[binand]

Originally Posted by Guite

There is a new pair for me: saw and show. Its strange but i need a rethink when typing out mails containing either word.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Struggling to imagine how you pronounce them?

I guess they might sound similar when pronounced by someone whose first language does not have the "sh" sibilant, and whose "saw" comes out like "so". Does Oriya qualify?

Maybe sow and show is what the OP meant.

"Saw Emsworth; told him to show his sow".

Originally Posted by samaspire

I can't even think of any sentence where they can be potentially confusing! Give an example please.

Contrived and probably not used daily, but:

"I'll skip the meeting with the boss; all he'll do is to saw off slides from the departmental presentation"

"I'll skip the meeting with the boss; all he'll do is to show off slides from the departmental presentation"

[Guite]

I definitely meant 'saw', as in past tense of 'see'. My pronunciation is not so accurate; so, saw, show sounds so similar. Binand has put up very good examples in his last two paragraphs.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Why would pronunciation be an issue while typing?

Have you come across people using "should of" instead of "should've" ? I have, and it makes me really wonder.

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Have you come across people using "should of" instead of "should've" ? I have, and it makes me really wonder.

No. And I'm glad I don't. I would be


But it's not surprising. Case in point, this message that my son's school sent today:

Dear parent,
Please note:Uniform camp is scheduled from 6th to 9th Feb, 2017, in School.Time: 4 to 7 pm-Principal, XYZ

Bad formatting, grammar, etc.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Should of is a classic error. It was probably around in my childhood! Hadn't occurred to me that "should've" could be its origin. It is not a short form I'd use. Is it more common in America than Britain?

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Guite

There is a new pair for me: saw and show. Its strange but i need a rethink when typing out mails containing either word. I am not confused with the meaning of each. However similarity of pronunciation stops me in my track.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Struggling to imagine how you pronounce them?

Me too!

Originally Posted by binand

I guess they might sound similar when pronounced by someone whose first language does not have the "sh" sibilant, and whose "saw" comes out like "so". Does Oriya qualify?

You've hit the nail on the head! Most Oriya guys cannot pronounce 'sh' correctly.

Originally Posted by Guite

I definitely meant 'saw', as in past tense of 'see'. My pronunciation is not so accurate; so, saw, show sounds so similar. Binand has put up very good examples in his last two paragraphs.

Ok, gotcha!

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Should of is a classic error. It was probably around in my childhood! Hadn't occurred to me that "should've" could be its origin. It is not a short form I'd use. Is it more common in America than Britain?

I have seen it being used in the Mopar facebook group. That group largely consists of blue collar Americans. I doubt they have any links to Britain.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Should of is a classic error. It was probably around in my childhood! ....

I only ever heard this usage in UK. I kept thinking that it sounds like 'should of' but maybe what they are actually saying is 'should have'. Brits have a tendency to 'clip' words and I attributed this peculiar sounding usage to that fact. I never did see this in writing anywhere.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by amitoj

... blue collar Americans. I doubt they have any links to Britain.

So it's American.

Originally Posted by anupmathur

I only ever heard this usage in UK.

So it's British.

Right. That's got that sorted out

I think I have mostly seen it in articles and comic strips about common English-language mistakes!

Brits have a tendency to 'clip' words

I hope that regional accents and dialects have not entirely disappeared, although many are at risk. I'd say that depends on place and age.

Would you describe "standard" (think slightly old-fashioned BBC News reader, if you are ancient enough to have heard such an one) English as clipped?

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

such an one

Why does this sound odd?


PS: Just realised why pronunciation matters while writing/reading.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Why does this sound odd?

Because it is!

It is one of those probably-correct things that people never actually say. A disused brain cell thinks I am quoting from a song or poem, but can't place it.

edit: it seems it is used in the King James version of the bible. I'm sure I've come across it in some song, but I'll have to dig deep. I think I was feeling poetic when I wrote that: it is a nice phrase

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

...
...
I hope that regional accents and dialects have not entirely disappeared, although many are at risk. I'd say that depends on place and age.

Would you describe "standard" (think slightly old-fashioned BBC News reader, if you are ancient enough to have heard such an one) English as clipped?

The second part first: Aye, Sir, I am of a vintage to have heard such an one! It was always on the radio, since the idiot box had not made its debut in India back then. BBC standard English used to be near-perfect, and we used to refer to it as Queen's English though none of us had ever heard Her Majesty speak.
There were no clipped words in that English (as she was then spoke), but I dare say that once in a while a couple of slippages did occur, depending on the newsreader for that session. Not all were equal. The newsreaders, I mean.

The first part of your question: Many years after having finished school, when I did finally visit the UK I was quite charmed by the variety of accents in use (this was in the early eighties), though some were almost incomprehensible (particularly in Northern Ireland) and some words (like bucket) were clearly mispronounced.
The Scots, to my surprise, rolled their 'R's almost as though they were foreigners using the language!
Londoners spoke in a strangely clipped fashion, which, to me, then, was a significant departure from what I believed the Queen might approve.

Haha, I've reminisced enough. But yes, I also do so hope that the delightful accents and dialects have not all disappeared. I was quite disappointed in the Republic of Ireland when I visited a few years ago. I found they had far fewer accents across their country. I suspect they lost many during the Celtic Tiger era. Thankfully, in Belfast, the delightful Belfast sing-song English was quite intact.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I used to be able to tell Yorkshire from Lancashire. I used to be able to tell South Cornwall from North...

There is a general "west-country" accent that starts surprisingly soon as one heads down the A30, but it has many flavours along the way. The accents of the North have merged somewhat.

I think it is/was Newcastle that has such a strong dialect it is more of a language than an accent. I remember, back in 1970-something, a friend demonstrating how he would speak at home: I might as well have been listening to French, German... or ancient Greek. it was really incomprehensible!

Perhaps the peculiarly nasal accent of the Birmingham area still exists. I hope so, even though many find it unpleasant.

Sadly, I have never been to Ireland. I wanted to do a sailing trip from Cornwall to SW Ireland, but it would have been three weeks to make it worthwhile, and those who had the time lacked the money, whilst those with the cash could not manage the time. The stereotype-beautiful (but it does exist) Irish accent is of the South. Northerners have a rather hard accent. You might remember some of Northern-Irish politicians you would have heard speak way-back-then on your radio (or wireless, as we called it then).

Long live diversity! Vive la difference!

[crdi]

What would be the commonest misspelt word on our forum?
Just like the many iterations of puncture, vulcanisation, power-brake etc. that we see on our roads, I have felt that many bhpians are having a problem with the word 'definitely,' more than any other ones.
Anyone else thinking so?

[binand]

Originally Posted by crdi

I have felt that many bhpians are having a problem with the word 'definitely,' more than any other ones.

Most spelling mistakes I can live with; what I find tough to adjust to is the common grammar issue of inappropriate or inconsistent tense usage.