Oops wrong thread

[ralpht]

You guys are cracking me up.

[Jerry Oz]

?! What part? I thought the conversation was quite moving [[especially as pertaining to vowels) and I look forward to seeing how it comes out in the end.

[sophisticated_soul]

I'm sure it will be quite transformative, be it metamorphose or Metamucil®.

[Jerry Oz]

This thread tends to leave me pooped.

[westgrandboulevard]

Verbal diarrhoea will have that effect......

[Jerry Oz]

Well, that in addition to bad breath...

[westgrandboulevard]

Would the first one to spot a window in here, please open it immediately

[marv2]

?? By "private area", I meant on the patio behind my house. I found a bag of seeds in my pocket after finding my clothes. I planted them and they were cactus seeds. The only one that matured was a large sticky one that looked like it was hairy and weepy.

Sounds evil..........................

[Jerry Oz]

Yep. I named the prickly weepy malodorous plant Donald Trump. Wonder where it is now?

[sophisticated_soul]

That description fits a cactus I saw on TV complaining about a locally grown Mexican Cactus whose original cuttings came from Mexico. That cactus was a real prick.

[westgrandboulevard]

Probably a complete hoax, and not the real thing - just a plant, making cutting comments....

[marv2]

Probably a complete hoax, and not the real thing - just a plant, making cutting comments....

Plants can really hurt when they do that!

[Jerry Oz]

They do indeed. My cousin worked for a veterinarian who treated a donkey that sat on a cactus. Her account of that pain in the ass was sad to hear.

[marv2]

They do indeed. My cousin worked for a veterinarian who treated a donkey that sat on a cactus. Her account of that pain in the ass was sad to hear.

Poor donkey, but it was probably better that it was the donkey than the other way around......ouch! LOL!

[sophisticated_soul]

Probably a complete hoax, and not the real thing - just a plant, making cutting comments....

He is a plant that makes cutting remarks, but sadly he is not a hoax. Anyone else thinking that prickly, weepy, malodorous cactus plant Donald Trump may indeed be the prophesied Anti-Cactus?

[marv2]

He is a plant that makes cutting remarks, but sadly he is not a hoax. Anyone else thinking that prickly, weepy, malodorous cactus plant Donald Trump may indeed be the prophesied Anti-Cactus?

He is not the Anti-Cactus. They said the same thing about Pres. Obama.

[sophisticated_soul]

They do indeed. My cousin worked for a veterinarian who treated a donkey that sat on a cactus. Her account of that pain in the ass was sad to hear.

That poor donkey! All those pricks in one ass! Oh, the humanity!

[westgrandboulevard]

No, it should never have happened to that poor donkey - especially when there are humans who would positively encourage it.....

[144man]

Verbal diarrhoea will have that effect......

I also find that movement of the vowels results in a bad spell of diorrheaa.

[144man]

So there I am at Stonehenge about to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Dawn begins to break. I begin to disrobe, when suddenly there is a flash of lightning and I find myself instantly transported here thinking "Oops wrong thread. I should have turned right at Glastonbury". Don't you just hate it when that happens?

[Jerry Oz]

That poor donkey! All those pricks in one ass! Oh, the humanity!

Ummm... What you said.

[144man]

Can anyone remember what song included the lines something like "...and then I found out why those prairie dogs kept on howling. Ain't no trees in the desert. Just cactus."?

[sophisticated_soul]

No, it should never have happened to that poor donkey - especially when there are humans who would positively encourage it.....

Well some folks will do anything to get noticed. Remember the song "Don't Prick Me For Your Fool"

[sophisticated_soul]

So there I am at Stonehenge about to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Dawn begins to break. I begin to disrobe, when suddenly there is a flash of lightning and I find myself instantly transported here thinking "Oops wrong thread. I should have turned right at Glastonbury". Don't you just hate it when that happens?

Yes, especially when your clothes don't transport with you. Oops.

[westgrandboulevard]

And then there is Thelma Houston's 'Prick Of The Week'; either a disparaging opinion of someone, or cause for celebration.....

