The English No Longer Speak Clearly

English people do not speak as clearly as they used to. In this video, I talk about the different causes for the decline in English people's speaking skills. I also give my opinion on what should be done about it.
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[@JadeJoddle]

✔Join my clear accent course: clearaccent.co.uk

[@alphabet-agencieskontoraru1540]

... Deceived & cheated by the Gov'ts & the parties since 1945 - People are getting where they have been led by the schemy leaders - right into Aftermath of 1984, the topsy turvy world of delusion, SO PROFITABLE FOR THE HIGH-TECH MOGULS of [mis sed] information, turned into infotainment. *_Brave Jade, this is your ... eternal battle. You know it too well_** - the reading & the story-telling will help throughout the gloomiest & the darkest day. By night the frightened ones will be soundly fallen asleep, nursed into dream by gentle sounds & music of your voice.*

[@badlieutenant536]

Dear Jade, I think you have assessed the situation correctly. There is a lack of literacy, an Americanisation of British culture, but also there are negative connotations being what they'd call posh or well-spoken. I'm glad you at least made a video on this issue. I don't have much hope things will improve, but at least we can recognise that the decline is real. Thank you for your time and effort.

[@kat99o21o]

+1

[@CarterKey6]

Lol I’m an American who has been subscribed to you for years and I love historical films and books. I’ve also noticed that we have definitely started to speak less properly even in America. Just read American writing 100 years ago and even Americans have devolved.

[@Rosieannn]

Hi, Jade. I'm Brazilian, so my mother tongue is Portuguese. I've been to law school in the late 90s, and a few years ago I got into university again (Letters) hoping to learn more about Portuguese and English grammar. Silly me... All they wanted to teach was about "linguistic variation" and "linguistic prejudice", i.e., you have to accept the mistakes and the murder of the Portuguese language so undereducated people don't feel bad and discriminated... instead of working to teach them. Brazil is a large country, so of course there are many different accents, and that's ok, but the problem with pronunciation is happening here too. For instance, I can't understand what my twenty-something gardener says. And he was born in a town just two hours away from mine, so that's not an accent problem. I avoid reading comments on social media because the spelling errors make them hard to understand. And they are ALWAYS there. You can even find it in headlines on newspapers and TV too. Education here has been a huge problem for decades, but it's getting worse. And this idea of accepting (and almost celebrating) speaking and writing mistakes is only doing harm. The professors claim it is meant to embrace everyone, not to be "elitist", but in fact, this idea keeps people apart, because it doesn't help mutual understanding. Nothing convinces me that there's not an agenda behind it... At the same time, I read that Portuguese parents are worried about their children watching Brazilian youtubers, because these children started to speak like brazilians. And I've seen some of my friends saying it is great, it's like revenge for the Portuguese colonized us in 1500, forgetting that there was no "us" before it. I can see the decline of culture in the West also in music, behaviour, literature, arts, moral standards... It is sad, and it's happening way too fast.

[@JadeJoddle]

I agree wholeheartedly. Thank you for mentioning that academia takes an active part in lowering standards.

[@tomyfer07]

Thank you for writing this comment. I feel 100% the way you do, and we're in a similar situation in the Spanish speaking world. We shouldn't be obsessed with perfection but inclusion and tolerance must have their limits too. Just imagine if we applied similarly low standards in different sectors of our society.

[@nioc00]

Totally agree. This 'inclusivity' thing is just a cover for the fear of correcting the politically correct and entitled. No-one can accept correction anymore. In my country I believe it is even frowned upon for teachers to use red ink for correcting students' scripts. I get that you should respect a student's 'face' in class, but this cannot mean that s/he is always and forever 'right'!

[@odietamo9376]

It’s disturbing, even depressing, to learn that Brazil is suffering from EXACTLY the same corruption and decline in language and teaching that is happening in the USA-both spoken and written. You describe it very well. Reading some of the other comments I learn it is happening in other countries as well. It is like a virus.

[@Ram-uj8ls]

I agree. In Italy it's the same: in the past, pupils were taught rules - spelling, pronunciation... and were required to look up any new or difficult words in a dictionary for meaning, to copy definitions and examples, and to make a sentence for each new word including it, and finally to read it aloud to the teacher, who would approve or correct it (usage). Now I have heard they are made to copy sentences from the blackboard prior to getting rules, and I cannot see the point. In my high school, a well respected liceo, teachers were strict with marks and assessment, but in 1998 they got the "order" to soften their ways with us and use the full range of marks up to 10 cum laude. Well, marks go from 1 to 10 cum laude, but they were responsive to this guideline only shifting marks from the general 3-to-9 to 4-to-10 cum laude, becoming extremely "generous". In addition, for those who had unsatisfactory results in some subjects, the measure of making people study and retake their exams in September was dropped and replaced by a mere asterisk in their report. All of a sudden, if you were bad at 4 subjects it did not matter, you got asterisks and went on to the next year all the same! This "system" was applied from 1995 to 2015, letting most high school students incompetent. Those same students, once gotten the degree, could go on to university, in whichever field they liked. I let you judge... That is why, after a degree in Law, when it comes to sitting the State exam to become a lawyer, about 45% of the candidates fail because of ortography and grammar mistakes, a disaster covered multiple times by the media but systematically ignored by the school system.

