Just recently I met a Scottish man whilst out walking with Billy, and I'm afraid to say I couldn't understand a single word he said. I had to simply nod, and made an excuse to escape.
Strong accents aren't a major problem in the UK, but occasionally they can be 'troublesome'. I hate having to ask people to repeat themselves, but when I do, I simply pretend to be a bit deaf; which usually solves the problem.
Of course, it's not only accents that can be a problem, lack of diction is probably even worse. I fear that with little 'Drama' or 'Public Speaking' taught in our schools, the problem will only get worse.
I was listening to Radio 4 Extra recently, and I could hardly understand what anyone was saying, then David Attenborough came on with one of his 15 minute talks, and I could understand him perfectly. What a difference!
Just last night we went to our nearby church for a candle-lit service of Carols and six Lessons. I'm sorry to say that only ONE of the lessons was spoken with any diction; all the others were mumbled. I enjoyed the singing!
I don't think I'm alone in not understanding what people say. Maybe this is something that needs to be addressed in our schools. Communication is all about being understood, and that is important. It should, and can, be TAUGHT.
Perhaps you need to get the wax in your ears cleared out.
ReplyDeleteDon't be silly!
DeleteYour ears are blocked, you said so only the other day. If you could hear properly you would pick up the sounds you are clearly missing.
DeleteI suspect it's your problem, I live amongst the heathen Scots and have far fewer problems communicating than I had whilst working in France and Spain. If they struggle to understand me I just shout louder.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your final paragraph, yes it can be taught but my experience of school leads me to suspect that it is unlikely to be taught by teachers. With few exceptions they were a
useless lot.
No, it's not my problem. When anyone speaks clearly I understand them at once, when they don't I have difficulty. This isn't a new problem. I, and most others, are much the same.
DeleteMost people I know have the same problem, especially with young people. They simply don't speak properly. Speaking in order to be understood is very important, it SHOULD be taught.
DeleteI agree with you. Diction was a big thing in my home and school. Between Welsh, English and Latin, care had to be taken to use exactly the right word, and to be understood as using the right word.
ReplyDeleteI'm married to a South Londoner, and he drives me spare sometimes. He will admit that he had little chance of hearing the correct pronunciation of words, at home or in school. And he drops the hard 'd' or 't' at the end of words. Annoying!!!!
They seem to speak so fast these days too. We abandon so many TV programmes because of this, and that they seem to mumble too so you can't hear them. Then the advert break comes on and blasts away at you because you've had to turn the volume up!
ReplyDelete