[sophisticated_soul]

Then there is The Grand Prix - but that's not pronounced the way it looks.

[westgrandboulevard]

...although, in certain circumstances, it can appear extremely pronounced.

[marv2]

Well, then how do you pronounce it?

[westgrandboulevard]

In the UK, we would generally pronounce it to sound like 'Grarrhnd [[or Grawnd) Pree'...well, that's the nearest we can get to the original French pronunciation, anyway...LOL

I think in America you might say 'Grand [[as in 'West Grand'.....naturally...!) Pree'......?

[marv2]

In the UK, we would generally pronounce it to sound like 'Grarrhnd [[or Grawnd) Pree'...well, that's the nearest we can get to the original French pronunciation, anyway...LOL

I think in America you might say 'Grand [[as in 'West Grand'.....naturally...!) Pree'......?

You got it! That is exactly how we would say it in America!
I am been picking up a lot of British sayings from Coronation Street over the years, but they have not mentioned the words "Grand Prix" yet. LOL!

[westgrandboulevard]

Well Marv, to be fair and accurate, here in England alone, the pronunciation will vary.

It depends on the region, and if an individual who lives there was also born there, and also speaks with the distinct inflection of that particular region.

You mention 'Coronation Street'. [[and remembering yesterday two 'Corrie' actresses who shared a birth date, and have now passed away : Anne Kirkbride, who played Deirdre, and Maggie Jones, who played Blanche. Note: for Deirdre, we would say Deer-dree...but I think you would say Deer-dra - ? Or even Deidre, as in Deed-dra?)

In Manchester [[where 'Corrie' is filmed), authentic Mancunians might very well say it the American way - Grand Pree. Ditto many from Liverpool. To say it to sound how the French pronounce it is, to some, becoming very 'affected', and 'plum in the mouth'.

So the pronunciation of words in England [[as opposed to Scotland, Ireland and Wales) can vary a great deal between the regions.

I would be interested to know the sayings and words you have picked up from 'Coronation Street'.....we accept them as they are, but they must sound very odd to an American ear...!

[marv2]

Well Marv, to be fair and accurate, here in England alone, the pronunciation will vary.

It depends on the region, and if an individual who lives there was also born there, and also speaks with the distinct inflection of that particular region.

You mention 'Coronation Street'. [[and remembering yesterday two 'Corrie' actresses who shared a birth date, and have now passed away : Anne Kirkbride, who played Deirdre, and Maggie Jones, who played Blanche. Note: for Deirdre, we would say Deer-dree...but I think you would say Deer-dra - ? Or even Deidre, as in Deed-dra?)

In Manchester [[where 'Corrie' is filmed), authentic Mancunians might very well say it the American way - Grand Pree. Ditto many from Liverpool. To say it to sound how the French pronounce it is, to some, becoming very 'affected', and 'plum in the mouth'.

So the pronunciation of words in England [[as opposed to Scotland, Ireland and Wales) can vary a great deal between the regions.

I would be interested to know the sayings and words you have picked up from 'Coronation Street'.....we accept them as they are, but they must sound very odd to an American ear...!

Right again you are about the American pronunciation of "Deirdre [[she was one of my favorites!). A guy I knew from my high school days, from my hometown lived for over 30 years in Manchester, England working with disadvantage youth returned a few years ago with a heavy Northern England accent.

[marv2]

Well Marv, to be fair and accurate, here in England alone, the pronunciation will vary.

It depends on the region, and if an individual who lives there was also born there, and also speaks with the distinct inflection of that particular region.

You mention 'Coronation Street'. [[and remembering yesterday two 'Corrie' actresses who shared a birth date, and have now passed away : Anne Kirkbride, who played Deirdre, and Maggie Jones, who played Blanche. Note: for Deirdre, we would say Deer-dree...but I think you would say Deer-dra - ? Or even Deidre, as in Deed-dra?)

In Manchester [[where 'Corrie' is filmed), authentic Mancunians might very well say it the American way - Grand Pree. Ditto many from Liverpool. To say it to sound how the French pronounce it is, to some, becoming very 'affected', and 'plum in the mouth'.

