Comments on: There’s nowt wrong with children’s dialects

By: Stan

Stan — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:48:36 +0000

Thanks for the link, Liz. (I never mind late comments.) I enjoyed Almond’s article too, having found it through Dan Clayton’s blog. As he said, it takes a minute to tune in but is a very worthwhile read once that happens.

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:18:14 +0000

I’m a bit late to the party, but the Guardian published a lovely piece on this topic by the noted children’s author David Almond: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/08/taalk-proper

By: Stan

Stan — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:19:05 +0000

Eugene: Seen and done are fairly common past tense forms in colloquial Hiberno-English. But I didn't want to generalise to the Teesside dialect. medicivalencia: That's true, but many of the usages mentioned here are traditional forms that have been preserved for generations.

By: medicivalencia

medicivalencia — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:29:23 +0000

I think it’s something natural. All languages evolve and it’s the newest generations who trigger that kind of changes.

By: The Teesside Controversy | Dialect Blog

The Teesside Controversy | Dialect Blog — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 02:01:50 +0000

[...] dialect by urging parents to correct their children’ speech. The letter prompted outcry, for reasons well-summarized by Stan Carey of Sentence First. This photo of the note in question has circulated the [...]

By: Eugene

Eugene — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 22:46:55 +0000

I’ve known people who use “I seen it” and “I done it,” but I wasn’t observant enough at the time to notice whether it they were referring to a past or a perfect situation. (Or both, as the post implies).
My hunch is that “I seen it” is past, and that the speakers use “I’ve seen it” as present perfect. Any hypotheses?

By: Stan

Stan — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 15:50:23 +0000

David: Not a problem. Jonathon: Sadly, it does – just one of many forms of outgroup prejudice. Leonore: Sorry for hijacking your brain! Thanks for the note on sat; I don't know if it's the same on this side of the Atlantic, or if was seated or something else is used. Shaun: It is, a bit. linguisteducatorexchange: Indeed. It's often and easily done. BoiseNoise: Not quite – it's a different word, as Michael says; an informal or northern English dialect word for naught. Simon: This isn't about slang, though. Also, the school asked parents to "correct" their children when they weren't on school grounds. Katie: An impossible and pointless task, I think! Though it would make some sense to teach them about the possible drawbacks of regional usages in formal contexts. scherrystreamssilver: Thanks very much, and welcome. I agree about your/you're: it doesn't belong on the list, but it is definitely worth addressing in its own right. You make a good point about "the important part dialect can play in literature". This is something I wrote about briefly at Macmillan Dictionary Blog last year. (You might also enjoy this guddle through the dialectal wordbank.)