Prof Peter Trudgill, FBA, President of FOND
Honorary Professor of Sociolinguistics at the University of East Anglia
EDP Articles 2012 -2017
Dear Loyal Readers,
This is my last column for some while. I am taking a break. I hope I may be forgiven: my first column appeared on 13th August 2012; and since 4th March 2013 the columns have been appearing on a regular basis every Monday. Today’s column is the 218th. (I have received no payment for any of them.) In case of withdrawal symptoms, you can find nearly all of the first c.150 columns in my 2016 Cambridge University Press book ‘Dialect matters: respecting vernacular language’. I am also currently writing what now seems to be a weekly column on language and languages in Europe in the weekly newspaper The New European: www.theneweuropean.co.uk/
With many thanks and very best wishes,
Peter Trudgill, January 2017
— — — 2012 — — —
NOVEMBER
IT’S RIGHT UP OUR STREET TO TALK LIKE THIS (EDP, 21 November 2012)
THOSE COASTAL FOLK REALLY KNEW THEIR SANFER (EDP, 27 November 2012)
DECEMBER
REAL MEANING OF WORDS – ASS A RUMM’UN (EDP, 5 December 2012)
SOME NAMES ARE JUST NOT MEANT TO CHANGE (EDP, 17 December 2012)
HOW’S THIS FOR A NORFOLK QUADRUPLE NEGATIVE? (EDP, 26 December 2012)
— — — 2013 — — —
JANUARY
STRANGERS WHO MADE OUR GREAT CITY WHAT IT IS (EDP, 4 January 2013)
A SENSE OF HUMOUR THAT’S NOT FOR OUTSIDERS (EDP, 14 January 2013)
CONFUSION CREATED OVER ‘ME’ AND ’MYSELF’ (EDP, 30 January 2013)
FEBRUARY
WHAT’S IN A NAME? WELL, QUITE A LOT, ACTUALLY (EDP, 20 February 2013)
MARCH
TO ‘T’ OR NOT TO ‘T’? THA’S A NORFOLK QUESTION (EDP, 4 March 2013)
NORFOLK AND ROMANY? NOW THAT IS A RUMM’UN (EDP, 11 March 2013)
DECLINE IN LOCAL ACCENT IS A SIGN OF THE TIMES (EDP, 20 March 2013)
OUR VOWEL HABITS SET US APART FROM THE REST (EDP, 26 March 2013)
APRIL
SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE RULES OF ENGLISH? (EDP, 1 April 2013)
BLAME BUSINESS SCHOOLS FOR LANGUAGE BARRIER (EDP, 23 April 2013)
NAMES CHANGE, BUT STORIES STAY THE SAME! (EDP, 30 April 2013)
MAY
RULES OF PRONUNCIATION TAUGHT AT URT SCHOOL (EDP, 6 May 2013)
WE’VE ALL FORGOTTEN OUR WESKETS (EDP, 13 May 2013)
TOGETHERNESS IS DIFFERENT HERE (EDP, 20 May 2013)
JUNE
IF IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT (EDP, 6 June 2013)
HAIR IT IS (EDP, 17 June 2013)
HAVING A NOSE FROM WHAT A WORD MEANS FROM ITS SOUND (EDP, 24 June 2013)
JULY
ANNE STOOPED TO CONKER! (EDP, 8 July 2013)
FASCINATING WAYS LANGUAGES EVENTUALLY EVOLVE (EDP, 15 July 2013)
WHY THERE SHOULD BE MORE CHANCES TO USE THE WORD ‘LESS’(EDP, 22 July 2013)
IT’S WORTH LISTENING TO ‘HOOTS’ – FOR ‘MANNY’ REASONS (EDP, 29 July 2013)
AUGUST
FROM SQUATTERS TO LANDOWNERS,,, THIS NAME HAS A STORY (EDP, 5 August 2013)
BIG WORDS DON’T IMPRESS ANYONE – THEY’RE JUST CONFUSING (EDP, 12 Aug 2013)
GRANNY ALWAYS SAID ‘CLAY’ (EDP, 19 August 2013)
PEOPLE IN NORFOLK KNOW THEIR ENGLISH PHONOTACTICS (EDP, 26 August 2013)
