I'm Turning 'York-sure'!!

Today, without even realizing it, I said:

"Thys gonna be late thy nos."

DH started laughing his head off and I couldn't figure out why.  He said, "Do you know what you just said?".  I responded, "Yeah, I said you're gonna be late."

It wasn't until hours later that he told me what I had said the first time around.

Has anyone else found themselves using British slang (without consciously thinking about it)?

For me I'd have to say it's because I hear certain words and phrases so often that they just stick.  I never thought I'd say 'nappy' but 4 months after LO was born, I find that I have to make a conscious effort to say 'diaper' when I'm talking to people in the US.

Completely normal, I'd say.  A few months ago, I said "Thanks, love" when a colleague did me a favour, and words like petrol and pants/trousers in the British sense, and many other words and phrases come naturally.  I often can't even remember what's British and what's American anymore 

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  It depends.  If it's just saying the same word in just changing the emphasis (like aluminum), then usually not.  The big however to that one is that to me the way people born and bred in Yorkshire say their o's sounds, to my ear, a lot like the way my aunt, grandfather and great aunts and uncles from Minnesota would say theirs.  Since I thought it was an interesting sound growing  up, I mimicked it.  And then, after working in a school here in the UK for nearly a school year I found myself saying 'I don't know' the way the kids did when I was asking them why they did what they did.  It particularly happens I noticed if I'm feeling exasperated.  I think it's bizzare the way my brain has twisted that one around.  My dh just howled with laughter the first time I came out with that one.  

If it's a different word altogether then yes, definitely I've picked up more than my fair share.  I've been known to call friends muppets or to say cheers or ta instead of thank you, especially if I am not thinking (like when I say thank you to a bus driver).  One I wished I didn't say was b***ger.  To me, it and the term loo just sound strange in an American accent.  

Completely normal, I'd say.  A few months ago, I said "Thanks, love" when a colleague did me a favour, and words like petrol and pants/trousers in the British sense, and many other words and phrases come naturally.  I often can't even remember what's British and what's American anymore 

It took me a good 10  minutes one day to remember what american for bin lorry was!

It took me a good 10  minutes one day to remember what american for bin lorry was!

The same thing happened to me last week, only I was trying to remember the American term for a multi-story carpark.  I've only been here for 14 months, it's just going to get worse isn't it? 

Today, without even realizing it, I said:

"Thys gonna be late thy nos."

I don't think I could say that with a straight face, let alone without realizing it!  I've only ever heard some old people speak like that, not anyone under 70.

That being said, I actually said, "brill" yesterday and felt so fake.  I really don't use the lingo (been here 3 years) 'cause I feel so fake doing it.  I do say till, bin, rubbish, and things like that so that I'm understood at work.

I often can't even remember what's British and what's American anymore 

I've done this before.  Talking to my mom on the phone and I'll say, "Oh, I forget what we call that".

I don't think I could say that with a straight face, let alone without realizing it!  I've only ever heard some old people speak like that, not anyone under 70.

That being said, I actually said, "brill" yesterday and felt so fake.  I really don't use the lingo (been here 3 years) 'cause I feel so fake doing it.  I do say till, bin, rubbish, and things like that so that I'm understood at work.

I guess this depends a lot on how the people you are surrounded by talk.  I heat 'thy' (instead of you) at least 20 times a day.  I don't consciously make an effort to speak slang...it's just that I hear certain words so often that they come to mind without even thinking about it.  When I first moved here, I made an effort to say 'bin' instead of 'trashcan'...but now I don't think about it.

Having said that, I agree persophone that usually it is the words that are replaced, not the pronunciation.  I don't say 'thort' (thought) or 'neet' (night) or 'rate' (right) or 'art' (out) or anything like that.

I heat 'thy' (instead of you) at least 20 times a day.

I believe it is actually written "thee"... many Quakers still use it instead of "you". "Thy"  means "your" as in "What's thy name, lass?"