So the pronunciation of words in England [[as opposed to Scotland, Ireland and Wales) can vary a great deal between the regions.

I would be interested to know the sayings and words you have picked up from 'Coronation Street'.....we accept them as they are, but they must sound very odd to an American ear...!

Here is a short list of some of the sayings I've learned from watching Coronation Street:

"What are you playing at?"
"Don't be daff"
" I going to make the tea [[aka dinner/supper) in two shakes"
"You are?" LOL!
"You better not be messing me about"
"That sounds a bit dodgy"
"It's only a few quid"! We laugh at that one in New York and repeat it when drinking LOL

[westgrandboulevard]

Some, if not all of those sayings you've quoted above are also used in other regions [[I say 'quid' myself, sometimes, and I'm from the South Coast)

Many of the old Lancashire words, for instance, have fallen into disuse, and won't feature on 'Corrie' as they are not now heard in conversation, so would sound quaint, and not be understood.

Some more for you, just off the top of my head...

"Nay lass, don't take on so..."
"You what??!"
"Will ya gerrrofff me!!"
"Well, I'll go t'foot of our stairs!!"
"And I'll tell you this for nuthin'...!"
"What's he/she LIKE?"
"Oooo, she were all fur coat and no knickers!"
"...And you can put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!"

[sophisticated_soul]

"...And you can put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!"

That one is pretty universal, know what I mean Vern?

[westgrandboulevard]

Two more, which are becoming old-fashioned, and were more used in northern regions of England, than the south :

"Byyyy 'eck!"
"Oooo 'eck!"

[arr&bee]

For your edification lost souls trapped by fate? or have they like so many others tested the fates once too often and found themselves intertwined in the endless insanity of...THE OPPS WRONG THREAD ZONE!!!!!

[marv2]

For your edification lost souls trapped by fate? or have they like so many others tested the fates once too often and found themselves intertwined in the endless insanity of...THE OPPS WRONG THREAD ZONE!!!!!

Right on brother!

[Jerry Oz]

Reading what WGB wrote about different regions caught my interest. I've been watching "Peaky Blinders" obsessively for a couple of years and Sam Neill's character speaks with such a deep accent that I need subtitles to understand most of it. I never realized that he was not from the US, after all of his roles in American films.

I also remember Sir Ben Kingsley's role in "Sexy Beast", wherein I needed subtitles for everyone In the film. I'd need a tourist guide to help me communicate if I ever visited England.

[westgrandboulevard]

In the UK, we pronounce 'Detroit' as De-troit.

Think that may generally be the same in the US?...except to some in Detroit itself, it's DEE-troit??

[westgrandboulevard]

Jerry,

You'd probably be fine in most regions, and with most people...although your ear would, at least at first, be unaccustomed to the way that words which are familiar to you are being produced, very often in pronunciation of vowels.Then, your brain is immediately alerting you that 'this sounds different', before you can then begin to understand what is actually being said.

On television, it could simply be just that, but also the sound balance on television programmes [[so-called 'natural sound'), and the pitch of the speaker's voice, can strain even UK viewers, with regular complaints.

Certain regional accents are notoriously tricky, within the United Kingdom. Some Scottish people speak as if with a very tense bottom jaw, very quickly, and with unclear diction.[[at least to my ears!).

Welsh speakers in the north of Wales have a different sound from those in the south of Wales, and will also often be heard speaking in Welsh.

Southern Irish is softer and more melodious than Northern Irish, which is firmer and more strident.

Others from the North of England [[Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire) might speak slowly and precisely, and with greater volume than in some other regions, with emphasis heavily placed on the vowels.

'Standard' British English is technically a 'neutral' accent, known as 'Received Pronunciation'. National news presenters tend to use it. Regional news presenters, and also those on other television programmes, may well have a regional accent. Of course, however the words are produced, they should be clear, and easily understood by the listener.