[@ilyabesk9809]

Glad to see you in good health! Jade, based on everyday experience, I can assure you that the problem of declining the level of speech culture concerns not only British residents, I dare to express my personal opinion about this problem that does not pretend to be true. Most people find life satisfaction in simple things, mostly related to physiology, and this leaves its mark on the level of speech development, it is not necessary to improve their speech to have conversations about everyday things, or to watch a simple funny comedy (although I have nothing against simple funny comedies), but there is another much smaller group of people to which you undoubtedly belong who do not find full satisfaction in everyday things, whose spiritual thirst makes them look for sources of inspiration in the best works of art of the past and present, those who improve themselves every day to meet the ideals of harmony and beauty, these people eventually become sources of enlightenment themselves. Being not immersed in the language environment, I have concerns that some of my words and expressions make up a clumsy construction and are subject to censure, so I ask you to excuse me.

[@techtinkerin]

I totally agree. As a kid in school I heard how the others read aloud to the teacher like, the, dog, went, to, fetch, the, ball...etc pausing after each word. I tried copying this but the teacher knew I could read properly and I got a telling off for it! People seem to be afraid of being seen as smart which is sad really. Interesting topic as always! Best wishes.👍😎

[@SuperMagnetizer]

Thank you for your English language videos. They’re all very good. There are a few of us here in America who appreciate English properly composed and spoken, regardless of the dialect or accent. Excellence is something we all should strive for. Thanks again!

[@StephaneSmarties]

The reasons you mentioned are valid and you give a very interesting argument. Besides the causes you have described, I would add that we now have very few opportunities to write anything more than a few lines or even a few words. Our writing abilities have diminished with the development of digital communication and social networks. People used to write long and usually well-written letters to family or friends. Email stopped all that and now chat and messaging have reduced communication to mere snippets of sentences. It seems that the next step will be to use only emojis to communicate. As well as reading skills, declining writing skills I believe is also a reason why people speak less eloquently and clearly. It makes your work to help people speak English well more valuable and I am very grateful to you.

[@Ram-uj8ls]

I agree, and would like to expand a bit on it bringing my experience. I am italian and I learned English academically, starting from age 11. When I went on to the liceo - liceo linguistico - the program of those 5 years turned out to be little more than the revision of what acquired before. When we students wanted to articulate more complex or sophisticated sentences, we sadly found we had not been taught enough; in any case, if the teacher found no major mistakes in our answers we got good marks. Going on to university, in a translation course we were given the K.I.S.S. rule, i.e. keep it short and simple, and our trainers insisted that the English language has a preference for parataxis, or coordinated sentences joined by "and", so we should not worry over complex sentences, it would be enough to break them down in our translation efforts and mainly put them as simple ones joined by "and". Like children, basically. I let you imagine what the outcomes of us trainees could be. Another suggestion, by a British university lecturer, was to avoid "whom" altogether, because the British no longer use it anyway. No wonder we never advance in English. We are so brainwashed with this false idea that the English idiom is as it actually is not, that we oversimplify our way to speak to a level of survival, to the point we no longer find the adventure of learning fascinating. We remain stuck at a level of set phrases and get by with them, and that is all, and we think it is the best option, and that what matters is fluency, possibly with a touch of American style.

[@ahmedeyani]

Great notes Thanks Jade🌹

[@IvanIsVladimira]

I love so much your clear speech Jade 😍

[@Monkdewallydehonk]

Hi Jade. I think you are absolutely spot on. I also think it’s a trend that will only get worse. At break times in my job hardly a word is spoken for the 30mins. When you look round everyone is staring at their mobile phones. I was a child growing up in the 70s and 80s Jade and if I could go back to those times right now I would. I had nothing much but was happy and people were less stressed. Think I’m a Luddite at heart. Thanks Jade another great lesson. 🙏

[@charliesomoza5918]

You Rocks Jade!! Greatings from Madrid!!

[@zetesler]

I find your videos very useful! I really thank you for sharing all this with us who want to improve in our British accent 🙌🏻

[@NicolaSiliprandi70]

Thanks Jade for this analysis .. I couldn't agree more

[@paolosartorio7285]

Hi. I'm Paolo from Turin, Italy. I'm an independent English learner and I want to tell you that I totally agree with you, one hundred percent..In this frantic years we have replaced quality with meaningless quantity. I've been watching your videos for a few years and you have always given us the right message. I have worked hard to acquire your beautiful language., I love it. Now that I'm able to read English books I love English even more. I'll defend the importance of reading to my last gasp. I've been an avid reader since I was a little child, thanks to my mother, and I ve never got lost in my life. When you read, you ll always find the right answer. Bye the way, thanks for your video about reading aloud. Sincerely, Paolo.

[@JadeJoddle]

Thank you for your lovey message.

[@odietamo9376]

You write better English than many Americans do today, I regret to say.

[@brerrabbit1053]

You make a good point, but media influence on language isn't new. I noticed, when it 1st aired, the TV show East Ender's had an impact on accents in my community in SE England, similarly I think shows like Coronation St. had an impact in Northern England. British accents are subject to a lot of change over time, it is different in most decades. KZbinr Simon Roper covers this. And a collaboration between the two of you would be great. You are very right, learning to speak properly (it used to be called RP) is very important. It is crucial to success in many fields of life. And it's possible to maintain, keep, some of your regional accent whilst still speaking English well. It does not mean surrendering identity. Love the channel, and great content.

[@alam2001]

I do appreciate you for focusing such an important topic . Secondly I am really happy to see you in good health.