Once when I had had (quite) a few drinks, I ended up coming out with just a moment of something in what was a broad Leeds accent - something about "round 'ere" - and the people I was with laughed & laughed!  I blame the people I work with, and especially my bestie from work (who actually doesn't work there anymore) - hearing her voice so much, lol!

The worst is when I come out with something like (and I have done) - "I were on bus..." 

I really try not to say the incorrect verb tense - even if it is dialect here, but I have started to drop the 'the' sometimes. 

I am not doing any of these things intentionally - it's just slipping in there.  DH thinks it's hilarious because he's not from "round 'ere" & doesn't speak Yorkshire-ese at all, and says I'm clearly more Yorkshire than he is.  Lol! 

The worst is when I come out with something like (and I have done) - "I were on bus..." 

[...]

I am not doing any of these things intentionally - it's just slipping in there.

You are becoming fluent in Yorkshire. Why are these things bad? They are just signs that you are mentally tuning in to where you live and feeling at home. I say lots of Somerset things. It is just like learning a foreign language by immersion. You go to live in e.g. Madrid and after 6 months you catch yourself saying "zho" instead of the "yo" you learned from books. This "catching yourself" saying something is the sign. You pick up not just single words but whole phrases as your ability to express yourself locally develops. Go with the flow. You are gaining, not losing.

Trémula, I think you may have misunderstood me, or I probably didn't express it in the best way.  I don't think it's a bad thing - I agree with you.  The only thing that kind of bugs me is that I would prefer not to use an ungrammatical verb tense - just because I've always been a bit of a stickler for grammar - at least my own - but hopefully not in an overbearing or judgemental way when it comes to others though.  

My comment about not doing it intentionally related to that sometimes people might think a person is faking it when these things happen, and while that may be true for some individuals - I was just saying I'm not trying to do these things.  Much like Eastside2Westside's original post conveyed.

The only thing that kind of bugs me is that I would prefer not to use an ungrammatical verb tense

I understand where you are coming from, although I would ask "ungrammatical in what dialect?" because I personally feel that what may be "incorrect" in a standard, as-taught-in-school version of a language may be perfectly acceptable in another dialect, and "standard English" is in fact a dialect.

I understand where you are coming from, although I would ask "ungrammatical in what dialect?" because I personally feel that what may be "incorrect" in a standard, as-taught-in-school version of a language may be perfectly acceptable in another dialect, and "standard English" is in fact a dialect.  

Yes, that is a good point.  This called to mind that I have a colleague at work who is Jamaican, and so I have started to (on purpose) say 'wha gwan?!' when I greet her for the day.  We have a good giggle together over that.    That started up because people were telling her when they heard her speak on her mobile, it sounded like she was speaking a completely different language from English.

The worst is when I come out with something like (and I have done) - "I were on bus..." 

I really try not to say the incorrect verb tense - even if it is dialect here, but I have started to drop the 'the' sometimes. 

I am not doing any of these things intentionally - it's just slipping in there.  DH thinks it's hilarious because he's not from "round 'ere" & doesn't speak Yorkshire-ese at all, and says I'm clearly more Yorkshire than he is.  Lol! 

Even though I hear it all the time, I'm sure I won't ever do it, it just grates on me too much, and I'm sorry if it sounds snobby to say it, but it just sounds very wrong.  I didn't do it in the US either even though I was surrounded by "youse guys" and "ain't" etc.  I'm not a stickler for grammar, but I'm a stickler for not using what just sounds wrong to me.

Now are you going to say "you what?" the next time I say something and you don't catch what I said? 

The 'were' thing really aggravates me even though it comes out more as 'wa'.  Not sure why but I guess because it just sounds so 'wrong'.

I believe it is actually written "thee"... many Quakers still use it instead of "you". "Thy"  means "your" as in "What's thy name, lass?"

I hear thee, thy, thine and thou often used in the 'incorrect' form (thy for you or thee for your)...such as "Get thee hat on" or "Thy's going to fall", etc.

I love the Michael McIntyre sketch on t'.

My friend's daughter is still hard for me to understand.  She says things like "We wa t'pub in tarn fah neet art".