David Willmott

E N G L I S H A S S H E I S S P O K E

When I first started in broadcasting, more years ago than I care to remember, I was taught that English is a “living” language and is forever changing. Moreover, much as we should use Received Pronunciation and follow the guide lines, we should be aware that new words, phrases, and pronunciation were constantly becoming acceptable. This advice is just as relevant now as it was then.

When the famous actor/composer Ivor Novello called his 1950 musical “Gay’s the Word”, little did he realise that some 30 years later, the title would have an entirely different meaning. Once, to streak meant “to paint in streaks of different colours”, but now the mention of “streak” raises thoughts of a naked body rushing across a pitch. Similarly, to describe something as “cool” meant it was “fairly cold” or “calm” whereas the young of today use “cool” to mean “highly acceptable” or “with it”, but perhaps that’s “old hat” now.

.It is the young who largely set the trends. Gangs of back-packers, setting out to an unknown destination, talk about going to the “train station”, presumably to differentiate from the “bus station”, but totally ignoring the 150 year old well-used term “railway station.” Quite recently I had the misfortune to have my teeth examined by Tracey, a young hygienist. Despite her qualifications, she had the infuriating habit of adding “for me” at the end of every sentence. So I kept hearing: “Turn your head to the right for me.” “Open wider for me” “Rinse now for me.” How did this enter our language?

It’s almost as bad as “How may I help you” which rolls off every receptionist’s tongue.

On the matter of pronunciation, have you noticed that the verb “to harass” meaning to worry or annoy continually, has become accepted as “harass” which probably sounds more emphatic. Sports reporters on both sides of the Atlantic have changed the metric measure of length from “kilometre” to “kilometre”, and this too is now widely accepted.

In 1973, the year of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, the BBC Pronunciation Unit pointed out that with the word “Jubilee” the accent was on the first syllable (as in jubilation) and not on the final “lee”. All went well until Her Majesty thanked the public for sharing “my Jubilee” “Oh well” we thought, “it is the Queen’s English!”

Television reporters have always used a form of verbal shorthand to heighten their descriptions, and the phrase “At this moment in time” gave a sense of immediacy, but that has now been superseded by “As we speak”, even though there’s only one person speaking. Listen out for the latest synonym for “now”.

These phrases catch on and are soon heard in the pub and the supermarket, until eventually become part of the language and appear in dictionaries, but “that’s it, there you go, absolutely! “