[LINK] Re: Link Digest, Vol 174, Issue 13

David Lochrin dlochrin at d2.net.au
Tue May 8 17:20:28 AEST 2007


   And for an excellent, extremely well researched, and very readable account of the English language (including its regional accents and meanings) I thoroughly recommend "Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson, Penguin Books, 1991.

David

-- 
On Tuesday 08 May 2007 14:56, Ivan Trundle wrote:
> On 08/05/2007, at 2:06 PM, Paul Brooks wrote:
> > Agh, don't get me started on Australian regional accents. I'm from
> > Adelaide, where we are taught to speak properly - which sends my
> > NSW-born inlaws into fits of laughter as they continually try to
> > get me to say things like 'plant stand', and I have to remond them
> > that 'plant' does NOT rhyme with 'ant'. Must be their common
> > convict blood (sniff)! Still, I get the last laugh - my kids call
> > them 'bathers', not the local 'swimmers' or 'togs'.
>
> I was taught (perversely) that 'plahnt' was for the stuff you hire to
> dig roads, whilst 'plants' was the stuff you plahnted after you'd dug
> up the road.
>
> The joys of language. And the problem with curb and kerb is that they
> don't share the same set of meanings. I've never heard of anyone
> kerbing their use of poor English.
>
> I plant my foot on your plant stand.
>
> I had to curb my language after stubbing my toe on the kerb.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Link mailing list
> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link



More information about the Link mailing list