SEPTEMBER
WHAT YOU SAY AND WHAT WE HEAR MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE (EDP, 2 Sept 2013)
VE FING IS… VIS LANGUAGE HAS GONE FROUGH SOME CHANGES (EDP, 9 Sept 2013)
MOST OF US GO WITH THE FLOW (EDP, 16 Sept 2013)
CLUE TO IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE LIES IN THE UPBRINGING (EDP, 23 Sept 2013)
NORFOLK DIALECT COULD MAKE ENGLISH GRAMMAR CLEARER (EDP, 30 Sept 2013)
OCTOBER
CAN WORDS ENDING IN ‘MAN’ APPLY EQUALLY TO WOMEN? (EDP, 7 Oct 2013)
PUNCTUATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SPELLING (EDP, 14 Oct 2013)
WORLD OF MANY FLAGS – ENGLISH IS THE WORLD LANGUAGE (EDP, 21 Oct 2013)
NOVEMBER
USE YOUR LOAF AND TAKE A BUTCHER’S (EDP, 4 Nov 2013)
WELL, THESE DISCOURSE MARKERS CAN MEAN A LOT OF THINGS (EDP, 18 Nov 2013)
THE ART OF TALKING CORRECT NORWICH (EDP, 25 Nov 2013)
DECEMBER
AND THERE ARE RULES BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE FOR (EDP, 2 Dec 2013)
LANGUAGE DEATH IS THE BIGGEST CULTURAL TRAGEDY (EDP, 9 Dec 2013)
IT’S ALL IN A NAME – AND THERE ARE SO MANY VARIATIONS (EDP, 16 Dec 2013)
WONDERFUL GRAMMAR IS SOMETHING TO BE CELEBRATED (EDP, 23 Dec 2013)
IWAN HAS A WAY WITH WORDS AS WELL AS WITH A FOOTBALL (EDP, 30 Dec 2013)
— — — 2014 — — —
JANUARY
FIVE REASONS TO MAKE YOU MORE CHEERFUL (EDP, 6 Jan 2014)
RIVER NAMES SHOW DIFFERENCE IN ANGLO-SAXON (EDP, 13 Jan 2014)
FINGS AIN’T WOT THEY USED TO BE IN ENGLISH (EDP, 20 Jan 2014)
DIALECT WORDS SUFFER FROM ‘LEXICAL ATTRITION’ (EDP, 27 Jan 2014)
FEBRUARY
OLYMPIC VENUE HAS A LINK TO A PAST LANGUAGE (EDP, 10 Feb 2014)
TRACING OUR COUNTY’S PAST LINKS (EDP, 17 Feb 2014)
TIME TO GET NORFOLK PRONUNCIATION RIGHT (EDP, 24 Feb 2014)
MARCH
WE EAST ANGLIANS REALLY ARE A DIVERSE BUNCH (EDP, 3 March 2014)
DIALECT NAMES FOR A DONKEY (EDP, 10 March 2014)
FATHER’S ART REMINDS ME OF PREJUDICE HE FACED (EDP, 17 March 2014)
HOW OUR DIALECT MAKES GRAMMAR CLEARER (EDP, 24 March 2014)
THE DAY MUM WAS TALKING A LOAD OF ‘TOSH’ (EDP, 31 March 2014)
APRIL
REMEMBER YOUR VOWELS – A, E, I, O, U AND SCHWA (EDP, 7 April 2014)
A BONUS LETTER! (EDP, 7 April 2014)
THE ONLY CRIME IS THE ATTACK ON NATIVE DIALECTS (EDP, 14 April 2014)
THETFORD SHARES A LOT WITH THE GERMANS (EDP, 21 April 2014)
IT STILL MATTERS HOW YOU SAY IT (EDP, 28 April 2014)
MAY
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO EAT FRUIT IN THE AFTERNOON? (EDP, 5 May 2014)
HISTORY OF THIS ANCIENT STREET IS A PIECE OF CAKE (EDP, 12 May 2014)
PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS ARE A PART OF NORFOLK LIFE (EDP, 19 May 2014)
OUR PLACE-NAMES DESERVE RESPECT (EDP, 26 May 2014)
JUNE
DROPPING SYLLABLES IS CORRECT (EDP, 2 June 2014)
COUNTRIES AT ODDS HAVE SIMILAR LANGUAGES (EDP, 9 June 2014)
SO, MR GOVE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT AN ADVERB IS? (EDP, 16 June 2014)
MEMORIES OF A SPECIAL DAY IN SWARDESTON (EDP, 23 June 2014)
