Reply to: Now let's sort the gents from the chavs...

[Sysman]

Everyone spoke with an accent until the invention of queens English

The real change came with the advent of Received Pronunciation (RP).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Received_Pronunciation

I used to speak it, but got peed off with being called a Southern Wooftah when I went back home to Yorkshire, so dropped it sharpish.

[Board Game Geek]

Ok , thanks for that!

My pleasure.

[Bagpuss]

How do you know? Are you THAT old?!!

Reminds me of the answer on one of those stupid teatime BBC quiz shows to a history question "How could I possibly know that ? I wasn't born then!"

I wonder if you get bonus marks for that in GCSE history these days

[Bagpuss]

It means you walk up to the judge panel, they give you a handout, you walk on to the stage and have 1 minute to mentally read the material. The judges ring a bell, and then you speak to the morning assembly.

Ok , thanks for that!

[Board Game Geek]

What's an unseen public speaking competition?

It means you walk up to the judge panel, they give you a handout, you walk on to the stage and have 1 minute to mentally read the material. The judges ring a bell, and then you speak to the morning assembly.

[SallyAnne]

Ah yes, reading on the train.

I used to do that.

But I haven't been on a train since the end of BR...

Really?!! Because of your principles against privatisation?
or did you just become posh and employ a driver around that time?

[SallyAnne]

That's a "no" then?

I'm not much of a reader - I dont know how people find the time!

I'd probably read on the train if Suduko's hadn't been invented!

[SallyAnne]

PS: Everyone spoke with an accent until the invention of queens English

How do you know? Are you THAT old?!!

[SallyAnne]

Not read "Trouble with lichen" by John Wyndham?

Take a wild guess

[Bagpuss]

Next !

(I had Elocution lessons and did unseen public speaking competitions at school).

What's an unseen public speaking competition?

BTW: What's wrong with essex boy accent (the cockney accent while chewing gum)?

PS: Everyone spoke with an accent until the invention of queens English

[SallyAnne]

You'd have us believe you're a heifer...

I refuse to google it - I'll believe you're being kind

[threaded]

Terpsichore
lichen
Melpomene
enamour
transom
Foeffer
heifer
skein

I've never heard of any of these!!

And wtf is phlegmatic? That can't be a real word surely!

You'd have us believe you're a heifer...

[SallyAnne]

Terpsichore
lichen
Melpomene
enamour
transom
Foeffer
heifer
skein

I've never heard of any of these!!

And wtf is phlegmatic? That can't be a real word surely!

[threaded]

This one pops up quite regular at various clients as a bit of a laugh. I find the Danes get caught out by the Greek rooted words and especially goddesses: Terpsichore, Melpomene, Psyche.

threaded in "spot the odd one out" mode

[Euro-commuter]

http://bertc.com/english.htm

Try this after the lunch time pint or two. Aloud though, while standing on your chair in the middle of the office. Yes, even if you are working from home.

I don't see anything in there that an educated native speaker shouldn't be able to pronounce at sight; allowing that one or two words have regional variations.

Equally, if it were read at slow speed, every educated native speaker should be able to write it down without spelling mistakes. But I fear it might not be so.