You can't really beat a perfect design...

[flecc]

People have managed to express themselves perfectly satisfactorily in English for centuries without resorting to smileys.

True, but for almost all that time with the real smiley, their accompanying facial expression.

Any moment now someone will probably tell both of us off for using the word smiley instead of emoticon.

 

[bode]

True, but for almost all that time with the real smiley, their accompanying facial expression.

I meant in books, newspapers, and all other manifestations of the written word.

 

[indalo]

People have managed to express themselves perfectly satisfactorily in English for centuries without resorting to smileys.

Have you ever actually been to Newcastle or Glasgow Bode?

Indalo

 

[Willin']

Have you ever actually been to Newcastle or Glasgow Bode?

Indalo

Well I am in and out of Newcastle quite a lot and I can understand a Geordie accent with few problems. Haven't been to Glasgow much so can't comment. It's those bloody awful London type accents I can't make head or tail of.

 

[flecc]

The only regional accent problem I've ever had trouble understanding is that of rapid speakers who are natives of Dudley in the West Midlands.

The Queen is a Londoner Willin' you can't understand her?

 

[indalo]

natives of Dudley

That'll be "Doodloy" then Flecc?....

 

[Scottyf]

The only regional accent problem I've ever had trouble understanding is that of rapid speakers who are natives of Dudley in the West Midlands.

I have trouble with them and I lived 5 miles away from them.
Reminds me of my work experience when i was 15 in an engineering factory in the black country. Needless to say I spent most of it just nodding and agreeing and just getting on with my work. Only upside is I got paid.

 

[flecc]

I have trouble with them and I lived 5 miles away from them.
Reminds me of my work experience when i was 15 in an engineering factory in the black country. Needless to say I spent most of it just nodding and agreeing and just getting on with my work. Only upside is I got paid.

Reminds me of when I first went to live and work in France many years ago, confident in having sufficient French language ability. I was placed working with a Hungarian partner , so that was just nodding and agreeing most of the time!

 

[Willin']

The only regional accent problem I've ever had trouble understanding is that of rapid speakers who are natives of Dudley in the West Midlands.

The Queen is a Londoner Willin' you can't understand her?

A chap who gets in my local is from around the Dudley area and hardly anyone in the pub has a clue what he is on about.

The Queen hasn't really got one of those annoying London accents though, has she? It's a pretty strange accent all the same.

 

[Scottyf]

Accents make Britian brilliant. The fact you can go 10 miles in a different and have completly different accents, dialects and views is what makes us so diverse.

Our American chums can't beleive we don't all know each other given the size of the UK.

 

[flecc]

The Queen hasn't really got one of those annoying London accents though, has she? It's a pretty strange accent all the same.

It is, seems to be taught at Roedean and similar exclusive girls schools. They seem to have only four vowels, A, E, I, U, the "O" being replaced with "A" again. Thus the Queen says hame, not home.

 

[Hugh]

And 'trite' and 'grice' rather than 'trout' and 'grouse'.

 

[bode]

Have you ever actually been to Newcastle or Glasgow Bode?

Indalo

Both, and to most other parts of the English (or dialect)-speaking world, but as I have pointed out, I was referring to the written language.