For many years, presenters on the BBC would employ a clear but very clipped, rather artificial method of pronunciation, based on the Royal Family, and the old days of the Empire [[ 'Em-pah'). 'Flat' , for example, would be pronounced 'Flett'.

You can still hear it in old broadcasts by The Queen, although her speaking voice has softened with the years. Prince Charles still retains some of those characteristics. Whereas I might say 'my house', Charles is more inclined to use 'one's house', but also pronounce 'house' as 'hice', to rhyme with 'nice'. Any of us here in the UK who wish to good-naturedly send up older members of the Royal Family will immediately adopt that rather quaint method of speech.

Perhaps unfairly, RP is based more on speech from the southern part of England.

'Bath' :
Southern : Barth.
Northern : Batth

'Grass' :
Southern : Grarss.
Northern : Grasssss

'Daft' [[not so often heard now) :
Southern : Darft.
Northern : Dafft

The 'Northern' pronunciations are somewhat sterotypical, as many people who are born and live in the North of England often use southern pronunciation, and with only a lightly detectable regional inflection in their speech. Rightly or wrongly, there was once a tendency to feel that a strong regional accent, from wherever in the country, could be a handicap in certain areas of work, and the more ambitious would have elocution and speech training lessons. I would think that is much less significant now, if at all.

Even then, pronunication is inconsistent. While I say bath, grass and daft with a southern English accent, I pronounce 'plastic' not as 'plarstic', but 'plasstic'.......LOL

[marv2]

Some, if not all of those sayings you've quoted above are also used in other regions [[I say 'quid' myself, sometimes, and I'm from the South Coast)

Many of the old Lancashire words, for instance, have fallen into disuse, and won't feature on 'Corrie' as they are not now heard in conversation, so would sound quaint, and not be understood.

Some more for you, just off the top of my head...

"Nay lass, don't take on so..."
"You what??!"
"Will ya gerrrofff me!!"
"Well, I'll go t'foot of our stairs!!"
"And I'll tell you this for nuthin'...!"
"What's he/she LIKE?"
"Oooo, she were all fur coat and no knickers!"
"...And you can put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!"

We say or use to say "...And you can put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!" here in America.

Somethings I never understood are why they say "hospital" without saying "the hospital" in the UK and Canada. For example: "The victim was taken to hospital", not "the victim was taken to the hospital". Another is the pronunciation of the word "schedule". There it sounds like "shez-ulle" LOL!

Maybe I will give you some of the common phrases we use in New York that you would not hear anywhere else in America. LOL!

[westgrandboulevard]

Re: use of the word 'hospital' in the UK, omitting the word 'the'.

Some of that is due to habit, following what was heard when very young...and some of that is another example of inconsistencies in language.

In British English, if someone is said to be 'in hospital', it means they are a patient. If they are a visitor or an employee at the hospital, it would generally be spoken as 'he or she is at the hospital'.

Other examples would be 'he is at school, 'she is at college', 'they are on holiday', all without using 'the' ...and maybe the same in American English?

Yes, 'schedule' in British English is technically correct with a soft 'sch' - as in 'shed-yool'.
However, many people do pronounce it the American way [['sked-yool')..and some [[like myself) may pronounce it either way.

And....on the subject of 'either', it is optional in British English to pronounce it as 'eye-ther' [[as I do, and also 'nye-ther') - or 'eee-ther' and 'nee-ther'. The same in America?

Yes, you should give us some phrases commonly used in New York.......it would be interesting.

[marv2]

In the UK, we pronounce 'Detroit' as De-troit.

Think that may generally be the same in the US?...except to some in Detroit itself, it's DEE-troit??

No we just say "Detroit". LOL

[marv2]

Re: use of the word 'hospital' in the UK, omitting the word 'the'.

Some of that is due to habit, following what was heard when very young...and some of that is another example of inconsistencies in language.

In British English, if someone is said to be 'in hospital', it means they are a patient. If they are a visitor or an employee at the hospital, it would generally be spoken as 'he or she is at the hospital'.

Other examples would be 'he is at school, 'she is at college', 'they are on holiday', all without using 'the' ...and maybe the same in American English?