WHY IS ‘ON’ USED FOR ‘OF’ IN OUR DIALECT? (EDP, 30 June 2014)
JULY
ENJOYING A MARDLE IS QUITE A NEW CONCEPT (EDP, 6 July 2014)
HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN (EDP, 14 July 2014)
SPEAK OUT AND BE PROUD OF YOUR ACCENT (EDP, 21 July 2014)*
AMERICANS ARE ADOPTING BRITICISMS (EDP, 28 July 2014)*
*Plus an extra article by Rowan Mantell, EDP correspondent:
AN ACCENT ON HOW WE SPEAK CAN BE STRESSFUL (EDP, 12 July 2014)
AUGUST
THERE’S NO G TO DROP WHEN YOU’RE TALKIN (EDP, 4 August 2014)
CHILDREN SHOULD NOT FEEL INSECURE ABOUT SPEECH (EDP, 11 August 2014)
SET APART BY THEIR LANGUAGE AS WELL AS RELIGION (EDP, 18 August 2014)
DON’T BLAME THE AMERICANS, THIS IS OUR OWN FAULT (EDP, 25 August 2014)
SEPTEMBER
OUR DIALECT IS JUST AS LYRICAL AS ANY OTHER (EDP, 1 September 2014)
WHAT’S IN A NAME? A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE (EDP, 15 September 2014)
WHY WE PUT THE ‘GREAT’ IN MANY PLACENAMES (EDP, 22 September 2014)
OVERCOMING COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS (EDP, 29 September 2014)
OCTOBER
LEARN A LANGUAGE – MAYBE NOT MANDARIN (EDP, 6 October 2014)
THE MYSTERIOUS TALE OF WIVETON BRIDGE (EDP, 13 October 2014)
SMELLY CITY DRAINS MADE UNPLEASANT NEWS (EDP, 20 October 2014)
LANGUAGE CHANGES AROUND US (EDP, 27 October 2014) *
*Plus a letter which appeared in the EDP, 1 November 2014:
A FLEXIBLE LANGUAGE
NOVEMBER
SPEAKING ‘PROPERLY’ ISN’T NECESSARILY CORRECT (EDP, 3 November 2014)
I STAND BY MY VIEWS ON LOCAL PLACE NAMES (EDP, 10 November 2014)
IT’S ALL GREEK TO US, SAID THE ANCIENT ROMANS (EDP, 17 November 2014)
LIKE A WHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL (EDP, 24 November 2014)
DECEMBER
WE MAY SPEAK WITH A NORFOLK ACCENT BUT… (EDP, 1 December 2014)
BORROWING WORDS OFFERS FOOD FOR THOUGHT (EDP, 8 December 2014)
SPEAK OUT LOUD AND PROUD (EDP, 15 December 2014)
BLAME THE PREJUDICE – NOT THE WORDS (EDP, 22 December 2014)
HOW THIS WORD WASHED UP IN OUR REGION (EDP, 29 December 2014)
— — — 2015 — — —
JANUARY
THERE’S PLE’Y TO LIKE ABOUT OUR PRONUNCIATION (EDP, 5 Jan 2015)
SOME RULES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN (EDP, 12 Jan 2015)
WE’VE ALL GOT AN ACCENT (EDP, 19 Jan 2015)
THE DEMONIC DOG WITH AN ALL EAST ANGLIAN NAME (EDP, 26 Jan 2015)
FEBRUARY
SUCH A SMALL WORD WITH A BIG STORY BEHIND IT (EDP, 2 Feb 2015)
IT’S WHAT YOU SAY, NOT HOW YOU SAY IT! (EDP, 9 Feb 2015)
MAPS SHOW CHANGING IMPORTANCE (EDP, 16 Feb 2015)
JUST SPEAKING ENGLISH IS NOT ENOUGH (EDP, 23 Feb 2015)
MARCH
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY LEADS TO TOILET CLOSURES (EDP, 2 March 2015)
THE TIMES THEY AREN’T A-CHANGIN’ (EDP, 9 March 2015)
IGNORING FOIBLES OF SPEECH (EDP, 16 March 2015)
FAMILIAL WORDS SUGGEST A PARENT LANGUAGE (EDP, 23 March 2015)
THOSE NORMANS HAVE A LOT TO ANSWER FOR (EDP, 30 March 2015)
APRIL
THE LONG JOURNEY OF A SURNAME EDP, 6 April 2015)
NORFOLK VILLAGE NAMED BY TRAUMATIC MEANS EDP, 13 April 2015)
NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT DOUBLE NEGATIVES EDP, 20 April 2015)
UNSEETHROUGHABLENESS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDP, 27 April 2015)
MAY
HOW FAMILIAR PLACE NAMES HAVE EVOLVED EDP, 4 May 2015
CAN’T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE BAUM? EDP, 11 May 2015
NOTHING WRONG IN WRITING LIKE WHAT WE TALK EDP, 18 May 2015
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SAY – IT’S THE WAY YOU SAY IT EDP, 25 May 2015
JUNE
DIFFERENT WORDS MIGHT MEAN A DIFFERENT OUTCOME EDP, 1 June 2015
EAGER LEARNERS ON THE WRONG TRACK EDP, 8 June 2015
TO STRESS OR NOT TO STRESS? EDP, 15 June 2015
WHAT’S IN A WORD? EDP, 22 June 2015
HAVE YOU FATHOMED OUR MEASUREMENTS? EDP, 29 June 2015
JULY
KEEPING US ON OUR METTLE EDP, 6 July 2015
LETTER THAT HAS SEEN A CHANGE IN PRONUNCIATION EDP, 13 July 2015
OUR LANGUAGE IS CHANGING EDP, 21 July 2015
IF I WAS MINISTER FOR EDUCATION EDP, 27 July 2015
AUGUST
WHAT’S IN A CHRISTIAN NAME? EDP, 3 August 2015
HOW DID OUR FINE CITY GET ITS NAME? EDP. 10 August 2015
I’M TAKING A PUNT… EDP, 17 August 2015
THE PAST IS ANOTHER LANGUAGE EDP, 24 August 2015
SEAGULLS – OR SHOULD THAT BE GULLS? EDP, 31 August 2015
SEPTEMBER
SHED LIGHT ON TWO LITTLE WORDS EDP, 7 September 2015
YOU MAY BE SINGULARLY CONFUSED EDP, 14 September 2015
LANGUAGES CAN BE AN OPPORTUNITY EDP, 21 September 2015
I’M RIGHT ABOUT THE WORD ‘NONE’ EDP, 28 September 2015
OCTOBER
WEE DRAM OF WHISKY EDP, 12 October 2015
YOU HAD BETTER MIND YOUR LANGUAGE EDP, 19 October 2015
‘THEY’ ARE PLURAL… AND ALSO SINGULAR EDP, 26 October 2015
NOVEMBER
CITY AND TOWN FANS SHARED SOLIDARITY EDP, 2 November 2015
IT’S WHAT YOU SAY, THAT MATTERS EDP, 9 November 2015
RIDICULOUS THEORY ON AUSSIE ACCENTS EDP, 16 November 2015
LANGUAGE AND BORDERS DO NOT COINCIDE EDP, 23 November 2016
IS WONG IS AN ENGLISH WORD? EDP, 30 November 2016
DECEMBER
WHEN USING THE WRONG WORD IS NOT RIGHT EDP, 7 December 2015
REFLECTING LOCAL HISTORICAL LEGACIES EDP, 14 December 2015
ARE YOU AWARE OF ADOPTED AMERICAN WORDS? EDP, 21 December 2015
FROM WAREHOUSES TO CHIC BEDROOMS EDP, 28 December 2015
— — — 2016 — — —
JANUARY
IT’S MORE THAN JUST BRIDGES (EDP, 4 Jan 2016)
RANSOME’S OPINIONS ON THE NORFOLK DIALECT (EDP, 11 Jan 2016)
A NAME THAT FAILS TO FIND COMMON GROUND (EDP, 18 Jan 2016)
A SCOT CALLED INGLIS OR A BRITAIN FROM FRANCE (EDP 25 Jan 2016
FEBRUARY
MAWTHER – A WORD ASSOCIATED WITH REGION (EDP, 1 Feb 2016)
WE’RE MOVING AWAY FROM SYNTHETIC SPEECH (EDP, 8 Feb 2016)
THERE’S A LOT TO TAKE IN (EDP, 15 Feb 2016)
CLUES TO THE PAST ARE IN A NAME (EDP, 22 Feb 2016)
IT’S FINE TO SAY PEKING INSTEAD OF BEIJING (EDP, 29 Feb 2016)
MARCH
A WEAK CUP OF TEA? TAKE IT AS RED! (EDP, 7 March 2016)
SHIRLEY NOT? (EDP, 14 March 2016)
THE NAME’S THE SAME (EDP, 21 March 2016)
IT TAKES TWO TO MAKE A WORD (EDP, 28 March 2016)
APRIL
NO REASON WHY INFINITIVES CAN’T BE SPLIT! (EDP, 4 April 2016)
