The art of speech.

Are we loosing it?

I dont mean the whole posh accent waffeling on with big words sort of thing , just the idea of being able to string a sentence together in a decent fashion so that other people can follow the thread of the conversation.

I was reminded of how annoying people can be this week on BBC breakfast when they had a young man who had been caught up in the Manchester bomb attack as a guest but when he tried to describe what had happened I ended up turning over because his language was so limited.

it went something along these lines....
*Well right, I was like going down the aisle like, and like, I like, heard this bang like, and like, everyone like, started like, to panic like,.....*

Its not just him, Ive noticed the use of well , right , yeah and like creeping in all over the place as if they are a substitue for punctuation.

Re: The art of speech.

Absolutely Cass, but some of the journalists ask some stupid questions.

Re: The art of speech.

I know exactly what you mean Cass but perhaps we should remember that this man may have still been in shock, so not able the think clearly.
Many years ago a coach, carrying a lot of injured teenagers, crashed through the fence of one of the fields near my house. Being first on the scene, I did what I could to help and then the BBC turned up to interview me. In the morning I went into delayed shock!
I never heard my interview so I will never know if I spoke as I normally do.

Re: The art of speech.

He was probably nervous being on television, not being used to it. I'm sure I would be speechless especially after such a traumatic experience.
I imagine he came across as coherent beforehand or they wouldn't have asked him.

Re: The art of speech.

I do understand that in this case it might have been shock that contributed but its not just this young man its everywhere.

This was just the worst Ive seen recently and it took away any meaning of his statement.

Re: The art of speech.

I was brought up to speak received English and it has stood me in good stead over the years.

Re: The art of speech.

Well done Ma'am.

Re: The art of speech.

I love the various dialects and accents within our country, it will continue to evolve with time despite the attempts to change it.

Re: The art of speech.

There was a man interviewed on BBC Breakfast this morning who answered every question with 'So'. I find that really annoying for some reason.

Re: The art of speech.

Yes dongle, and another one is "Erm" before answering everything too.

Perhaps we're just getting old and grumpy.