Yes, 'schedule' in British English is technically correct with a soft 'sch' - as in 'shed-yool'.
However, many people do pronounce it the American way [['sked-yool')..and some [[like myself) may pronounce it either way.

And....on the subject of 'either', it is optional in British English to pronounce it as 'eye-ther' [[as I do, and also 'nye-ther') - or 'eee-ther' and 'nee-ther'. The same in America?

Yes, you should give us some phrases commonly used in New York.......it would be interesting.

Here are a very few common New York phrases:

"Oh he or she is a pisser"

"Not for nuttin'"

"Git outta Dodge"

"Oh, so you think you betta than me?"

"Who's betta than you?"

"Somebody is gettin' whacked!"

"So, how's your day" answer: "Could be better, could be worse".

"Git da f**k outta here" LOL!!!

[marv2]

Re: use of the word 'hospital' in the UK, omitting the word 'the'.

Some of that is due to habit, following what was heard when very young...and some of that is another example of inconsistencies in language.

In British English, if someone is said to be 'in hospital', it means they are a patient. If they are a visitor or an employee at the hospital, it would generally be spoken as 'he or she is at the hospital'.

Other examples would be 'he is at school, 'she is at college', 'they are on holiday', all without using 'the' ...and maybe the same in American English?

Yes, 'schedule' in British English is technically correct with a soft 'sch' - as in 'shed-yool'.
However, many people do pronounce it the American way [['sked-yool')..and some [[like myself) may pronounce it either way.

And....on the subject of 'either', it is optional in British English to pronounce it as 'eye-ther' [[as I do, and also 'nye-ther') - or 'eee-ther' and 'nee-ther'. The same in America?

Yes, you should give us some phrases commonly used in New York.......it would be interesting.

Nope. Here it would be "he is away at school", "She's in college", "they are on vacation".

[westgrandboulevard]

That's interesting, as I've been reading that there are four variations in pronunciation of 'Detroit'.

The article states that some locals [[folks up from the south in the '40s to work in auto industry, and their offspring) tend/tended to say it as DEE-troit, although it's acknowledged to be in much less common use than 'De-TROIT', and only locally.

Martha pronounces it "DEE-troit!" on stage [["can't forget the Motor City, DEE-troit!"), but I've just assumed that's expressed in the spirit of cheerleaders chanting "DEEEEE-troit! DEEEE-troit!!"....I can understand it does 'run' much easier when pronounced that way.

Apparently there are another two pronounciations : 'Di-TRITE', and 'Di-TROY-it'.

Makes me think that there are always some people who like being just a little bit different from the others....LOL

[marv2]

That's interesting, as I've been reading that there are four variations in pronunciation of 'Detroit'.

The article states that some locals [[folks up from the south in the '40s to work in auto industry, and their offspring) tend/tended to say it as DEE-troit, although it's acknowledged to be in much less common use than 'De-TROIT', and only locally.

Martha pronounces it "DEE-troit!" on stage [["can't forget the Motor City, DEE-troit!"), but I've just assumed that's expressed in the spirit of cheerleaders chanting "DEEEEE-troit! DEEEE-troit!!"....I can understand it does 'run' much easier when pronounced that way.

Apparently there are another two pronounciations : 'Di-TRITE', and 'Di-TROY-it'.

Makes me think that there are always some people who like being just a little bit different from the others....LOL

I know Martha and I know her fairly well. She uses that pronunciation just for the stage. Offstage she says simply "Detroit". I've heard southern people say "PO-lice", it's just their regional dialect. I was born in the North and we just say "Detroit".

[144man]

I've never been sure how widespread the pronunciation of "ask" as "aks" is.

[Jerry Oz]

It seems that I most often hear people pronounce it "dih-TROYT" unless they're talking about one of the sports teams, in which case it's almost universally pronounced "DEE-troyt". So I could honestly imagine someone saying the following:
"I'm going to dih-TROYT to watch the Chicago [[whole new set of pronunciations with that one, as well) Bears play the DEE-troyt Lions."