[@alexsmith_370]

Jade, I am so happy to see you in a brand new video, which is more about your opinion on the influences of why British people change their accents, you are as always amazing, keep it up! Really appreciate what you are doing! 💙💛

[@TMARAT5]

What a beautiful teacher!

[@sawmteafanai6505]

Glad to see you healthy and beautiful. I agree with your arguments. Most of us are lazy and we want something easy/simple. So also in our reading or speech. We don't necessarily care 'what is right or wrong.' I have heard many who say "You don't need to speak correctly but if you can communicate it's enough and that's what language is for." But then i found Guthrie Govan (British Guitarist) who is so eloquent. I really like his accent and he makes me love british accent. I've found you since few years ago. You help me a lot. Thank you so much. Also, thanking you in advance for videos to come!

[@lugriv]

Lot of Thanks for your videos!

[@tangotang02]

Thank you teacher, it is very true that reading can improve our speaking

[@shirishpedram3468]

Yes teacher I agree with you......i love speaking English clearly the way you speak...trust me I don't know about others but it sounds so beautiful when you have clearity while speaking......Jade you are absolutely spot on......indeed a meaningful and a precise observation........Cheers !!

[@crsmh77]

Hi, Jade. As other people pointed out in the comments, the ability to speak correctly is diminishing everywhere. I'm a native Spanish speaker, and it is astonishing to see how people talked on the tv, for instance, thirty years ago. People were, or seem, more polite then. From the 90s onwards, with the start of the Internet, everything has sped up, and everyday speech is more fragmented and careless due to instant messaging. I agree with you that the decline in reading affects how people are particularly articulate. Books are left aside in Elementary school (at least in Spain), and teachers rely heavily on screens to teach their pupils. It is a pity because the problem will be worse in the future. Anyway, thanks for your videos. They are really helpful.

[@aram5642]

Great observations, and I am happy to know I am not alone in seeing that getting worse. The same goes with my mother tongue. I also think that these days people became very rushy and impatient. They don't want to build or listen to long sentences. Unfortunately, the era of screens, thumbs and infinite scroll has equipped us with inability to focus on things, because there's always more to come below the line, so - "let's move on". But at least, you, the native English speakers, are free from pollution from the English language (sorry if that sounds offensive to your ear, I bet you know well what I mean). The amount of English implants is just insane, not only in the tech lingo.

[@JadeJoddle]

Interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing.

[@markdonovan1540]

You have a good point.

[@aram5642]

@@JadeJoddle Thank you

[@aram5642]

@@markdonovan1540 Thank you

[@darioalfredotaborda]

Thank you very much for this video Jade! I sincerely share your love for the English language although it's not my mother tongue.

[@oliverchong2428]

This is such an interesting subject, and I completely agree with you on all of your points, but I also think that the pandemic made things worse in terms of speaking to people in general, never mind speaking clearly and coherently. 2 years with a lack of conversation and the continued reliance of communication via social media on our phones and other devices has also degraded clarity in speech even further, the younger generation hardly ever phone to “speak” to their peers, they text them via WhatsApp or use some other messaging service instead. I have tried to ring friends, and they never pick up, due to social anxiety being induced by the very fact they will have to have an actual conversation with a human being! Which is quite frankly, incredibly depressing. The joy of articulated and clear conversation is dying Jade, and it’s very worrying and sad to see that this is now a huge problem.

[@jundooz]

Spot in Jade! People dont read enough anymore. They mostly watch videos.

[@Gabreel_alves]

GREAT! JADE

[@danielepetrucci236]

A very interesting consideration from a native English speaking POV. I think that a clear and effective communication is a key asset to have for both life and work, but it's also a quite difficult skill to get, especially for a non-native English speaking person.

[@shirishpedram3468]

Of course thank you very much Jade !!

[@parkash9999]

Nice lesson.

[@RichardDworkin]

You're perfectly right!!!

[@katerynavolkova-shapovalen995]

I completely agree on the problem and that one is able to change something exceptionally individually

[@GersonFloresDrummer]

I totally agree with what you say in this video.

[@rerere232323]

Love your content

[@JadeJoddle]

Thank you.

[@gennadiy4416]

Dear Jade, you raised a very important question. Thank you for that. It seems to me that the issue you mentioned is worldwide spread. At least in my country definitely does. People gradually lose their ability to express themself clearly enough. For humanity, it is a huge problem, that is perhaps no less than global warming. It maybe not jeopardizes people's survival but definitely threatens their cultural level. By the way, your lessons effectively fight this problem.

[@shirishpedram3468]

Yes I do appreciate about speaking n learning English in the right manner....and if it really sounds the way you sound then it will be cherry on the top......I do speak good English but i want my speaking to be simply out of the crowd.......Thanx Jade n videos do help to really to an extent which you can't figure it out......may be i am that enthusiastic towards the language......but i really speak ver good English.... please evaluate me so that I understand where I am right now......thanx English Godess Jade....Cheers !!

[@richardabbot8724]

Very true Jade. The death of excellence has been painful to watch.

[@gosiar6017]

Hello Jade, I was just chatting to my work colleague about how nice it is to watch Downton Abbey - mostly because we enjoy the posh language and clear pronunciation of the actors.

[@freddyromero3547]

I love your English pronunciation and I want to follow your example. My native language is Spanish and I can understand how it deteriorates among countries and people, that´s why I highly rather learn and look for a better English, rather than a common practical way of speaking.

