The English Thread

[Chocoholic]

What is your favourite word within the English language, everyone?

My absolute favorite words are "serendipity", "yonder" and "thus". "Serendipity" is just fun to say and it makes me smile, and the latter two are just fancy and makes me feel important

[Mermaid Blues]

What is your favourite word within the English language, everyone?

Not sure if I actually have any favourites, but I find that "elaborate" has a nice ring to it And "glacial". Just off the top of my head.

Which dialect does people here prefer? I think the Australian one is pretty cool.

I'm drawn to Southern Irish, particularly Dublin varieties. And I have to admit that Glaswegian is really growing on me, surprisingly enough. Couldn't master one in a million years myself, though, but I've taken to involuntarily adopting random Glaswegian expressions and words. To my friends' utter delight, mind you, they point it out as "charming".

What accents do the rest of you tend to speak in? I've got a washed out American accent, myself, with hints of Irish in it, and littered with Scottish expressions. All in all makes for a downright train wreck of an accent, in my opinion But at least no one's guessed that I'm actually Scandinavian, thus far

[HedvigR]

I know I said it before, but since you asked British English is what comes naturally to me, so it's mostly RP, but since my ex was from Nottingham I guess I'm a bit influenced by him as well. So I tend to use some terms that are more common in the Midlands

[Gjest Wolfmoon]

My accent is horrible. Started out as rp, then influenced by to much american tv. The some scottish and irish friends. Lately, influenced by australian as i spent a year there :gjeiper:

So now it depends a lot on my conversation partners and their dialects. I'm very adaptable

(I apologize for any mistakes, me and my phone dont really communicate to well in english :gjeiper: )

Endret 20. mai 2012 av Wolfmoon

[Anglofil]

Which dialect does people here prefer? I think the Australian one is pretty cool.

I prefer British English, simply because that's what I'm used to.

Working on my exam on natural language acquisition right now and I just feel like giving up. I'm so tired of my subject, bah!

Wish me luck!

Mvh Yvonne

[The Kitten]

Good luck! When is it due?

Endret 20. mai 2012 av The Kitten

[Anglofil]

Thanks!

It's due tomorrow at 2pm, so I still got a bit of time. However, I'm off to work straight after handing in my exam, and I don't won't to end up all tired and grumpy at work. :gjeiper:

Mvh Yvonne

[Gjest Wolfmoon]

Good luck, Yvonne

[Mermaid Blues]

Ah, wish I could do RP and make it sound natural, I'm honestly pants at it.

Like you Wolfmoon, I tend to mimic whoever I'm talking to unintentionally, like some kind of linguistic chameleon. (Same in Norwegian) So, whenever I'm in London I automatically adjust somewhat, but proper RP? Hardly :gjeiper:

Good thing I'm not going into acting, at any rate

Yvonne: Break a...um...pen I got a question about children's language acquisition on my exam in English Language, that was terrifying enough for me, anyway

[Mamma1]

I prefer British English, simply because that's what I'm used to.

Working on my exam on natural language acquisition right now and I just feel like giving up. I'm so tired of my subject, bah!

Wish me luck!

Mvh Yvonne

I had that subject a few years back at uni, very interesting.

[Hoppetaujenta]

What is your favourite word within the English language, everyone?

My favourite word is Daffodil...

---

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

[Mamma1]

Forgot to say, I usually speak with a northern English accent. I really don't like RP, sounds very posh and stuck-up..

[HedvigR]

I find RP quite neutral, even though it is the "standard way" there are still differences from person to person. If you have a good ear, you can usually tell if it's "Birmingham RP" og "London RP", if that makes sense

[The Kitten]

Can someone please tell me what RP stands for?

[HedvigR]

Received Pronunciation, the standard acccent in Great Britain

[Mamma1]

I find RP quite neutral, even though it is the "standard way" there are still differences from person to person. If you have a good ear, you can usually tell if it's "Birmingham RP" og "London RP", if that makes sense

You can't tell that Blair has the Glaswegian-RP though, can you?

[Mamma1]

No, seriously, RP is an artificial accent, mostly used by the the upper-classes and the chavs. I find any other accent on the British Isles more appealing, including the Black Country accent and Geordie. And neither are very beautiful in my ears..

[Xaphan]

I find RP quite neutral, even though it is the "standard way" there are still differences from person to person. If you have a good ear, you can usually tell if it's "Birmingham RP" og "London RP", if that makes sense

I'm actually hanging out with a mate from London and my Birmingham boyfriend as we speak, so it's funny that you should mention those two :gjeiper: But I don't understand. The London and Birmingham accent are completely different Could someone explain this RP thing to me please?

(My brain is working very slowly today, I blame it on my alcohol consumption yesterday)

[Gjest *Paige]

I instinctively speak an American accent, and I have been told by several Americans and a few Canadians that I have a soothing and soft accent - whatever that means.

I find the word "melody" very beautiful, always have. :-)

Edit: typo

Endret 20. mai 2012 av *Paige

[Mamma1]

RP is an accent, not a dialect. If spoken correctly, you should not be able to tell where the person is from. It is also known as BBC -accent or the Queen's English.

In RP you would not pronounce the R in words like car. You would pronounce the H in the beginning of words.

Endret 20. mai 2012 av Mamma1