English linguistic question

[Barrykgerdes]

Allowing new spelling of words and altered meanings is part of the general conspirancy to dumb up the population so that communication becomes more difficult. The old idea "Divide and conquer" will prevail. The same way that statistics has taken over from science.

I am just as guilty of bad spelling as everyone else but I do blame my computer for dyslexic errors.. If I press "the" and it comes out "teh" it is not my fault the computer does this.


Barry

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

I think that there is also a little Lakes District movie influence here too. Chicago gangster says to sidekick, in his strained gravelly voice... "You done good, Vinnie"

Vinnie: "Aw, thanks bwoss!"

[AdrianF (Adrian)]

I hear "Yo how's it hanging" all the time from the school kids. I have refused to answer anything as a greeting other than G'day or good morning when then walk into class.

Adrian

[renormalised (Carl)]

This is all the "Americanisms"....trash talk....that's crept into our language over the years. Quite frankly, if the Americans want to talk like a bunch of rock apes, then that's their problem, but don't drag everyone else' language down to the lowest common denominator. Clean up your TV shows and movies.

And more should be done by parents and teachers here to keep that sort of nonsense to a minimum, if not gotten rid of altogether.

[Suzy]

There used to be a time (around 30 years ago) where the newsreaders spoke eloquently and the field reporters dressed in suits (womens incl.). From what I remember all the actors and presenters who were on Australian tv shows, were well spoken - very English. But the everyday people spoke good old Aussie slang which is now so americanised, it's pretty much drowned out the "Australia" in us.
But on another note, has anyone noticed these days, that newsreaders speak very ocker (it's gone the reverse to what I said above), and the Americans have gotten more nasally and rounded in their accents I just think if you are public speaking on television, and I direct this to Julia as well, take some speech lessons and sound more professional. (Don't respond to the latter, I don't want to get into trouble). I notice there are a lot of spelling errors in print as well, as most people rely on spell check these days and not their own intelligence. Spell check only checks words that are spelled correctly, it no way compensates for poor grammar (eg tire and tyre). I think it makes people lazy (myself included). I used to be a very good speller until I started on this forum and I type so fast with so much on my mind, I tend to take the lazy option for words I knew how to spell and wouldn't normally have trouble with; my mind now goes blank and I can't be bothered. Need to start re-putting my thinking cap on now I think.

Les: What you said about evacuating, is shocking! It just only re-affirms what I said above.

I fear after my generation leaves, there will be no one around to say things like ...
"She'll be right mate" or "Hooroo sheila, grap a coldie for that drongo and don't ya let the nippers have any." "Oh fair go, course I wouldn't give them nippers any and I 'aint drinking much myself otherwise I'll need a real ridgy didge loo and not some bush out woop woop because I'd look like a yobbo."

I have a thread running at the moment called "Retro Flashback", and from the many wonderful stories that have been posted, it makes it very apparent and saddening how much we've changed in such a short amount of time.

Edit: I have nothing against American talk or people, just the effect it is having on our own culture.

[PCH (Paul)]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Oh man, what about "I went and got them ones" and "You's guys" and "I done that"

I work in a warehouse and hear this everyday

Mike

No need to go that far Mick, you can come on here and you hear it every day

[PCH (Paul)]

Originally Posted by AdrianF

I hear "Yo how's it hanging" all the time from the school kids. I have refused to answer anything as a greeting other than G'day or good morning when then walk into class.

Adrian

Jeepers, I can just imagine the look on our teachers' faces if we'd said that to them. It would have been six of the best for a week - if we were lucky.

In the schoolyard between equals is one thing, - but "yo, how's it hanging" to a teacher is just plain disrespectful, and is purely a result of the total lack of discipline that is allowed today. The kids can behave almost any way they choose with impunity.

[PCH (Paul)]

Originally Posted by renormalised

This is all the "Americanisms"....trash talk....that's crept into our language over the years. Quite frankly, if the Americans want to talk like a bunch of rock apes, then that's their problem, but don't drag everyone else' language down to the lowest common denominator. Clean up your TV shows and movies.

And more should be done by parents and teachers here to keep that sort of nonsense to a minimum, if not gotten rid of altogether.

Carl, so how's the "How to win friends and influence people" course going ?

[astroron (Ron)]

I fear after my generation leaves, there will be no one around to say things like ...
"She'll be right mate" or "Hooroo sheila, grap a coldie for that drongo and don't ya let the nippers have any." "Oh fair go, course I wouldn't give them nippers any and I 'aint drinking much myself otherwise I'll need a real ridgy didge loo and not some bush out woop woop because I'd look like a yobbo."

The only time I hear this type of talk now is by truck drivers on the CB.
It is a long time since I have heard anyone with ginger hair called "Blue" and except for the odd occasion English people called Pommies except when the cricket is on
Yes we have lost a lot of the Aussie identity over the last forty years

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by PCH

Carl, so how's the "How to win friends and influence people" course going ?

