ozzieeagle

Not been around a flotsum of Geordies eh ?

Had a bit of trouble with a collective noun for them...

GarryP

Never; though I may strangle someone one day if they say PRO-ject too much.

The only one that gets used is 'Rowter' - for the thing with the blinkenlights; whilst the thing that chews up wood is a 'Rooter'. Makes it clear which one you mean, so its sensible to do.

I'd say I'm much more likely to keep the proper UK accent than go native, the TV that's worth watching is from the UK, I talk to people in the UK, and I don't really see the point of talking aussie to fit in. Anyone who gets bent out of shape by UK accents and phrases isn't worth bothering with in the first place.

Hell, I still say "no problem" rather than "no worries"...

Amazulu

I know. Ridiculous ain't it

Shit, it's catching.

jothefw

I love how some people can "do" accents. My mum has a whole list of very accurate accents, she was born in Cornwall to parents that were from Solihull and then lived mostly in Hertfordshire so it's no wonder she can cotton on!

I can't "do" an impression for love nor money and yet I am often told I sound more Aussie than English. My work colleagues, who at this stage were all Australian, used to point out that as Aussie as I sounded I'd never lose my English sayings ie "to hoover" or their favourite "something's driving me potty" (usually my computer crashing from memory).

My husband sounds as English as ever and I suspect he always will.

I find it easier to refer to some things in the Australian, to prevent confusion. This seems to be mostly lollies for the children or jubilee clips, sorry hose clamps and paddocks instead of fields at work now!

carolinephillips

I have actually done that- surreptitiously rubbing out the apostrophe (found so often on simple plurals) from greengrocers' blackboards. I have also complained to management about printed brochures that have bad spelling or rogue apostrophes.

Having found numerous errors in school publications I have now volunteered to be a proof reader for their magazine!

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Accents and 'language progression'. Words come and go.

The English language isn't set in stone and the fact that it takes in words and sayings, from other languages, so easily, is one of the prime reasons it flourished.

The English can't bastardize their language.. only change it. It is their ****** language after all.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

See post 51

Turban Explorer

I used to let people know if there were mistakes in their signs, websites and menus etc I've given up now and just hide the secret I can spell as it makes one less employable in Qld. One of the things I see often are misspellings corrected by 'spellcheck' when a word has been so inaccurate the computer alters it to a new meaning. Just brilliantly comic.

Amazulu

And there's the answers to one of the main points of this thread

Amazulu

I could try but you are incapable of seeing any viewpoint but your own.

spartacus

I think it's 'scrotum' (scruuhtum in the vernacular) not 'flotsum'.

Family of 3

Erm, I hate to be a pedant but shouldn't it be "its magazines."

Turban Explorer

Okay then big shot - explain how a formally accurate usage of the subordinate clause is a bastardised version of English?

Presumably you mean 'the meeting what I had' is correct and 'the meeting that I had' is affected British flimflammery ?

papilon

For me your accent is part of your identity and i could never imagine changing it to fit in. It has never been an issue for me and no Australian has ever commented that they cannot understand me.

I also feel a bit suspicious of any Brit i hear speaking English with a foreign accent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZnoP4sUV90

itigo

Myer had a corker this year on the sale stickers of their window displays.....can't remember what it was now but it was a word you wouldn't think of using an apostrophe in ordinarily. Will see if I can remember......