Could someone with a West Country accent ever become Prime Minister?
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The blog for the afternoon news and current affairs programme presented by Eddie Mair.
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Oooh Arrre
Possibly Eddie, but fancy putting the spoke in the Theme tune thread when there are so many positive comments?
Eddie - I hope you make sure Mark Damazer reads them all and makes the logical decision.
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It is hard to see how the current politicians of all parties can expect the public to put their trust in them.A few folk thought that when Tony Blair departed things would be easier for us all!! Gordon Brown did not have the strength to stand up and ask for a general election,had he done so he could have declared the support of the nation.We now have a system where the trust is evaporating and the public are being expected to put up and shut up! Enough is Enough,we deserve better and we are entitled to better.what about the rights of us the british electorate!It's time the government woke up and smelt the coffee!
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Yes my handsome, now get orf my land!
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Oh Thanks DIY 0 yee likes mee Teets then mee Lorrd?
Well I workes out evry day sir ;-)
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Well if Time is land! mee lord! I'll be making way fer ye Youngsters!
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These days anything is possible. We already have a barely articulate Speaker spouting broad Glaswegian.
Now m'duck; will the fees office pay fer me new combine 'arvester?
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ooo yes please! I like a nice west country accent
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Have you somebody in mind, Eddie?
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Eddie,
I think there is more chance of someone with a west country accent becoming prime minister (and why not) than becoming a BBC news reader, radio presenter, PM host, etc...... I find this issue serious. It should not be trivial!
Battersea Boy
For your information, m'duck comes from the east midlands, (not west country). Except we never say m' (mi),or derivatives of duck such as , chuck. these are pathetic attempts by TV producers of patronising fantasy northern soaps to stereotype the population.
The term 'duck' is a serious term of endearment used exclusively by the working class of my area. It is used for both men and women, by men and women. when a man uses it toward another man it implies an immediacy of relationship and recognition which has no feminine overtones. It is a normal part of the local dialect which would never make it through the false BBC English test. Hope that makes it a bit clearer duck!.
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Joe: That's very interesting, because I can rembmer members of my family (who were based in London for over a century) using the term 'duckie' - and I believe it was used quite a bit in London. Given that the capital is a mishmash of origins, I wonder if this term was brought down from the Midlands. Quite possible.
My favourite from the west country, well, more specifically, from the Bristol area is 'my lover'. I had a married woman friend who referred to all and sundry using that term, and it always brought a smile to my face.
Now, a PM who spoke Brissle, that would be lovely.
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Krek Waiter's Peak Bristle.
Just remembered this wonderfully funny book. Does anyone have a copy?
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BigSis & Joe
My late Gran came from Oxford but lived in London where I grew up. She always used the term 'Duckie' or 'Ducks' - although so did my Grandfather who was from Mousehole in Cornwall, so not sure which one started it?
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I'm sure it was widely used in London, Jonnie. I lived there during the late fifties/early sixties and can remember female conductors on the buses using that term, too.
My grandmother was born and raised in London, as were her parents, which takes us well back into the 19th century.
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Looking this up just now, I'm amused to find that, at one time, ducky was slang for a female breast, while of course latterly it was used to mean a homosexual.
Strange how language evolves!
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In Glasgow not 'duck' but 'hen'.
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Anne, I believe hen is also used in Edinburgh.
Hinny, used by Geordies, is thought to derive from hen.
Aren't these words lovely?
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Phil Harding?
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Lord Myners?
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Big Sis et al,
Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, north leicestershire 'DUCK'. Never 'duckie' (except perhaps on rare occasions addressing a young child in the first person). 'Duckie' was used on occasion as an endearing slang word for bus conductors and conductresses in equal value here. 'Ducks' never used on any occasion. In fact 'Ducks' is often seen as a derogation of 'Duck' and can be seen as an insult to the local dialect if directed toward a local, especially by an outsider. This would be the height of ignorance to some locals.
It seems to me derivatives of this term were widely used. However, like so many old terms and dialects, over time, have been and continue to be obliterated from the language simply for not being 'cool' anymore. This probably began during the nineteen fifties with the beginnings of the rise of the youth culture. Kids were no longer expected to be just clones of their parents. Hence, this included language and dialectics, with the adoption of oral Americanisms through film and music. This was seen as 'cool' and, of course, the rise of BBC English.
An interesting footnote;
I believe correct pronunciation and standard English is a relatively modern phenomenon. I believe up until the eighteenth century, even landed gentry and royalty spoke with broad regional accents. However, you might have to research this more. I feel we have lost much of the colour and culture from our communities due to 'Cooling' up the language.
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FJD: That's very interesting.
Re conductors and conductresses, my recollection is of conductresses in particular using the term when addressing passengers, e.g. when collecting fares. I am quite confident of this memory as it was something that intrigued me as a child who didn't spend their early childhood in London but who had family living there. Later on, as I've said, we did live there, and you still heard the term being used. Where I spent my earliest years, you never heard the word.
Your footnote about accents - Yes, I'd read that. Also, as you probably know, there are remnants of older English dialects/ways of speaking still around in the backswood areas of the American South. I can't remember the exact details now, but linguists have researched this.
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Sis,
Wouldn't it be nice to have someone read out the PM headlines on a rotational regional basis occasionally - 'warts' and all. Taken seriously. Too radical me thinks!
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FJD: I'm up for it!
Hampshire and Sussex accents are good, too, if rarely heard.
I'd love to hear the Cumbrian accent, and of course Ruth from the Archers could do Northumberland ....
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I guess the problem might come if the dialect/accents were to broad to be readily understood by the rest of the population. Nevertheless it could be a good exercise. Ruth from the archers dam near does it for me. I also go goose pimply when I see and hear, is it Gina McKee? 'Our friends in the north' and other good stuff. Beautiful accent, oooh where does she do her drinkin'...
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Yes, Gina McKee. Well, as a woman, I'd obviously have to elect someone else - and NO, not Kevin Whateley, who I'd go out of my way to avoid .....
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Someone with a west country accent would not become Prime Minister because by the time he or she had got that high up the political ladder they'd've had a complete make-over of voice, hair, clothing and all the rest of it.
Does anyone really think that all the people in the commons at the moment who speak in exactly the same way as Blair always spoke that way? Or even that he did before he started to get power?
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Chris,
What about that bloke from Time Team? Hat an all?
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Big Sis,
Oz? Ha ha. Yossa Hughes? ha ha.
What about Stanley Unwin reading the headlines over last nights tune?
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Stanley Unwin.
Are you all sitting comftibold, two-square on your botty? Then I'll begin.
Now, like all real life experience stories, this also begins once a polly tito, and Happiness Stan, whose life evolved the ephemeral colour dreamy most, and his deep joy in this being the multicolour of the moon. Oh yes. His home a victoriana charibold, the four-wheel folloped ft-ft-ft out the back. Now, as eve on his deep approach, his eye on the moon. Alltime sometime deept joy of a full moon scintyladen dangly in the heavenly bode. But now only half! So, gathering all behind him the hintermost, he ploddy-ploddy forward into the deep complicadent fundermold of the forry to sort this one out.
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Oh dear. That sounds just like TRW.
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TIH @ 29, but it isn't broken up.
Not enough paragraphs.
You are still safe!
Also funny. Thank you. :-)
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Chris_G #30. Horse's #28 also makes more sense that TRWs usual posts!
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Jim @ 31, abso-bloomin-lutely!
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