birdie wrote:Petingo wrote:birdie wrote:Petingo wrote:finchman wrote:I was once abused for speaking English in the Outer Hebrides, it was in 1974.
They probably thought you were Polish or sommat.
They don’t meet many Wiganers in t’ Outer ‘ebrides, Finch
You probably sounded very exotic to the locals
I wonder anyone can understand some of the people from the Isles, there are a few Scots MP's in the Chamber who have very broad accents which I do have difficulty in getting my ears around and I'm not the only one, a few months ago during questions one of them asked Sir Paul Beresford (New Zealand by birth) a question, Sir Paul couldn't quite get the gist so asked him to repeat the question, again, he couldn't understand it so said that perhaps it was because of his antipodean brain but he couldn't understand what the 'honorable gentleman' was saying but if the honorable gentleman put his question in writing he would make sure to reply to him.
Going back to what Bonnie Greer said about her Polish friend, she said that the friends daughter was losing her maternal tongue because the mother couldn't speak to her in it on the bus.
That is utter tosh, if the mother speaks to her in Polish at home the couple of hours outside the home isn't going to make any difference, that remark could, by some, be considered just a racist as the alleged abuse quoted by Greer.
That is not what I took from Bonnie's remark, Bird.
I think she said she didn't speak to her in Polish at home because she did not want the daughter speaking to her in that tongue whilst out and so she was trying not to normalize the speaking of it between them.
I was a big taken aback at first and thought "No...that can't be right...not in my liberal England".
But then I realise how the tolerant England of liberal values is under attack from demagoguery spouted by Johnson, Farage and the rest of the Brexit cheerleaders and what she says resonates.
No one on this forum knows how non natives in this country are feeling and as such we are in no position to contradict her.
As much as I don't wish to contradict an elder of the forum, but, with the greatest of respect, I think ole Pet has it slightly, err, incorrect.
If you click on the link Zambo put up to the hated DM you will see that on the video clip la Greer clearly says that the woman doesn't speak to her daughter in Polish whilst in public, she also said, although it isn't on that clip but can be found on catchup, that the daughter was losing her maternal tongue because the mother wont use it in public, that remark is just plain stupid and aimed at stirring up exactly what Greer says she deplores, and anyway, unless the woman came to the UK as a very young child she will speak English with an eastern European accent, a prime example of this is the MP Daniel Kawczynski, who came to England at the age of six and speaks English without any trace of accent.
No child will lose the ability to speak a parental language if it is used at home, so the short time spent on public transport will have no effect whatsoever so Greer is talking sheer twaddle, my husbands father was Italian born, he spoke only Italian at home, English, with an Italian accent, in public, my husband spoke English in public and Italian only with his family, but with an English accent
I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing....
And never worry or feel apologetic about contradicting ol’ Pet, Bird.
I am well used to being contradicted both online and, more frequently, right here in my own home by both the big girl and the one remaining daughter I have under this here roof
