bother, or who did not use grammar correctly. These are not just kids on the street, they are university students studying ENGLISH.

yellowrose · 14/03/2007 18:36

Aloha - did you mean "too lazy to bovvvver" ? Am I bovvvvverrrrrd ?

zippitippitoes · 14/03/2007 18:39

but it is something which is common in parts of the uk..

free instead of three
fink instead of think

it is in warwickshire!

beckybrastraps · 14/03/2007 18:46

Would you be utterly appalled if they were taught by teachers who couldn't pronounce 'r' properly?

She asks nervously...

NotQuiteCockney · 14/03/2007 18:53

PMSL at bbs, at least if she means what I think she does ...

NotQuiteCockney · 14/03/2007 18:54

And yeah, there's no difference between a UK accent that uses f for th, and a New Zealand accent, or a North American accent. No, it's not standard English, yes, it might cause a bit of confusion, but kids are going to have to cope with different accents in English anyway, and they might as well get used to it early.

bundle · 14/03/2007 18:56

my Irish Nana used to say tunder instead of thunder which is think is more dialect than laziness iykwim

NotQuiteCockney · 14/03/2007 18:58

That's an accent surely - we have the same accent in Canada, in Newfoundland, which is largely full of Irish descendants.

bundle · 14/03/2007 18:59

yes accent. not sure if there is a th in irish

zippitippitoes · 14/03/2007 19:01

it's a bit of a segregated world this

the more I think about it the more I worry about it

surely most people in the uk have regional accents?

and are entitled to go to university and study english literature?

NotQuiteCockney · 14/03/2007 19:02

Maybe they should ensure they go to a good (e.g. private) school first? To make their accent more beautiful?

bundle · 14/03/2007 19:03

there is a real difference between a regional accent and someone who says "fink". imo.

Aloha · 14/03/2007 19:06

Oh this is crap. My grandparents all were the poorest of the bloody poor - my grandfather was born in a hovel in Islington where there was a fire in the middle of the room and a hole in the roof for a chimney. My mother grew up in a rented tenement. My father grew up on a council estate and so did I. None of us say 'fink'. And everyone could use grammar correctly. And yes, if my children were taught by people who couldn't speak proper English I would be appalled. Would you be happy if your children were taught French or German by someone who could not speak the language correctly? I bed you wouldn't.

Aloha · 14/03/2007 19:06

Oh, sod it, 'bet'.