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General => The Shed => Topic started by: Hyacinth on January 30, 2009, 20:20:58

Title: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: Hyacinth on January 30, 2009, 20:20:58
....after rearranging geography, identifying Birmingham, Alabama as Birmingham, England, our Councillors have now turned to rearranging the English language, as writ in Brum...

and just think! Willie Shakespeare's (Shakespeares?) just down the road, too :o >:(

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7858853.stm
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: betula on January 30, 2009, 20:26:08
I have read recently that few of us would understand the plays by the Bard  as written in the original.

Bill Bryson,Shakespeare I think.

The language evolves all the time.
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: Rhubarb Thrasher on January 30, 2009, 20:36:03
is the expression "dumbing-down" an example of dumbing-down?

actually, I blame the Baird ~ didn't he invent television?
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: betula on January 30, 2009, 20:39:39
That was the other one ;D
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: betula on January 30, 2009, 20:42:04
Yogi Bear :)
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: valmarg on January 30, 2009, 20:44:14
Ed Doolan will be back on radio WM on Monday.  Shall make a point of bringing to his attention this load of crap.  Birmingham doesn't do itself any favours.

valmarg
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: ACE on January 30, 2009, 20:55:19
the only people that support  apostrophes  are the sort of people that can't do arguments, they revert to correcting your use of them instead of trying to win the disagreement.

Good riddance to them, I can easily get by without them. Brummies should get by even easier, with their sense of humour.
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: betula on January 30, 2009, 20:57:15
As I understand it ,they are saving the council tax payer a huge amount of money.

Very sensible decision.
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: telboy on January 30, 2009, 21:55:57
Almost as bad as spelling think 'wiv an f'-----------innit?
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: Busy Bee on January 30, 2009, 22:27:21
Being an ex Brummie i think it's all a waste of time. They don't seem to have anything else to do but ban everything ( Christmas trees etc). The minority community, (and i say that very loosely) don't even mind Christmas being celebrated.
I've yet to see them leave anything alone.
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: ACE on January 31, 2009, 08:52:57
I have just found out why. It is the start of the new road signs that will all be changed by 2010



(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1401/1454665383_b725832449.jpg?v=0)
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: Rhubarb Thrasher on January 31, 2009, 09:06:15
they've been doing the apostophe thing for years with shop signs and nobody noticed (apart from me) Currys, Dixons etc

we don't complain about St Albans either (for instance)
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: Froglegs on January 31, 2009, 09:09:07
Quote from: ACE on January 31, 2009, 08:52:57
I have just found out why. It is the start of the new road signs that will all be changed by 2010



(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1401/1454665383_b725832449.jpg?v=0)
;D
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: redimp on January 31, 2009, 10:42:23
Teaching possessive apostrophes is a nightmare - the children just do not get it.  I am in two minds as to whether we need them (to distinguish possessives from plurals) or not.  We need them in contractions though.
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: Hyacinth on January 31, 2009, 15:54:24
...possessive apostrophes....I taught my 6yr old g/daughter this a couple of weeks ago cos they were used in her school reading book, using their 2 cats & their food/toys/biscuits as the example..it was going really well, I thought (cat's biscuits? cats' biscuits?) until she confounded me with her logic = well it's GOT to be the second one always! cos you wouldn't give one without the other, would you?...but yes, she got the idea. But that was one child with 2 cats and assorted toys/biscuits/bowls of food to play with.  Classroom environment will be different, I grant you :-\

My fave motorway sign which might disappear, tho, is at a roundabout near E.Mids Airport with signs leading to B'ham and N'ottm   ??? ;D
Title: Re: The dumbing-down of Britain? Birmingham leads the way - again!
Post by: valmarg on January 31, 2009, 19:14:02
ACE, based on a report that Yorkshire had the highest number of schools where a very high percentage of pupils did not have english as their first language, I think your sign should be pointing further north, at Yorkshire/Lancashire.  The other direction would be Leicester.

valmarg