Harry Potter fans

[Night Fighter Nut]

Read the first book when I was deployed to Iraq; brought it back and gave to my wife who was learning English at the time. They were well written enough that it gave my wife incentive to read on and when the movies came out, she used the English subtitles so that hear how the words sounded. Now we have read all the books a number of times and seen all the movies. I can say without doubt that my wife learned English through the Harry Potter series.

 

[silence]

Read the first book when I was deployed to Iraq; brought it back and gave to my wife who was learning English at the time. They were well written enough that it gave my wife incentive to read on and when the movies came out, she used the English subtitles so that hear how the words sounded. Now we have read all the books a number of times and seen all the movies. I can say without doubt that my wife learned English through the Harry Potter series.

But did she learn to speak it with a British accent??

 

[Readie]

Probabily silence.
A lot of young germans speak English with an American twang.
Depends on the teacher / teaching environment I guess.

 

[silence]

Wouldn't surprise me at all for exactly the reasons you state.

My mom's late best friend was born and raised in the Munich area, married an American GI, and came over and lived here for most of her life, so she spoke very American English (though she had learned English in school - whether America or British I do not know).

I do seem to remember hearing a long time ago that a lot of Germans who teach English regard the Queen's English as the "proper" English. or at least it used to be that way.

 

[Readie]

'Queens English' is the grammatically correct and coherent written expression in the English language. It does not refer to a specific accent, intonation or regional variation of the spoken language.
If you look at Pathe News from the 40's/50's the new readers clipped accent and pronunication have disappeared from modern English. If someone started talking like that now we'd think they were either deeply odd or a soviet spy.
Accents enich any language and English must have more accents than any other language but, there is no excuse for poor grammar and spelling.
The highlighted words below are examples of the abused past participles:

1. Present perfect

•She hasn't finished her assignment yet.
•I still haven't found my keys.

2. Past perfect

•Chris was ill because he had eaten too much chocolate.
•She missed the bus because she hadn't set her alarm.

3. Future perfect

•Jamie will have been in Australia for one year in April.
•He will have gone by the time you arrive.

4. Conditional perfect

•If his passport had not been stolen, Adam would have gone to Brazil.
•I wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me.

I'll step off my well worn soap box now....

 

[nuuumannn]

Broadcasting employees of Television New Zealand had to speak The Queen's English on TV until the mid 1980s. You would hear the news being read in a strong English lilt, rather than the New Zealand accent.

 

[silence]

there is noe excuse for poor grammar and spelling.

I'll step off my well worn soap box now....

Oh, God, someone else who feels as I do! I DESPISE "Leet-speak" and with modern word processing programs there is no excuse for bad spelling or grammar. (who would have thought that a Californian - home of "hey, dude..." - would be a proponent of the Queen's English??)

I no longer feel quite so alone in cyberspace...!

 

[Readie]

Until now I fought a lone battle against the appalling grammar, spelling and misuse of my mother tongue. I hate, 'text speak', rant about 'urban and estuary English on TV. I don't like the stilted pathe news English either.

Just speak and write English correctly. Not hard is it?

Silence, I don't know your given name, we have found common ground.

 

[silence]

Indeed we have, kind sir.

 

[Night Fighter Nut]

Oddly enough she speaks it with a Russian accent. But there is a hint of British/Irish accent present; maybe because I'm of Irish decent?

 

[Night Fighter Nut]

Speaking about the bastardization of the English language, don't get me started on Ebonics.

 

[Wayne Little]

Is that an aerobic exercise or something...

 

[Readie]

No Wayne
Its another poor excuse for a failure to grasp the basics of English....

 

[Matt308]

... And some were pushing it for formal language definition. Now let me ax you a question? You think da libary would have uh dishonary for dat? Just sayin.

 

[silence]

No Wayne
Its another poor excuse for a failure to grasp the basics of English....

More like an intentional refusal - kinda like wearing pants with the waist around the hips.

 

[silence]

Oddly enough she speaks it with a Russian accent. But there is a hint of British/Irish accent present; maybe because I'm of Irish decent?

Sounds wonderfully exotic.

 

[Readie]

... And some were pushing it for formal language definition. Now let me ax you a question? You think da libary would have uh dishonary for dat? Just sayin.

You really want me to answer that

More like an intentional refusal - kinda like wearing pants with the waist around the hips.

The pants around the arse started in prison with chaps of a certain sexual orientation advertising their wares so's to speak....

I wonder if the refuseniks know that....

 

[Lucky13]

I speak English with a drunks accent....some would.....or one would say, right Terry, old boy?

 

[silence]

The pants around the arse started in prison with chaps of a certain sexual orientation advertising their wares so's to speak....

I wonder if the refuseniks know that....

Oh, man, I can have some fun with that at school or when I substitute teach!

 

[silence]

I speak English with a drunks accent....some would.....or one would say, right Terry, old boy?

Me, too, when I was an undergrad frat boy.