[@faizalpanchoo3729]

Merci beaucoup

[@user-oo9bh5ct9s]

thank you my gorgios teacher

[@shirishpedram4353]

Yes teacher I agree....It's certainly important to speak clearly...I mean it gives you that beautiful feeling which makes you stand out of the crowd....Jade I also think that firstly it should infact alarm that individual that something is not good what I am doing?? And hopefully that is how the change would take place in my opinion...That's it bye....."Quintessential Jade" !!

[@jeremyrogers1247]

Interesting topic. The decline in public speaking has arisen from a combination of factors during the past 30 years I think. The birth of the world wide web and growth of online culture is one of them. Many people socialise more online then speaking to each other in person, and this was especially the case during the pandemic. And since we can perform many day to day tasks online, there is less need to concentrate on how we communicate vocally with others, or even be overly concerned about how our voice or grammar sounds.

[@tomaszzdzymira7353]

Hi Teacher, hope you're well. What do you think about G. K. Chesterton and his works? Would love to hear.

[@sciavash]

I have been looking for you as of late albeit to little avail, but a few moments ago I found out this is your new channel. What became of your Engvid channel if I may ask?

[@eugeneanikeev2433]

Definitely, I fell in love with your British accent.

[@marciogoncalvessoares318]

Helllo, Jade. My name is Márcio and I'm new in your channel, that I find very interesting . I 've already watched some of your videos. The cultural situation is problaby worse in the United States than in the UK. I am Brazilian and the language spoken in Brazil is very different from the Portuguese spoken in Portugal , that is obviously more correct . Besides the lack of interest in reading nowadays, there is the fact that the New World (the American continent as a whole) never experienced something like The Middle Ages , that formed the cultural background of Europe. And is far more easy to destroy the language , moral values, habits and the subsequent laws that come with them in a place that, compared with Europe, is in its childhood. Everybody talks about the cultural decadence in Europe , and this is true. But compared with what is happening in the colonies , it can be considered less worse . As for the internet , I find it a powerful tool to learn something, with the condition that you had been trained in reading physical books previously. And when I find something that really interests me , I print it to read. The experience of reading in a computer screen is completely different , and may lead to a lacking in comprehension.

[@BorjaLafuente]

I believe this is a common trend in most languages (at least in western societies), especially because of that "fear of excellence" that you pointed out. I do agree with most of your thoughts, but to some degree I don't think that clear speech is not as important in American English. I believe it's roughly the same. If your exposure to American English is mostly through movies and TV series, where slang and informal language is the norm, then it makes sense that careless speech is what you hear. If you listen to academic content or lectures by native speakers, you'll realize the difference.

[@kiraPh1234k]

It feels important to point out that informal speech and slang have nothing to do with speaking clearly. Speaking less clearly means that the average native speaker would have a more difficult time understanding you. This pattern is not one that can even present itself in a langauge. It suggests that speakers are losing the ability to communicate which is in no way true.

[@nioc00]

@@kiraPh1234k I don't agree. I think people ARE losing the ability to communicate. There is much more accusatory, belittling language being used in ad hominem arguments, rather than persuasive, logical and clear speaking. Bad examples: Joe Biden, Boris Johnston, Donald Trump. Good examples: Barack Obama, Michael Gove, even Taylor Swift. In the US, public discourse has descended into name-calling and yelling. In the UK, universities are seeing new entrants who cannot write a 1000-word essay. In previous years that would have been a minimum in middle school. The constant use of 'communication' apps like Twitter, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and the like, let users speak without tailoring their utterances to an audience. Since they are talking to no-one in particular, they use degraded, abbreviated and non-standard language which quickly spreads and becomes the norm. That's fine if I'm talking about the shopping, but no use if you want to discuss complex topics.

[@kiraPh1234k]

@@nioc00 Thats a decent argument and perspective. Thanks for sharing.

[@TinyDragon]

speech is not about eloquence these days- it is about economy of words and getting info out quickly- abbreviated-slang. Cue the emojis too 😮

[@nickvasilakis]

@@TinyDragon That's fine for chatting on TikTok, but it's no use if you want to communicate something conceptually complex.

[@ih8people]

Thank you. I was thinking I am not good enough at listening when British people talk to me over phone, as I often have to concentrate really hard on the call to be able to understand what they say. Normally I am able to listen to spoken English in movies and TV series while being somewhat distracted, and still catch around 80% of what was said, but then I talked to some people over the phone, who tend to speak like they are chewing onto something or have dropped their phone into a loo. Then it turned out it was just a brummie accent.

[@erracht]

Hi Jade, you raise an interesting point about Netflix. I'm a Canadian who now permanently resides in Prague and teaches English to (mainly) adults. Czech people tend to really want to maintain and improve their English skills. One of the things that I most teach are conditional sentences, understandably a complex subject. The thing is, in spoken US English, conditional sentences (I mean the second and third conditional) tend to get simplified or for the past perfect to be replaced by the "would have" participle (in the third conditional). Last year, I watched Netflix' film "Fair Play", in which English actress Phoebe Dynevor affects a General American accent. At one point, I caught her using this simplifed conditional (IIRC, a third conditional rendered as a second or mixed conditional). This was remarkable to me, coming from a British actress, even if she was playing an American (and using an American script) - this would not be acceptable if she were speaking the King's English and is the kind of stuff I teach my students not to do.