Who said I was out to win friends...this base talk that they go on with isn't smart or even sounds good. It sounds like a whole lot of uneducated buffoons trying to make conversation and failing miserably. If they want to talk like this, then keep it in the ghetto where it came from in the first place.

[CraigS]

Language is about connectedness.

If someone choses to commence a conversation with words like: "How they hangin' ", they are attempting to connect at a level of informality. If the receiver is not prepared to connect in that manner, there are options which may be exercised, to let the transmitter know that further communication will not be possible on that basis.

Language changes. Learn the changes. Don't get stuck by not adapting to the change.

Use all of it, I say (in the appropriate situation).

The more language one is aware of, the more related, useful and able to influence others, that person will become.

My 2 cents worth.

Cheers

[renormalised (Carl)]

It's not particularly clever or even erudite to talk like some knuckle dragger, despite it being the "in" thing, or, "an expression of the evolving language". Some influences to language are good and give it greater degree of expression and breadth of meaning. Others do nothing more than destroy the whole lexicon and bring it down to a level of expression and meaning which is just a tad above farce and depravity. It makes a joke of the language.

It's nothing more than the language of American "angry young man" urban gang "culture"...it's indicative of the standard of education and the economic/social circumstances they find themselves in. It's not our own general cultural experience and it's not wanted.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by ngcles

Hi Bartman & All,

Agree with the others it is simply poor grammar. We're all guilty of it sometimes.

Here is another example that has been particularly prevalent (and I've found particularly funny) in the media lately regarding the use of the word "evacuated" -- with respect to the natural disasters in Queensland. The ABC have been the worst offenders of all. The report or newsreader usually runs along this line:

"More than 150 people were evacuated in Ipswich today as floodwaters -- etc etc"

Well, unless someone is up there in Ipswich with a huge vacuum pump attaching it to a convenient body orafice and is sucking the contents out of these 150 people, it is in error.

It is correct to say that 150 people were evacuated from Ipswich, or to another place or, from an area etc. People aren't "evacuated" except in the sense that they are evacuated to or from -- it is the area (or volume) that is evacuated, not people! Made me titter ever time I heard it. I laughed quite a lot during that period -- must have heard it a dozen times!


Best,

Les D

Hmmmm ... this brings to mind a line from Milligan's book 'Rommel? Gunner who?'

"Captured German underwear revealed they were evacuating all along the line."

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by bartman

When I worked at Cable Beach Club in Broome, I was told to say "G'Day" to each guest I walked past ( back in the early 90's)

Bartman

I assume this was to impress the oversees guests an give the place a distinct Aussie character??

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by astroron

I fear after my generation leaves, there will be no one around to say things like ...
"She'll be right mate" or "Hooroo sheila, grap a coldie for that drongo and don't ya let the nippers have any." "Oh fair go, course I wouldn't give them nippers any and I 'aint drinking much myself otherwise I'll need a real ridgy didge loo and not some bush out woop woop because I'd look like a yobbo."

The only time I hear this type of talk now is by truck drivers on the CB.
It is a long time since I have heard anyone with ginger hair called "Blue" and except for the odd occasion English people called Pommies except when the cricket is on
Yes we have lost a lot of the Aussie identity over the last forty years

I quite agree. I'm a member of the 'bloke' preservation society. If I ever accidently say 'guy' I severely castigate myself.

I take the shuttle bus to work at uni and it is mostly full of overseas students. Nearly everyone thanks the driver as they alight but I make the point of saying 'thanks mate' or 'cheers mate'. Occasionally I get the correct Ozzie reply 'you'r right'. The students I work with also learn a bit of the lingo (and not just the swearing), not so much because I try as because it just comes out. Sometimes I get some puzzled looks.

[avandonk]

I have met three Nobel Prize winners in my lab. All have asked me after formal introductions to explain what we were doing and hoped to attain. The language was never over convoluted in fact it was direct and to the point. It is only cliques that promulgate an indescipherable language to hide their real aspirations from the rest of us.

Bert

[vespine]

Every generation will complain about what the next is doing: with culture, with language, with art, etc..

The test of "getting old" is when you start doing it.. Nothing personal, of course. There was a time when the word "cool" was considered outrageous.

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

Hey Bart dude,

See what you done now?

Cheers

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

The American 'word' I hate the most is 'Hunker'.

Remember back when Hurricane Katrina happened.
Every reporter used 'Hunker' in almost every sentence.
"They were all Hunkered down. So people, Hunker down and stay safe"

Then I heard Aussie reporters starting to use it

But I notice that during Cyclone Yasi the Aussie reporters were using the slightly more acceptable term 'Bunkered' down.
Annoying but not as bad.

Geez I hate 'Hunkered'

[AndrewJ]

Lets face it.
All the previous examples are irrelevant to life in general.
Lets get down to items that really matter,
like sport.
Deeeeefense, Ohhhhhhhfense
and worst of all quarterbacks in the AFL
( yes some commentators used that term )
and touchdowns in the rugby ( polite or no-neck versions )
are a travesty that just cannot be allowed

Andrew