The sad demise of standing & sitting . . .

LordSutch

When my generation went to school back in the 70s/80s, we were always taught to say "I was standing at the bus stop", or another example might be, "I was sitting in the front row of the cimema". while here below are two examples of what can only be described as a grammatical plague that seems to be sweeping across large parts of the British media today.

"I was stood at the bus stop" or another example of this 'New Speak' might be, "I was sat in the front row of the cimema" . . . Now call me old fashioned, but surely the bold statements in the first paragraph use the correct form of standing & sitting?

FlutterinBantam

Indeed.

Lord save us from "New Speak"

The Raven.

Camelot wrote: »

When my generation went to school back in the 70s/80s, we were always taught to say "I was standing at the bus stop", or another example might be, "I was sitting in the front row of the cimema". while here below are two examples of what can only be described as a grammatical plague that seems to be sweeping across large parts of the British media today.

"I was stood at the bus stop" or another example of this 'New Speak' might be, "I was sat in the front row of the cimema" . . . Now call me old fashioned, but surely the bold statements in the first paragraph use the correct form of standing & sitting?

Camelot, you are absolutely correct on this. The 'New Speak' versions are hideous. I think that the lyrics of pop and rock music etc. have had a particularly bad influence on English grammar. The film world also plays a part. It is a shame that so many people allow this type of bad grammar to take hold.

mayordenis

In my personal opinion, it's more a dialect issue as where I'm from I rarely here anything like the above - but I know it's much more commonplace in other areas.

Yakuza

I work with a Manc, and she'd say "I were sat in the front row". It can be a dialect thing, I think, in some cases.

Karlusss

This is a dialect thing, but also, respect the fluidity of language. It changes from generation to generation.

randylonghorn

Karlusss wrote: »

This is a dialect thing, but also, respect the fluidity of language. It changes from generation to generation.

There's truth in that statement, and actually, considered from a dialectal point of view, I don't really have a problem with these forms being used in everyday speech. Dialects and indeed accents often add a richness to the language which I would be sorry to lose due to over-regulation.

It's when such usages creep over into formal written English that they become more problematic.

Queen-Mise

Another one that annoys the fcuk out of me. Something onto what the OP said.

'She/That situation learnt me', where learnt is used instead of teached/taught.


I have noticed this one only in the last year or so, I have to physically stop myself from correcting.

is_that_so

S/He was/were sat is indeed an acceptable colloquial form in many parts of England and has been in use for a very, very long time. It's not new. I have more problems with I done it and I seen it, both non-existent grammar forms and the even more existential question What is a verb?. All of them show the problems that arise when grammar "ain't taught nor learnt proper".

The Raven.

We had a very good thread on the ‘done’ and ‘seen’ syndrome, a few months ago, entitled: "Done " and "Seen" gaining ground!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=328&pp=20&sort=lastpost&order=desc&daysprune=100&page=2

‘I done’, ‘I seen’, and ‘He learnt me’ were common grammatical errors many years ago in rural Ireland. They seemed to go into remission for a while, but now, it appears, they are back with a vengeance.

starbelgrade

Camelot wrote: »

When my generation went to school back in the 70s/80s, we were always taught to say "I was standing at the bus stop", or another example might be, "I was sitting in the front row of the cimema". while here below are two examples of what can only be described as a grammatical plague that seems to be sweeping across large parts of the British media today.

"I was stood at the bus stop" or another example of this 'New Speak' might be, "I was sat in the front row of the cimema" . . . Now call me old fashioned, but surely the bold statements in the first paragraph use the correct form of standing & sitting?

U gotta learn da lingo or uuuu is like... a dinosaur


or sommat

orinnit
or bro missa

Christ man, you may be right, but, seriously - there are more important issues to whine about.

starbelgrade

Imagine language

imagine language developing

imagne tha t

Happpenijnng

Without you

Imagine that

How sad


How very sad

Arthur

How very sad

nvermind

Would u loike to borrow some money??

FlutterinBantam

starbelgrade wrote: »

U gotta learn da lingo or uuuu is like... a dinosaur


or sommat

orinnit
or bro missa

Christ man, you may be right, but seriously,there are more important issues to whine about.

FYP:D

You may not have noticed, but this a language forum.

dreamlogic

Don't know whether this is dialect or simply lazy grammar but I've noticed Americans saying the word 'lay' instead of 'lie'. 'Lay down' and 'laying down' rather than 'lie down', 'lying down'. It's a small thing I've noticed with some American friends, not sure how widespread or regional it is though...

Latchy

"I was stood at the bus stop" "I was sat in the front row of the cimema"

This you would hear a lot in Northern England although as mentioned the person may use it as part of his / her dilect rather than misuse of English .

Another example would be a Devon farmer saying '' I be off to the market now '' . or '' I be stopping at home tonight ''


Oooh Arrragh !