Do you ever meet someone from your past and realise after half an hour of catching up that your voice has... changed? Vowels widening or slang you hadn't thought about in 20 years suddenly popping out of your mouth as if you use them every day? There are so many varieties and kinds of English and the way we talk can pin our upbringing down to within a few miles. But might all that change. It might sound like one of those manufactured moral panics that crop up every so often - 'the ubiquity of American television is homogenising our language!' 'there's no such thing as regional accents any more!' But then again, apparently some accents and dialects really are at risk of dying out What a shame that would be. If there's one thing that makes English interesting, it's the hugely different number of ways of saying the same thing. And, let's face it, the potential for comedy contained within that as well - ask an American for a fag and enjoy their confusion until they ask you for their thongs and get annoyed when you pass them pants instead of flip-flops. We're not sure that English is going to be standardised any time soon, but it does seem like a good time to think about some of our favourite examples...
1. I grew up in the northeast of England and every so often I still forget that chewing gum isn't called, anywhere else, 'chuddy'. Despite being almost onomatopoeic. Squeamish Louise
2. My favorite slang is from Glasgow, even wee phrases that you didn't realise sound out of place when no one around you says it. I used to say "No bother" a lot, I'm not pretending I said "Nae bother" as the accent never rubbed off on me the six years I lived in Scotland. However I'm still sad that Prestwick Airport has got rid of its "Pure Dead Brilliant" slogan that was pure dead funny. On a personal note I miss 'winching' - it's been too long!
3. I don't know if it was a regional word, or just one that was popular among my social group at the time (made up of people from all over the UK), but I've always been partial to 'bimble'. I always thought it was semi-onomatopoeic, as no one outside that particular social group had ever needed it defined, but since I started working in motorsport no one has ever known what it meant. Or maybe racers just don't have a natural understanding of a slow, purposeless walk? F1Kate
4. Because I moved around a lot as a child and adult I have heard a lot of different slang, but I rarely pick it up. My family has enough slang to memorise and contend with. I'm not saying we're the Mitfords or anything but I do occasionally forget myself and accuse friends of 'scrobbling' an item or sadly announce some 'unflatulent' news. Squeamish Kate
5. Thanks to a Scottish mother, a Welsh father and growing up in the North East of England I've developed a vocabulary that amuses or confuses many people. However, I think the one that had left most people guffawing is when I call a clothes horse (which is a stupid name when you think about it.) a 'Winter Dyke'. That's a much better name! It's a wall you use to hang things on when it is too cold to dry them outside. It's a perfectly logical name! Gareth
2. My favorite slang is from Glasgow, even wee phrases that you didn't realise sound out of place when no one around you says it. I used to say "No bother" a lot, I'm not pretending I said "Nae bother" as the accent never rubbed off on me the six years I lived in Scotland. However I'm still sad that Prestwick Airport has got rid of its "Pure Dead Brilliant" slogan that was pure dead funny. On a personal note I miss 'winching' - it's been too long!
3. I don't know if it was a regional word, or just one that was popular among my social group at the time (made up of people from all over the UK), but I've always been partial to 'bimble'. I always thought it was semi-onomatopoeic, as no one outside that particular social group had ever needed it defined, but since I started working in motorsport no one has ever known what it meant. Or maybe racers just don't have a natural understanding of a slow, purposeless walk? F1Kate
4. Because I moved around a lot as a child and adult I have heard a lot of different slang, but I rarely pick it up. My family has enough slang to memorise and contend with. I'm not saying we're the Mitfords or anything but I do occasionally forget myself and accuse friends of 'scrobbling' an item or sadly announce some 'unflatulent' news. Squeamish Kate
5. Thanks to a Scottish mother, a Welsh father and growing up in the North East of England I've developed a vocabulary that amuses or confuses many people. However, I think the one that had left most people guffawing is when I call a clothes horse (which is a stupid name when you think about it.) a 'Winter Dyke'. That's a much better name! It's a wall you use to hang things on when it is too cold to dry them outside. It's a perfectly logical name! Gareth
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