IT’S BETTER TO SAY BEST! (EDP, 11 April 2016)
THERE’S NO NEED TO APOLOGISE (EDP, 18 April 2016)
WESKER KNEW YOU COULD SPEAK NORFOLK AND BE ELOQUENT (EDP, 25 April 2016)
MAY
….THAT’LL LEARN YOU (EDP, 2 May 2016)
DAYS and DAZE (EDP, 9 May 2016)
WHATS IN A NAME (EDP, 16 May 2016)
DUZZY (EDP, 23 May 2016)
CLAY to CLY (EDP, 30 May 2016)
JUNE
SPEAKING FREELY IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE (EDP, 6 June 2016)
DOES BEING NICE AGGRAVATE YOU? (EDP, 13 June 2016)
…SO JUST WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF OK? (EDP, 20 June 2016)
RETURN TO SENDER (EDP, 27 June 2016)
JULY
JULIAN’S MESSAGE SHOWS JUST HOW ENGLISH HAS CHANGED (EDP, 04 July 2016)
DECIMATE – HOW THE MEANING OF WORDS HAS CHANGED OVER TIME (EDP, 11 July 2016)
DISCRIMINATING BY ACCENT IS A PREHISTORIC WAY TO DO BUSINESS (EDP, 18 July 2016)
HE DEAD (EDP, 25 July 2016)
AUGUST
THEN AND THAN (EDP, 01 August 2016)
CAN YOU SPEAK THE HEADLINE? (EDP, 08 August 2016)
IF IT’S ALRIGHT WITH YOU… (EDP, 16 August 2016)
WHY NORFOLK FOLK CAN BE CONFUSED FOR AUSTRALIANS (EDP, 22 August 2016)
BANTER (EDP, 29 August 2016)
SEPTEMBER
BE CAREFUL WHICH EXPERTS YOU BELIEVE TO TELL THE FACTS (EDP, 05 September 2016)
DEOPHAM AND REEPHAM (EDP, 12 September 2016)
FALSE FRIENDS (EDP, 19 September 2016)
DIFFERENT SPELLINGS AND QUESTIONS OF HOUSE STYLE… (EDP, 26 September 2016)
BECAUSE OF THIS WEEKS CONTENT WE’VE ALSO INCLUDED PETER’S ORIGINAL TEXT (Peter, 26 Sept 2016)
OCTOBER
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, ENGLISH WAS ONCE A MINOR LANGUAGE (EDP, 3 October 2016)
ENGLISH HAS HUNTED OTHER LANGUAGES TO THE POINT OF EXTINCTION (EDP, 10 October 2016)
WHERE ENGLISH IS BEING REPLACED BY A NATIVE LANGUAGE (EDP, 17 October 2016)
A HAMLET IN NORTH NORFOLK WITH A VERY INTERESTING NAME (EDP, 24 October 2016)
QUITE CONFUSING (EDP, 31 October 2016)
NOVEMBER
MAORI LANGUAGE MAY BE ALIVE – BUT IT IS NOT WELL (EDP, 07 November 2016)
CONFUSED BY AMERICAN PRONUNCIATION? (EDP, 14 November 2016)
INTELLIGENCE SHOWS IN WHAT YOU SAY, NOT YOUR ACCENT (EDP, 21 November 2016)
CHRISTMAS ADVERT FINALLY TREATS NORFOLK ACCENT WITH RESPECT (EDP, 28 November 2016)
DECEMBER
ON THE TRAIL OF HOW SNAILGATE BECAME CALVERT STREET (EDP, 5 December 2016)
PETER ALONGSIDE SPRINGSTEIN IN TIMES FAVOURITE READS (The Times, 03 December 2016)
SMART-ALECS SCORNFUL OF PAXMAN SHOW TOTAL IGNORANCE (EDP, 12 December 2016)
ORIGINS OF SOME PLACE NAMES ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM (EDP, 19 December 2016)
HUMAN LANGUAGES ARE AS VARIED AS OUR SOCIETIES (EDP, 26 December 2016)
— — — 2017 — — —
JANUARY
UNIQUE WAY OF LOOKING AT HOW ILLOGICAL LANGUAGE CAN BE (EDP, 2 Jan 2017)
YOU MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD ‘TILL’ UNTIL NOW (EDP, 09 January 2017)
YORITE? (EDP, 16 January 2017)
LENNON’S WORDPLAY REVEALS DIFFERENT MEANINGS OF HAVE (EDP, 23 January 2017)