Pedants' Corner

[Steve kay]

Ian, what is known as the UK comprises four different countries, which do not nessecarily share the same language, and between which there cam be some significant cultural differences. Do your comments refer to Scotland, to Wales, to Northern Ireland, or to England?

[Duncan Grimmond]

We have also a strange sense of humour and are world famous for laughing at ourselves if only out of shame for the centuries of theft and slaughter carried out by our forefathers. Now that we have voted to become a third-rate nation, we have nothing left to take pride in as we watch lying buffoons drive us over a cliff. Pedantry is my only comfort, please don’t make me stop, I’ll have nothing to live for !

[Steve kay]

Now Duncan, might I point you in the direction of my previous contribution. Unless of course you are a bit cross with me for suggesting that this far from United Kingdom consists of four nations and cultures. Should I have mentioned that Yorkshire has its own character and autonomy, being God’s Own Country?

[Duncan Grimmond]

Are you implying that there is somewhere else outside Yorkshire? Is there life as we know it? Can they read? Do they have electricity?

[John Mason]

Taking aside Scotland, Wales and Ireland who all have there own difference in dialect of English as well as a language of there own. In England there are numerous local dialects some of which are a language of there own however all the dialects read and write in UK English and this includes the Scots, Welsh and Irish when speaking in English rather than there own language. That’s why a man from say Newcastle when speaking to a man from Birmingham find it difficult to understand one another but can both read and understand letters of correspondence to one another.

John Mason.

[Reckless Rat]

Diplomacy is the difference between telling someone they're a twàt and just thinking it. You can't get done for thinking someone is a twàt.

[Steve kay]

John, the story always was that a man from Tipton could barely understand a man from Bilston, but neither of them could make any sense of a man from Dudley.

[Duncan Grimmond]

I think we need to refer to the New Uxbridge English Dictionary  where the definition of irony is given as
“ a bit like iron”

[Ian Dunford]

That's really ironic Duncan.

[Reckless Rat]

I thought it was ferral.