Word use question...

[fajrdrako]

When I read Torchwood: Almost Perfect by James Goss, I noticed that he had a way of using the verb 'to sit' that was new to me. Instead of saying "he sat" or "he was sitting" or even "he sat down", he'd say, "he was sat". Sounds passive to me, but clearly wasn't meant to be. There was no agent but the subject doing the sitting.

I've noticed this several times since, always in a British context. Just now I heard someone say, "you must have been sat in the row behind me" instead of (as I would say) "you must have sat".

Could someone explain to me how this works? Is it a new British expression?

Comments

[bendybendy.livejournal.com]

Regional is not the same as illiterate or unsophisticated. It's regional.

I'll just take my Mancunian speech patterns and finish typing my PhD.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Though I hear a lot about UK regional accents and dialects, I don't usually hear them unless they turn up on television or in books.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Regional is not the same as illiterate or unsophisticated. It's regional.

Exactly. And this shows up, yet again, the really bizarre prejudice that goes on about dialect in the UK. You know, that it's easier to have Irish continuity announcers and presenters than it is to have someone with a strong regional (eg. Northern, Midlands, whatever) accent on TV in England. I thought it was really strange when I was living there.

I think idioms like "'e were sat int' pub..." are quite sweet, personally.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

This maybe explains why I don't hear many nothern English accents on television, and I'd love to, because I really like the sound of it. Admittedly it's easier to understand the accents I'm more familiar with, but that isn't going to change unless I hear others. As it is, I usually have no idea where a British accent is from.

[aeron-lanart.livejournal.com]

Chris Ecclestone's accent was such a joy to hear on Doctor Who for us northerners, especially when you consider that Tom Baker, Paul McGann and David Morrisey are all from Liverpool and it was virtually impossible to tell that when *they* were in Doctor Who. I suppose the Scots might feel the same way about David Tennant not using his own accent.

Apart from being able to tell if an American accent is northern or southern I can't tell regions, so I wouldn't worry about being able to tell where a British accent is from. Mind you, I can do the same thing with French (as long as the person is speaking English at the time) as I've known both northern and southern French people. It all comes from familiarity.

Many people struggle to tell the difference between Australian, New Zealand, South African and Zimbabwe accents (the Zimbabwe accent is a bit unusual as it is different depending on whether you are African or Caucasian) but I don't manage too bad as I've been quite good friends with people from all those places over the years and got used to the differences - Kiwi's in particular love it when you ask them what part of NZ they're from instead of what they usually get which is 'what part of Australia'.

A funny thing is that even though I'm from Liverpool and speak with a Liverpool accent (Scouse) I have trouble understanding people from the north end of the city! My excuse is that the accent is a lot thicker and they tend to speak more quickly up that way (all of 12 miles from where I live). It's still noticeably the same accent but it seems that the accent in the southern part of Liverpool is closer to its Lancashire roots rather than its Irish roots.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Chris Ecclestone's accent was such a joy to hear on Doctor Who for us northerners

And for this Canadian, I tell you. I loved his voice and everything about it.

I suppose the Scots might feel the same way about David Tennant not using his own accent.

I wish he had. I don't dislike his Doctor voice but I love his Tennant voice so much more.

Apart from being able to tell if an American accent is northern or southern I can't tell regions, so I wouldn't worry about being able to tell where a British accent is from.

Sadly, I'm hopeless with American accents as well. They say that people from Minnesota sound like Canadians. Which makes a certain geographical sense.

I can tell national French accents apart - I'm mostly used to the French Canadian accent, of course, but I can differentiate Parisian French from Southern French, and then there's the Moroccan and the Caribbean French (which I also hear a lot). Sometimes it just depends where my French high school teachers were from!

I have trouble understanding people from the north end of the city!

LOL! I am used to Canada, where you can travel a thousand miles or more and get the same accent. In England, you just have to cross the street...!

And of course, living in London, I heard all sorts of English accents all the time, and never knew where they were from, except in a few cases. I was just struggling to understand them all.

English people tended to think I sounded Irish, and when I was in Ireland, I thought most people didn't have an accent. Probably because Ottawa was largely settled by the Irish.

[aeron-lanart.livejournal.com]

I am used to Canada, where you can travel a thousand miles or more and get the same accent.

I wouldn't know a Canadian accent if it hit me, not having actually spoken to any of the people I know who are from Canada!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The Canadian accent... well. It is what it is. Doesn't sound like much to me, but it wouldn't, would it? If you ever get a chance to talk to me, you'll know!

You've probably heard it a lot on American TV shows taped in Canada - Highlander and Forever Knight are typical - most of the actors there, excepting the leads, are Canadian.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Having said what I just said, I should add that there are some more distinct Canadian accents, like the Quebec accent (regardless of language, it's distinct from Canadian English and European French), the Maritime accent (fairly subtle) and the Newfoundland accent (which ranges from subtle to a whole different and incomprehensible dialect, depending who you're talking to).

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

I don't speak German, at all, but I have been known to recognise when someone comes from the north of Germany because their accent sounds vaguely like it should be someone from 'oop North'.

And Kiwis do love that *nods*

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

Coronation Street and Emmerdale are probably the best shows to watch if you want to hear regional accents & dialects.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I've never head of Emmerdale - where's it set? I like Coronation Street - my mother used to watch it all the time, and loved their accents as much as I do.

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

Emmerdale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmerdale) is set in Yorkshire. Originally it was called Emmerdale Farm and the plots centred mainly around the farming and local community, but later on it became a bit more soapy. Haven't watched it in years myself, but there was always something down to earth about the show and the accents.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sounds like fun. Where was "The Archers" set?

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

I've never actually listened to 'The Archers', but I think it's set somewhere in the Midlands.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

...I'm not sure where the midlands are. (Blush.)

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

(whispers)
I'm not really sure either, I just looked it up on the wikipedia summary!
My UK geographical education was somewhat sparse.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I knew Birmingham was in the midlands, I just didn't know where Birmingham was... is... and I think I've been there. I've certainly been to the midlands, but that doesn't exactly help!

Anyway, I like that Wikipedia map with the important parts marked out in red.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Midlands

My UK geography is, I like to think, rather good. Better, on the whole, than my knowledge of the US. But it doesn't mean I know where everything is, or remember it all.