[@ivanschilliro7385]

Hello Jade!! This Is the First Time I put a comment on your KZbin Channel even though, I never miss one of your lessons. The topic you've chosen, has kindled my interest as an English Speaker, and I can't help but agree with you. Ever since your early videos, you've Always reiterated the importance of a good way of speaking. Where has the posh and renowned British English gone?. Most of people have become lazy to speak a good English,and the current situation Is even worse among the youngest generations, in somehow the language Is losing its own roots. Over the next days I very much like to Watch other videos like this One. In the meantime I Wish you a lovely day. Bye Bye 🙂🙂

[@JadeJoddle]

That is true. Thank you for commenting.

[@darthvader3910]

Jade is spot on, Honestly, the English native speakers dont care about speech anymore, as a result they lack clarity, proper enunciation and the speech sounds sloppy asf. This is good news for English learners who are actually interested in the English language and want to speak it to own the language, cuz the only thing quite literally stopping you is consistency.

[@4thesakeofitname]

I don't know if I fit well into this discussion, as I'm neither British nor American, and not an elitist, yet I would like to take part in it. First, I think there's a difference between *speaking clearly* versus *speaking correctly* ? Which one did yo actually mean? Clear speech is a matter of articulation and pronunciation, compared to correct speech which is a matter of education and habitude. The concept of *accent* is a mixture of both, leaning more towards articulation. Nevertheless, even I can recognise a constant rate of decline in correct use of language (both in written & spoken forms) in American and English media. Do you want an example? Just read IMDB film critics & comments people did back in 90s and early 2000; and see how they are done today... You would not only notice the difference in grammar, spelling, and phrasal variations, but also notice a huge amount of *mental & intellectual* decline ! It seems that an important part of intellectual world is aware of the issue, but eventually have different views in interpreting its reasons and consequences as some commentors indicated. Typically computers, internet, social media, (digital era), and holywood are blamed for this. On a macro scale, the goverment is also partly responsible for the deliberate choice of poor quality content over the higher (elitistic!) whenever and wherever possible... Internet, smartphones, social media are constanty bombarding people with fake, deceptive, appaling, ads and news by constantly putting forward those unconventional, irregular, misbehaving, uneducated, custom breaking, so called *rich, powerful* people (those who have *saved* their lives by ignoring the current legit norms, and instead adopting the *new* world order (bit coins, cyrpto currencies, youtubering, etc.) imposed by the invaded governments all around the world...) The End.

[@julianpenfold1638]

I agree with the comment about people being afraid of trying to appear excellent. I think it's a tendency that has negative consequences not just for standards of written and spoken English but for our culture and society generally.

[@maxi-me]

A very thought provoking video as always, but a little too broadstroke in this instance. I believe you've mistaken _American English_ for _Hollywood English_ . Not unlike Britan, there's no American venacular. The common dialog you'll hear is Midwest; which is considered to be a mean average and meant for broad appeal nationally and internationally. Actors are frequently required to "unlearn" their regional dialect to broaden their prospects in film. I'm not sure if you meant as sounded....... but with all due respect, an English person saying that speaking clearly isn't as valued in America is tantamount to a Spaniard claiming that speaking clearly isn't as valued in Portugal.

[@apricus3155]

The three arts of the Middle Ages concerning thought and expression were: 1) art of Grammar ( 1. Orthography, 2. Etymology, 3. Syntax 4. Prosody. "English Grammar for Classical Schools", can be downloaded from Google books, author: Thomas Kerchever Arnold. But you are expected to the learn Latin as opposed to the regional language, in this case the language of England) 2) art of Logic ( the "Organon"; Aristotle) 3) art of Rehtoric ( "Rehtoric"; Aristotle) The first three of the seven liberal arts and called "Trivium"( "tri"+"via", "where the three ways/roads meet"). The other subjects in the liberal arts study math and applied math. Eg. Arithmetic and Music( or applied Arithmetic)

[@Mrnormal3]

I am an Austrian learning English and I can absolutely confirm your observation. I am playing regularly on a British role play server in a computer game where you have to talk and act as policemen, criminal and the like. The people there speak not only way too fast, but also very unclear. At the beginning it was almost impossible for me to understand them. Now after a while I am getting more used to it. But I have to say I think it'a a big problem that especially the younger people talk that fast. Because when you talk fast, you cannot think of good phrases and words. And also mistakes happen far often. I try to speak slowly and clearly. I don't want to adopt that kind of speech of the native speakers on that server although I would like to sound more native. But I want that people can understand me easy.

[@JadeJoddle]

Thank you for sharing your experience as an English learner.

[@joshual.1833]

Great insight, thanks! What do you think of UK actors forever doing American accents (Emily Blunt aside)? Is it because for the USA audience simply proves too unfathomable the realisation that British folk actually do live in the USA?

[@aliciagrau6430]

So true, I thought I was going deaf!

[@daniellopez-nj1bf]

Hey jade exelent topic about to listen English accent and american accent and you look beauty with your colour dress

[@VaePomegGlitch]

Are there measurable metrics to indicate this kind of decline?

[@markdonovan1540]

Sorry, I missed the live, I was teaching! My wife, whose mother tongue is Dutch, often tells me that my English is hard to understand. To some extent this is because her English is so good that I slip into my old habits of accent and incorrect grammar from my background growing up in NW London. Not to say that is an excuse, rather it has influenced how I speak. I now read much more than I used to and I've had to up my game in order to become a better English teacher. I still make mistakes sometimes, but at least I'm aware that I'm making them now.

