Why can't we talk English

Can we settle one old favourite please?

(Of course we can't , but it's an interesting topic.)

How should you pronounce "garage"? There are three common variations.

Garridge

Gararge   (Beginning with "Ga", and equal emphasis on both syllables.)

G - raarge   (Beginning with a short "G", followed by a long drawn our "raarge".

It seems to me that the peasants use the first, the middle classes use the second, the posh use the third - but then the ultra posh revert back to the first as a sort of inverted snobbery?

Or is that too politically incorrect for today's climate!!

Dave

That makes me a peasant then Or should that be pleb?

Frank

Gromit wrote:

How should you pronounce "garage"?
Dave

I've no idea: it's the chauffeur's domain. He simply brings the carriage when told.

Gromit wrote:
Nearly as bad as the government wanting 70% of all school pupils to be average or above. A completely erroneous "stastistic"!

If they fail to achieve the 70% it will be because they are not giving 110%

NORGIL wrote:If they fail to achieve the 70% it will be because they are not giving 110%

If only you were joking, that would be quite amusing!!!

NORGIL wrote:

Gromit wrote:
Nearly as bad as the government wanting 70% of all school pupils to be average or above. A completely erroneous "stastistic"!

If they fail to achieve the 70% it will be because they are not giving 110%

that made me smile

Gromit wrote:Can we settle one old favourite please?

(Of course we can't , but it's an interesting topic.)

How should you pronounce "garage"? There are three common variations.

Garridge

Gararge   (Beginning with "Ga", and equal emphasis on both syllables.)

G - raarge   (Beginning with a short "G", followed by a long drawn our "raarge".

It seems to me that the peasants use the first, the middle classes use the second, the posh use the third - but then the ultra posh revert back to the first as a sort of inverted snobbery?

Or is that too politically incorrect for today's climate!!

Dave

I was happy with the peasant classification until I got to the final bit.

How do I tell if I am ultra posh?

Hi Dave

Does your little finger stick out like a budgie's perch when you drink a finest bone china cup of Da Hong Pao?

If not I'm sorry, you are just another "insignificant" - like me!!

Dave

Bone china, what's that?

Insignificant, yes that will do nicely.

Askit wrote:

In Scotland we only have the first pronunciation   (ducks down behind sofa to hide from incoming   )

I'm 110% sure of that 

That settles it then Me Ma's fra Glasgie.

Frank

Not sure what 15% lighter grey would be, but the Admiralty have I believe, 50 shades of grey. Grey is of course a mixture of black and white, from 1 part black and 49 parts white, up to 49 parts white and 1 part black.....Well something like that.....

Yes, but if you've ever worked in the rubber industry, you'll know that there are several shades of black

Frank

OOOOH - you are awful....

.....and then there are those advertising their motorhomes for sale on ebay, auto trader etc describing it as "3 or 4 birth". Never mind "no dogs or smokers" would you want to buy a second hand motorhome that has been used as a delivery suite for 3 or 4 kids!!!!!

What I want to to know is where does a lorry become a wagon?

For 45 years I lived in the South East of England, grew up in the outer north west suburbs of London, worked in Central and outer London and they were lorries. When I was 45 years old we moved to deep North Yorkshire and suddenly they became wagons. So whereabouts on the way north does the name change?

Our pet hate is being referred to as 'guys' when my wife has spent a lot of years developing her 'busty substances' and is definately not male..
I have said to some that it might be acceptable in America and between the younger generation who are developing our language, but they need to think of it being age specific.  Perhaps thinking about who they are speaking to first, but the general lack of that skill is another problem entirely.

Interesting that Andy, my uncle was a lorry driver back in the 60's and he always referred to his vehicle as "The wagon" and he lived in .... Sussex! This may be a perfect example of how names have slowly changed rather than a geographical thing? Hasn't lorry developed more in to truck these days.

Lady G's pet hate is "kids", she always says had she wanted to raise goats she would have bought a farm

Funny isn't it.

"Kids" doesn't bother me at all, but like Wingrider, the Mem and I dislike being called "Guys".

In fact I told off the very nice young girl at the bank only last week. She kept on with "You guys this . . . you guys that" until I had to say something. I wasn't unpleasant of course, but I did point out that boring old farts like us find many "Americanisms" very irritating.

To be fair, she took it on board and did her best thereafter - but with only partial success, because it's such an ingrained habit with young people today.

Back on track - why do I dislike the word "puke" so much?? It makes me cringe, and there's no logical reason why it should. It's only a word after all, and shouldn't really have any effect - any more than being called "You guys"!!

But it does.

Dave

Some of my pet hates, starting sentences with "and", "so" or "but".

So, just don't do it guys.

I think that a lot of regional variations originate with who invaded us and where, both 'truck' and 'wagon' are Germanic words, in fact one of my Norwegian customers laughingly refers to my motorhome as a "hoosvagen", (but I'm having no truck with that).

I chuckled at the Dutch name for the Eriba Touring Troll 540's we owned. They had 6ft 5ins lounge benches and they called that layout the 'langslaper'.

Surely,
lorries only become wagons after they have transitioned through the "...chariot..." phase, halfway up the country?

Derek

Where I was born twas only the orse and cart weed a see.
Them there chariots was for the posh folk what lived in the big house

One expression we hear often, even on tv, is "I should of" instead of "I should have".