Speak English
Citizen Nancy
No, this isn’t about immigrants not being able to speak the language of English here in America. Believe it or not I am referring to Americans not being able to speak standard English.
As a writer, I am sensitive to the power of language and its butchering over the years. Nothing irritates me more than hearing American’s mispronounce simple words and then complain when a non-native American is unable to speak English to their standards.
I am often amazed that the word ‘picture’ and ‘pitcher’ are used interchangeably. If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me if I wanted to look at their ‘pitchers’ when they really meant ‘pictures’, I would be a very rich woman.
Even more irritating is when I here someone say ‘breffess’ when they really mean ‘breakfast’. Since when did I become difficult to say the word BREAKFAST? Is it hard to enunciate words?
Or how about when people say ‘supposebly’ instead of ‘supposedly’? Or Li-berry instead of library. I know Americans are increasingly lazy but come on!
A few years ago at a job I had a supervisor tell me and my coworkers to press to ex-cape button on the computer keyboard when she really meant for us to press the escape button.
Gee, all of these blunders makes me want to make myself an EX-presso, oops, I mean espresso.
Nancy,
Sure, there's no excuse for blatantly butchered language (especially in print), but what I think you'd prefer to hear is "The Queen's English." At best your thought on this reeks of snobbery; at worst you fail to take into account the rich, vibrant variation inherent to all things human, including our languages.
Dialects offer a slice of regional culture; a form of identity for people who share it. My fiancee chides the long A's in words like "car" and "garlic" in the speech of my mother (a Buffalo-area native). Such pronunciation carried over into my speech, too. Compare that to the classic Boston pronunciation of such words: "Cah." "Gah-lick."
Are these people not speaking English to your liking? I'm sure some of your pronunciations sound funny to other people, too.
From Anthropology/Linguistics 101: We're products of our environments.
I don't think dialects will ever be totally undone, but they could become audible artifacts given the long reach of broadcast technology, which often has it's own standardized cadence and enunciation.
Steve:
For the record, I am working class Irish, so saying that I would prefer the Queen's English is simply insulting, you obviously don't know me. Yes, I am a snob and I like that about myself. (god forbid a working class girl should have any standards)
I believe my post is quite direct and clear, I don't like it when people mispronounce simple words.
As for dialects, life would be boring if everyone talked the same and I enjoy the Bostonian accent just as I am amused by Brooklynese (i lived there for almost 7 years)
so I am not sure why you would even talk about dialects since that wasn't the subject of my post.
You don't seem to like anything about my blog so why then do you continue to read it?
You're a writer, yes? It's not all candy-coated raves and compliments.
You want others to read your blog, right? Otherwise you'd write in a private diary, wouldn't you?
My point is this: My interpretation of your post is that it expresses disdain for folks who "mispronounce" words, which grates on your ear. You have what, to me, seems like an idealized notion of how those words should sound, based on how YOU say them or expect them to be pronounced.
The basis of a dialect is the way someone pronounces words, though: sometimes vowels are elongated, sometimes consonants are combined or omitted entirely, etc.; this is all often a product of one's environment, from the region of the country, the town, even the household. Someone might say "pitcher" instead of "picture" because that's how they learned to say it, by hearing it over and over and over from, perhaps, their parents. It's muscle memory, and to "correct" it sometimes requires concentrated effort.
Snobbery and standards are fine by me when applied to THINGS: wine, coffee, cheeses, food, fashion, etc. Applying it to basic human characteristics, though, makes you come off as class-conscious (or worse) and insensitive, in my opinion.
Which I suspect is not what you want.
Just the thoughts of one writer to another, is all. No malice meant.
As to the comment I left about the Fourth of July holiday: I was simply trying to give you some information relevant to your post. If you're going to lambaste all the lawyers, judges, etc. for taking the Friday prior off, you should at least know why.
Clearly I don't know you. I would never pretend I do; our interaction has been limited to conversation via blogs. But c'mon – isn't the dialogue fun?
Yes I am a writer and I unlike most people am very aware that we live in a very class conscious culture, most people pretend class doesn't matter but I know otherwise.
There was a time in my life when I was so poor that I was on welfare, what do you think happens to those who let it slip that they are so poor that they are on public assistance?
Do you think that there is a shitstorm of symphathy? think again. The reality is that the same people who thought I was intelligent, ambitious and interesting suddenly treated me and my kid like we had the bubonic plague.
I am reminded of how writer Richard Rodriguez defines class, he says the true indicator of class is education level, but not necessarily "formal education" the way we talk, speaks volumes about our education level amongst other things.
I am educated because I choose to be, mispronouncing simple words while discrimination against Mexican's is outrageous to me.
Many American's fit that category unfortunately. Mispronouncing simple words is just plain LAZY and there is no excuse, I think that is the point I wish to convey.
Your line about snobbery being okay as long as it is applied to THINGS cracked me up, because you come across as being a liberal or worse (progressive liberal)
Anyway, I digress, when I hear someone say "pitcher" instead "picture" you know what I think Steve? I think "HICK!!"
I'm just honest enough to admit this, which is why I am revolutionary Steve, is the dialogue fun, perhaps but quite honestly this is a EGO FEED for me for all the years I was repressed by Catholicism, sexism and told to be quiet and not to make waves etc. You only encourage me when you say I'm a snob, you think its a bad thing but I disagree.
I don't want to be ladylike, or polite, can I be those things? of course but being blunt is so much more fun.