The Queen's speech in the Queen's Speech

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Millicent Tendency - 16 Nov 2006 11:42 GMT

An update on Her Madge's pron in this year's Queen's Speech.

http://download.guardian.co.uk/sys-audio/Politics/PMQs/2006/11/15/queensspeech_f
inal.mp3
or
http://tinyurl.com/yxgd82

1. The "aw" vowel: still very closed ("my Lohwds"/"home and
abrohwd"/"depohwt those who break the lohw").

2. "-es" endings: still very "iz" ("the challenge-is which the United
Kingdom face-is").

3. Final "y": still very open -- "suhsahteh" (society), "pov'teh"
(poverty), "embriologeh".

4. final schwas: still often [I] -- "estimits", "climit change", but
note that "system" (which is "sis-tim" in classic QE2E) has been
abandoned in favour of the now-standard RP (['sIst@m]).

5. "syoopa": the [j] is still hanging in there ("syupervised";
"devolyution") but for some reason when she gets to "resolution" she
says the third syllable as "loo".

6. "powers": still "pahz".

Gawd bless 'er.

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Millicent Tendency
(TEFKATHE)

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ceceliaarmstrong@yahoo.com - 16 Nov 2006 21:10 GMT

Millicent Tendency ha escrito:

> An update on Her Madge's pron in this year's Queen's Speech.
>
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> Millicent Tendency
> (TEFKATHE)

At least I can understand her! Her eldest son's speech, now, is
incomprehensible. His eldest's is good, though.

Cece
(American)

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Mike Lyle - 16 Nov 2006 21:43 GMT

> Millicent Tendency ha escrito:
>
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> At least I can understand her! Her eldest son's speech, now, is
> incomprehensible. His eldest's is good, though.

Unlike his mother, he's an exponent of the upper-crust mumble. Talking
with one's mouth shut can lead in one of two directions: in his case,
he took the path less travelled by and didn't end up with an Australian
accent. Like his mother, though, he's reputed to be a fair mimic, so he
could probably turn on the Strine if he wanted to: I think it would do
him good.

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Mike.

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Mike Lyle - 16 Nov 2006 21:56 GMT

> An update on Her Madge's pron in this year's Queen's Speech.
>
> http://download.guardian.co.uk/sys-audio/Politics/PMQs/2006/11/15/queensspeech_f
inal.mp3
> or
> http://tinyurl.com/yxgd82

[...]

> 5. "syoopa": the [j] is still hanging in there ("syupervised";
> "devolyution") but for some reason when she gets to "resolution" she
> says the third syllable as "loo".

Were I forced to recite such guff, my resolution would fail, too. But
it's typical Brit slovenliness: in posh Australian, even "aluminium"
gets the /j/: "alyuminium".

> 6. "powers": still "pahz".
>
> Gawd bless 'er.

And another thing. I know the subject-matter is rather against it, but
I think something as theoretically important as the Gracious Speech
should at least be in English. Whitehall and Westminster between them
can provide numerous masters and mistresses of English prose: why
aren't a couple of them sicked onto this task, instead of the
managerio-flopsies the job is given to at present?

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Mike.

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Peter Duncanson - 17 Nov 2006 01:22 GMT

>An update on Her Madge's pron in this year's Queen's Speech.
>
>http://download.guardian.co.uk/sys-audio/Politics/PMQs/2006/11/15/queensspeech_f
inal.mp3
>or
>http://tinyurl.com/yxgd82

Slight thread drift:

The ceremony preceding the Queen's Speech includes Black Rod (The
Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod) walking from the Chamber of the
House of Lords to the Commons Chamber. He approaches the Speaker and
issues the Queen's summonses to attend her in the Lords. A recent
custom, which this year the BBC commentator described as a
tradition, is for Dennis Skinner, MP for Bolsover, to respond to
Black Rod's "Her Majesty commnds..." with a comment such as "Tell
her to wait". This year he asked "Have they got Helen Mirren on
standby?", HM being an actress who played HM in the recent film _The
Queen_.

I understand that, when the MPs head off to the House of Lords
in casual procession behind the Speaker, Dennis Skinner remains in
the Commons.

Black Rod:
http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/principal/black_rod.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Rod

Dennis Skinner:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Skinner
This includes other Skinnerisms in response to Black Rod's summons.

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Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

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Robin Bignall - 18 Nov 2006 22:24 GMT

>>An update on Her Madge's pron in this year's Queen's Speech.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Skinner
>This includes other Skinnerisms in response to Black Rod's summons.

Apropos Black Rod, Matthew Parris described the Chancellor as "Brown
Stick in Waiting".

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Robin
Herts, England

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Peter Duncanson - 18 Nov 2006 22:51 GMT

>Apropos Black Rod, Matthew Parris described the Chancellor as "Brown
>Stick in Waiting".

Yes. I noticed that.

Have you seen any mention of Brown's followers and sycophants being
described as Brown-nosers?

I missed it if there has been.

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Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

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John Dean - 19 Nov 2006 02:05 GMT

>> Apropos Black Rod, Matthew Parris described the Chancellor as "Brown
>> Stick in Waiting".
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Have you seen any mention of Brown's followers and sycophants being
> described as Brown-nosers?

I've heard them described as sh.ts. HTH

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John Dean
Oxford

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006

The Queen's speech in the Queen's Speech