Speech Impediments and TV/Radio
Speech Impediments and TV/Radio
Author
Discussion

Pothole

Original Poster:

34,367 posts

312 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
Are these actually cool/almost de rigeur these days? When I was a lad two boys in my class went to a speech therapist to correct their lisps and inability to pronounce the letter 'R' but these defects are all over the TV and radio now...is it just no longer seen as a problem? Has our all embracing pro-diversity society gone too far? Should I just ignore it?

I find it quite difficult to watch many TV programmes and/or listen to the radio these days, not helped by people like Kevin McCloud adding letters to words, too! Why he can't pronounce the word 'drawings' without adding an 'r' in the middle I can't fathom...isn't he a designer? Surely someone must have corrected him at some time in his life?

Maybe I just need to relax, but what about the speech therapists? Are they all out of work now?

cal72

7,839 posts

200 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
Socialy accepted just like the rising txt speak that will be spoken by bbc news casters in a few years time.

NDA

25,732 posts

255 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
I think speech therapists do more than correcting a lisp - they work with things like comprehension, OCD etc, all sorts of things.

I agree with you that English spoken badly is rather irritating, however nobody 'owns' the language, it's fluid and ever-changing. So all of us what speak nice need to chill. Innit.

CypherP

4,456 posts

222 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
It'th thumbthing of a problem and I do find that it windth me up too.

Then again, people said I had a slight lisp when I was at school, and yet I can pronounce everything normally and I don't think I have one at all. I just have a fat tongue.

Pothole

Original Poster:

34,367 posts

312 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
NDA said:
I think speech therapists do more than correcting a lisp - they work with things like comprehension, OCD etc, all sorts of things.

I agree with you that English spoken badly is rather irritating, however nobody 'owns' the language, it's fluid and ever-changing. So all of us what speak nice need to chill. Innit.
it's not that it's spoken badly, necessarily, I just don't understand why people, and TV presenters especially, would not want to get their impediment 'fixed' like they would snaggly teeth or baldness, etc.

JungleJim

2,428 posts

242 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
Pothole said:
NDA said:
I think speech therapists do more than correcting a lisp - they work with things like comprehension, OCD etc, all sorts of things.

I agree with you that English spoken badly is rather irritating, however nobody 'owns' the language, it's fluid and ever-changing. So all of us what speak nice need to chill. Innit.
it's not that it's spoken badly, necessarily, I just don't understand why people, and TV presenters especially, would not want to get their impediment 'fixed' like they would snaggly teeth or baldness, etc.
not a speech impediment, but what the hell is up with "that" continuity announcer on radio4?

NDA

25,732 posts

255 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
JungleJim said:
not a speech impediment, but what the hell is up with "that" continuity announcer on radio4?
Which one? The one that says 'an now, aftah de Aaachas de nuus'?


JungleJim

2,428 posts

242 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
The one that sounds like the love child of Lloyd grossman, brian blessed and James earl jones. I can never quite shake the feeling that he's taking the piss!

Jasandjules

72,633 posts

259 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
Pothole said:
Are these actually cool/almost de rigeur these days?

Maybe I just need to relax, but what about the speech therapists? Are they all out of work now?
It does seem that way, and it annoys me too. It's almost like they deliberately recruit people with speech impediments for broadcasting these days.

Eric Mc

125,770 posts

295 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
It certainly didn't hamper Daffy Duck's career.

mizx

1,585 posts

215 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
JungleJim said:
The one that sounds like the love child of Lloyd grossman, brian blessed and James earl jones. I can never quite shake the feeling that he's taking the piss!
Neil Nunes?

Tends to irk me when he reads the shipping forecast, I can only listen for so long.

"five" and on the next line it's "fh--Hive"

If it wasn't for that I wouldn't be too bothered.

Edited by mizx on Wednesday 27th October 22:01

Jasandjules

72,633 posts

259 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
It certainly didn't hamper Daffy Duck's career.
But Elmer Fudd (sp?) had a few problems... wink

Pothole

Original Poster:

34,367 posts

312 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
quotequote all
Jasandjules said:
Eric Mc said:
It certainly didn't hamper Daffy Duck's career.
But Elmer Fudd (sp?) had a few problems... wink
Ooooh, dat wabbit!

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

285 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
quotequote all
...Eth off, the lot o' yer


Pothole

Original Poster:

34,367 posts

312 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
quotequote all
mybrainhurts said:
...Eth off, the lot o' yer
he's not quite what I mean as he didn't set out to be a tv presenter by all accounts, it just happened and I expect by the time anyone said 'wouldn't you like to be able to talk properly?' it was already part of his schtick.

zapbrannigan

260 posts

214 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
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I thought that nowadays, the inability to speak English correctly, combined with a strong, regional accent (read incomprehensible), was a sure-fire way of being hired as a presenter of some sort. wink

LuS1fer

43,543 posts

275 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
quotequote all
Worrirrislike is he was over by year an I was overba there and his cort was 'angin up on the floor an I said I'd be there now in a minute burree wosunt lissnin.

Language is abused daily by every local dialect ever invented.

Eric Mc

125,770 posts

295 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
quotequote all
LuS1fer said:
Worrirrislike is he was over by year an I was overba there and his cort was 'angin up on the floor an I said I'd be there now in a minute burree wosunt lissnin.

Language is abused daily by every local dialect ever invented.
They should stay local.

National broadcasters should strive for some standards.

zapbrannigan

260 posts

214 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
LuS1fer said:
Worrirrislike is he was over by year an I was overba there and his cort was 'angin up on the floor an I said I'd be there now in a minute burree wosunt lissnin.

Language is abused daily by every local dialect ever invented.
They should stay local.

National broadcasters should strive for some standards.
Regional accents are fine for the region they are presenting to (local broadcasts), but not for national broadcasts.

Eric Mc

125,770 posts

295 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
quotequote all
zapbrannigan said:
Eric Mc said:
LuS1fer said:
Worrirrislike is he was over by year an I was overba there and his cort was 'angin up on the floor an I said I'd be there now in a minute burree wosunt lissnin.

Language is abused daily by every local dialect ever invented.
They should stay local.

National broadcasters should strive for some standards.
Regional accents are fine for the region they are presenting to (local broadcasts), but not for national broadcasts.
I don't mind "regional" accents (I have a Dublin accent myself) - as long as the diction is good, no local "slang" is used, words are pronounced in an acceptable way and grammar is reasonable.

Listen to the voice of Richard Burton to hear how a regional accent can be an asset and not a hindrance.