Angela Rayner’s glottal stops are infuriating

[Ilovecleaning]

AIBU to be so irritated by the deputy PM’s lazy speech? I was listening to her being interviewed this morning and I was distracted by her Bri-ish/righ-/wai-ed. I googled her and apparently when asking a question about the lockdown parties she said ‘Was you there or not?’
Why does it anger me so much? It is not her accent. I am northern but I don’t drop my t’s and I know when to use was and were.
Her lazy speech distracts from the content. I have my theories but I would love to hear other people’s opinions.

and says things like 'would of' representing me, thank you very much

Lol, if you're Northern you'd know (or you'd think you would) that saying and writing would have are two totally different things when it comes to some accents.
There isn't "one size fits all" Northern woman with the same accent, for goodness sake.
Saying "would of" is perfectly fine in some accents, it's not OK to write it though. Then it's would have.

OP, apparently "was" forms have been noted in Northern English since the Middle ages. https://www.yorkshiredialect.com/Was_were.htm

So it's correct grammar in the context of dialect, I suppose - but it might be that she's putting it on, in which case she might be using it wrongly, you're picking up on it and that's what's annoying you?

It's high time everyone moved on from the prejudice of thinking the RP accent is the only accent of intelligence. Move on – be better.

No! You don't say would of, it doesn't make sense for a start. You might say would've but that's not would of. If you say would of, you're likely to write would of because you don't know the difference. No-one with an ounce of intelligence says would of, because it doesn't mean anything. It's basic comprehension.

There isn't "one size fits all" Northern woman with the same accent, for goodness sake.

Agreed, but there is only one way of saying 'you were' and would have/would've'.

Just like the way Saint Boris spoke when he told us to stay at home. All those tics and pauses suggested that he himself didn't believe a word of the script which was put in front of him; but because he was "posh" with his delivery, so many people trusted and believed him implicitly.

I get annoyed by exaggerated cockney voices, as favoured by Jonafan Woss and Bob Crowe: the latter was painful when he was defending strikes on Any Questions once.

I don't think she uses glottal stops, aren't they more part of the Cockney accent?

I think most of the hate for AR is that she does not fit the mold - which I admire her for. I hate that certain people, usually women, become such a focus of hate that anything they do becomes a focus for criticism. There are many public figures with annoying speech patterns/accents. But most dont get this level of attention.

You’s rather have the speech impediments of the posh then???

Are you suggesting she is putting it on? I don't know if she is, but if I were sure she is putting it on, I would find it distasteful and a piss-take too.

Seriously get a life.

Can't do right for doing wrong, can she really?

God you sound a snob. Newsflash-not everyone in this world speaks in the same way you do, and not everyone was raised in the area you were. Horrible post.

Remember that Thatcher had elocution lessons; I'm not sure whether she wanted them, but she was certainly strongly advised to take them. She crossed a rubicon by being the first woman prime minister, so it seemed she needed them to play the part. On the other hand, Liz Truss somehow became prime minister, despite being a rabbit in headlights most of the time.

I say would of, but I know it's would have. I'm from Bolton so pronounce hair and where like hurr and wurr.. but I don't bloody spell it like that 😂

I dislike the actors who never used a glottal stop previously but do now. Maya Jama comes to mind in a tv cosmetics advert and Jodie Whittaker in an interview where she sometimes used them, sometimes didn't .

Oof. Scraping the barrel.

No she can't , there was a lengthy theead recently about a "hideous " "inappropriate " dress she was wearing in parliament!

They walk among us. It's her accent - just the way she talks.

I agree with all of this.

I'm Scottish and I think the way I say "would've" sounds exactly like "would of" although I am very clear about the difference and would never make a mistake in writing. It's an accent; it's not a grammatical error.

Emma Willis uses the glottal stop all the time. Down with the kids innit. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in the way AR speaks. We all use glottal stops.

Are we supposed to close our eyes and ears to her?
Are you suggesting that we only read her words and don't see or hear her?

That really is impossible and while she-or any other figure voluntarily in public life- is seen and heard they can expect comments on their appearance and voice-that's life. It was ever thus and will ever be.

If Ms Raynor exaggerates her voice to the extent that it frightens puppies and wears dresses more suited to the heroine of a Barbara Cartland novel, then there will be uncomplimentary remarks.

Of course, what is also amusing is the disconnect between how she presents herself-dressing in silly "gown" romantic type dresses ( also at one point wearing matching hair extensions that resembled My Little Pony) and her voice, which she has overcooked.

Politicians of all stripes exist to amuse us and dear Ange gives value for money in this regard if no other- so to ask the public to ignore how she chooses to present herself or, if that's not possible, to not comment on it-is simply asking too much of human nature!

It’s not the accent, saying was instead of were isn’t your accent.

So boring, this constant criticising of successful Labour women. Rayner, Cooper, Reeves, Philipson can't do anything right. I can't bear listening to Priti Patel for the record. She sounds as if she doesn't have a brain.

It's dialect, but it's also a consequence of the decline of "thou" and the move to singular "you". "You was..." makes more logical sense as a singular pronoun (in line with "she was", etc.) and will probably be standard usage eventually.