[@thenaturalyogi5934]

All valid points but I also think that because language is something that continues to evolve through the years that it is merely going through the changes every other language had in the past including English. I could not understand the English spoken several centuries ago and most likely centuries later the language will change as well.

[@gemstonesparkle7915]

Some people say it all started with the contra-cultura movement of the sixties, but I think this was more about liberation at this point. Things really started to change in the nineties, when the so called ‘street style’ from the most poor communities get into fashion through the music, all over the American continent. But I have a little hope in the future. Vintage communities and people interested in classics are getting in fashion, slowly. Maybe next decade the zeitgeist will be to look classic…

[@alexgrishin8294]

Hi Jade, totally agree with you! Reading is very important. Especially written in a good “educated” language Young people hardly read that literature now. Too much info in the net Bad copywriting- another reason Thank you for your thoughts!

[@onehgeskel9860]

Hi Jade. My first time watching you live. I've been watching your videos for some time now. I'm from Nigeria and would love to improve my Modern RP accent. Please kindly help me

[@JadeJoddle]

Hi Oneh. Glad to hear that you are interested in improving your accent. By best course for that is the one linked below. Other than that, you should join my newsletter so that you can be informed about any sales or offers. jadejoddle.com/get-a-british-accent/

[@bobbydazzler8684]

Jade, the decline is not just in the clarity of accent in spoken English, it's also in command of the grammar and vocabulary of the language, which are also probably impacted by the factors you identify. I live abroad permanently and occasionally return to the UK. I've heard this decline every time I've returned to visit. It's a shame!

[@techtinkerin]

We went from programmes like playschool to teletubbies and IQs just plummeted 😂

[@scsarmiento9423]

OUTRAGEOUSLY CORRECT! The fear to excell, might also come from that gregarious weakness of "acceptance": the need to be accepted by the majority. I see it constantly in students migrating to America or any other anglophone country: their urgent, and sometimes bitter need to integrated (or not be rejected) mislead them to thinking that in speaking fastly and often unclear, they will gain the acceptance of the natives.

[@tamm_mf]

10 hours daily job, 5 days a week in an industrial production complex is my top challenge to overcome if I to improve my linguistic skills as well as my intellectual interests which for most part does demand reading. In a bigger picture, I see reading as a cognitive process.

[@hristov71]

Hello,I've been living in Ireland for long time now but need to improve my English,originally I'm from Bulgaria ,do you teach one to one sometimes and how much will be? Regards

[@JadeJoddle]

Hi and thanks for your interest in my classes. One to one lessons are expensive, therefore the best option for most students is to join my group classes. I recommend that you join my email list so that you can be informed about upcoming classes and courses. jadejoddle.com/signup/

[@badrhetoric5637]

The Americanisation isn't just degrading our language, it has infected our politics and even the way we think. I'd blame this more of social media than Netflix, I think social media is more ubiquitous than Netflix but yes, you're in the right direction.

[@kiraPh1234k]

Language does not degrade, it evolves. It is not a new phenomenon that as people age, they complain more about language due to the fact that they start learning language slower than that language evolves. There is nothing wrong with the language, the issue is with the human capacity to learn and its degradation as we age.

[@badrhetoric5637]

@@kiraPh1234k it is true of course that languages change, and indeed as we get older there develops a... Oh these kids nowadays, sort of attitude. However it is completely incorrect that languages flat out do not degrade. Influence from other languages, or deliberate obfuscation or misuse of meanings can wipe out entire perspectives, if you look at it from the sapir whorf theory. Just spend five mons watching American news media and you'll see the degradation of English in real time.

[@kiraPh1234k]

@@badrhetoric5637 That is not degradation. That is change. Degradation is measurable, as again, it implies speakers are losing the ability to communicate. As an aside, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is just that, a currently unproven hypothesis. Data doesn't support it. Language impacts certain ideas (such as whether pink is a different color than red or if it is just light red), but it doesn't impact ability to think or communicate in the respect that speakers naturally invent any structure they need to communicate an idea. I've watched signifcantly more than 5 months of American media and can confirm that they have not lost any ability to communicate in any capacity - which is to say their language has not degraded. Edit: I actually should not even call it a hypothesis as it was never presented as one, even by Sapir and Whorf.

[@badrhetoric5637]

@@kiraPh1234k It is degradation as US media trends towards misusing otherwise properly defined words to make communication difficult or even impossible. Not due to inability to communicate, as you are trying to narrowly define it - as to define the argument away (very american of you), but to alter language perspective/interpretation so people talk past each other basically. Example, take ''libertarian'' in the US that is basically the philosophy of ''the state should never help you''. However, the actual original European definition and practice is ''the state should never hurt you''. A more current example is ''groomer'' US media and politicians are now just using that word to define anyone they disagree with. Which I think they will include in law. Perhaps a better word would be ''corruption'' rather than degradation. As for the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, again you're just trying to narrowly define the problem away, such pedantry ironically serves to make language useless. It is presented in Universities, there are multiple scholarly articles and it is not JUST a hypothesis, it is a philosophical argument and perspective that anyone who speaks more than one language will appreciate. Granted, change, degradation and corrupted are not clear lines, but I have observed enough Americans just flat out using the English language incorrectly , and that influencing British English as to think it will only get worse and create more conflict. Not to mention, turn us into idiot Americans...

[@kiraPh1234k]

@@badrhetoric5637 Such terrible examples. You do realize youre just rehashing what I pointed out earlier as a common problem amongst aging humans? So a few things: 1. You seem to imply I must be monolingual purely due to the fact that I understand what Sapir-Whorf actually is (and no, there aren't papers with any evidence supporting it, but feel free to try and link one and I will definitely read it). And yea, Sapir-Whorf isnt just a hypothesis as it was never a hypothesis in the first place. You much more accurately hit the nail to refer to it as a philisophical idea (though as I mentioned earlier evidence appears to disagree with the Sapir-Whorf idea). However I speak 3 langauges and still understand the utter ridiculousness of the Sapir-Whorf idea. 2. You claim that Americans use English incorrectly (you made it a general statement as well as specifically claimed politicians are using specific words incorrectly). To clear that up, first we must point out that English is a natural language, not an artificially contructed language. The source we have for English (and every other natural language) is what we call "native speakers". Native speakers are the gold standard in language usage and definition. All texts on the English language are only attempts to copy down how native speakers use the language. They have no guarantee to be complete (and generally the task isnt possible) and they in no means define the language. They only describe what the natives define. By actual definition, you cannot claim a native speaker's usage is incorrect, they are the literal authority on the language's usage. Yes, language changes. Yes, people slow down as they age and go on rants about how the "youngins are speaking incorrectly". But again, thus is not degradation, its change. I find it interesting you have taken such a brazen stance on word definitions and are at the same time trying to use the word "degradation" while claiming it doesn't imply a reduced ability of speaking (which I referenced as being understood and being able to communicate as that is how you would measure degradation. Its almost as if, like other native speakers, you are an active participant in changing the language (or degrading it, as you so ineloquently put it) However, keep in mind that there are many people who think they can presribe English - Have you ever seen a teacher make the absolutely ignorant response of "I don't know, *can* you?" who failed to understand that phrase is a play on the word "can" and not an actual criticism of the usage (And to note, the word "can" has carried the definition of "to be allowed" in native usage as well as in dictionaries for well over 100 years. Also just to point out, you made the claim that speakers "misuse...words to make communication difficult or impossible", which we have already discussed is not the case as there is no decline in their ability to be understood or to communicate, and you made thise claim immediately prior to saying it was "not due to an inability to communicate". Those are contradicting statements and you didn't even change topics between the contradiction. Also as a aside, I thought it rather funny you implied one must be monolingual to not support Sapir-Whorf. Not due to the terrible reasoning either, but rather because I myself had assumed you to be monolingual for different reasons (specifically I don't understand how you could learn another language without learning how words get their meaning). So the fact it seemed we both thought the other was monolingual was comical to me.

[@josejaimevidalrosales8660]

Hi, Jade. I do not really know if you'll read my message but I just want to tell you I need to train my accent to speak clearly enough for a more accurate communication. I've already seen the price but I don't have clear how often I have to pay that amount and how long the course is. Hopefully you can reply my questions, I'll really appreciate it. By the way, I love your accent

[@JadeJoddle]

I have lots of different courses so the answer is that it depends. My British Accent training course is on sale today, which means you can join for a 50% discount. This is a video-only course and a one-time payment. More info about the course here: jadejoddle.com/get-a-british-accent/

[@henriquebenezra3116]

The same happens to the portuguese language in Brasil.

[@hassanechetouane1092]

Oh Jade, if I am your follower it means I believe in you as a therapist of this beautiful language. Please Jade don't let it die or weaken. Don't stay at the step of the diagnosis and pass to the therapeutic phase as physicians do for their patients. Only you must understand accurately what is wrong in this new era. Oh yes, Netflix and the hegemony of Americans. Etiology, then you will have to make people internationally love this language and generally the languages by establishing connections between them.Psychopedagogy.Oh Jade we are here following your conquest your banner and sword till death. I will send a letter to the queen of England to assign you for this hard task I admit.

[@cnrd9529]

Jade, what do you think of the construct "... the reason is because..."?

[@nidavellir314]

Hello Jade. As an English learner, sometimes I feel more educated than most native speakers. I’m a level C1, I obviously make mistakes, but I try to be as clear as possible whenever I write or speak. I do so in my native language too.

[@JadeJoddle]

You certainly could be more educated than the majority of native speakers.

[@josepmariaalcoverropons9186]

It is the same in all languages. Teachers and academies would have to explain it to students

[@mochileiro21]

In Portugal is happening the same. Brazil has a much larger population and the internet is dominate by their variation of talking and writing, which makes children from Portugal to communicate like them.

[@vannizaniboni3502]

You're right, Jade. It's a real pity RP Englisch is disappearing. It's true people avoid and laugh at excellence while negligence is considered good, when not even worshipped. Awkward times.

[@justsomeone7265]

I think the average British person has an “at home” voice for casual situations vs a posher voice for formal situations. For example, a man from SW England started talking to me and at first he was very articulate, with a London sounding accent but once we’d had a few more conversations and we were comfortable around each other, he spoke less clearly and had a south western accent.

[@edmundosantos-garza1465]

You can teach good English to the children in the elementary or primary school and you can also teach them good English and how to speak or talk correctly and with good grammar. You can teach them the BBC accent or the Queen Elizabeth's accent when they are young, and NOT the trash, garbage or rubbish of the American English. It is because you have let in many people from all over the world, or other nationalities, with very many different accents when they speak the English language.

[@AndiEliot]

ESL speaker here (Spanish). I listen to you and I'm like, -hey, I understand English, perfectly! -.. I listen to Liam Gallagher and I'm like -what is wrong with me, after all these years I can barely understand a couple of words..-.. quite frustrating to say the least.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

We've not got Netflix and I read the Guardian...so I read reasonably cleanly 🎩

[@apricus3155]

The first three of the Seven Liberal Arts from the Middle Ages are: Grammar, Logic and Rehtoric. The first three of the seven liberal arts and are called "Trivium"( "tri"+"via", "where the three ways/roads meet"). The other subjects, in the Liberal Arts, study math. Eg. Arithmetic and Music( or applied Arithmetic), and Geometry ( and applied Geometry or Astronomy). This is Quadrivium. Only after this people went on towards philosophy, and theology. I'm not quite sure about theology but philosophy can be divided into three: rational( logic, operations of the intellect..), moral ( domestic science, politics, ethics, human anthropology) and ethical ( subject matter is Happiness, then virtues, cardinal and theological, the aims of life). Theology maybe divied into natural and revealed theology. Subject of Grammar are: Orthography, Etymology, Syntax and Prosody. An good book is "English Grammar for Classical Schools" by Thomas Kerchever Arnold which approaches English Grammar in a way as to help students learn Latin later on. The main text for Logic is the treatises of Aristotle. Likewise for Rehtoric, he wrote a authoritative treatment.

[@oliviastar3812]

I'd say today people still want to stand out, however they seek it without aspiring to excellence (on Instagram/KZbin/etc).

[@albionmyl7735]

I am German and I staying in England/ Sussex in this day's. Especially the younger people are difficult to understand by first hearing... the older people very much better... In generally I avoid watching American TV shows they are not helpful to improve English skills.

[@Steedonline]

I fully agree with you Jade (unfortunately). It is a trend in all western languages, actually.

[@JohnCashin]

Another factor contributing to this is the way in which street talk has been creeping into the mainstream over the years and you might start to hear presenters on TV occasionally saying "cool", "bro", "bruv" etc. Don't misunderstand me when I say this, these expressions are fine within a street context or an informal setting. There is a time and place for talking like that and I'm more relaxed too on those rare occasions when I meet friends on the street and chat, I certainly wouldn't go full-on Queens English in that situation, I'd get some funny stares from them if I did 🤣, however, I don't really want to be hearing someone talking street style lingo when they are presenting a series topic on TV. I can't take someone seriously as a professional if they talk street in a professional setting. Imagine going to your doctor and he or she greets you with "hey, how's it bopping bruv?" etc. I would never put my trust in any doctor that talked like that way whilst they are in surgery but this is where things are headed at the moment, it's just going to be a matter of time. I even heard a Police Officer a few years ago whilst talking to a member of the public saying "cool", again, don't get me wrong here, it's fine for them to be relaxed with the public and not overly formal, there is a thin line though and I just think that's going a tad too over it. Many thanks.

[@bursartpark9320]

Right .. this apply to many other languages in Europa and North America. This language problem may has the roots in globalization and destroying the languages helps destroying the nations.

[@thornmallow1]

Is there a way to give this video a giant thumbs up?

[@JadeJoddle]

Yes, by sharing it with people who may be interested in the topic. Thanks for watching.

[@tannewton]

I read that even Cillian Murphy watches 'Peaky Blinders' with subtitles on. If it's true, then I feel a little better about my listening skills. When I don't understand an actor, I feel like my English still needs some improvements.

[@ecclesiaxxi6210]

The education in the UK is terrible (and this was 20 years ago, and from what I've seen now it's x100 worse! O_O ), my dad when he tells me about his O-levels, and how his schools were, so they had a fraction of todays funding but the quality of the education and teachers was night and day compared to today's. Of course my dad is a boomer and their education was bad compared to their grandparents, but compared to what we have now there is no comparison, so at least boomers in school had greatest gen and older teachers and those people were still overlooking the curriculum ...but the reigns were fully handed over to the boomers some 20+ years ago and it's just going to get worse. I completely agree regarding American media and it's influence, most media we consume is American, or influenced by America, and I have personally noticed, ... that when I'm consuming more American media I begin adopting their terms ... sometimes I've been speaking with my fiance and he'll draw my attention to it e.g. "you're saying "like" and "um" a lot more" smh, of course then you have the general vocabulary which worsens too. Another thing I noticed is social media in general, so before I used to write essays and letters and was more accustomed to being more careful, but since YT etc, where we're writing quick comments/thoughts and are being casual, not to mention nobody really cares ... so while I still won't make insane errors (due to it being ingrained), but plenty of little errors and things that aren't "technically" correct, but no one cares and you don't want to spend the time and can't be bothered. Also being around many people for whom English is a second or third language... anyway, my point is ... social media definitely contributed in people's English regressing. I noticed it first when people had text messages on mobiles and couldn't be bothered to write the full words/sentences out or wanted character limit. This wasn't an issue before of course. Then you have the changed in culture/society, although I suppose it's all intertwined.

[@JadeJoddle]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the topic. 👏

[@Roger.Coleman1949]

I always recall the late Kenny Everett saying that when the BBC employed him and his fellow ex-pirate radio ( which I loved ! ) ' DJs ' in the late 60s, he noticed that its staff immediately tried to play down their formal scripted approach to appear ' with it ' and Kenny and his mates tried to dismiss the brash American style which they had been forced to adopt !.Even listening to vintage recorded BBC speech output pre-1990 sounds ' posh ' .I think as you grow older it does start to annoy and you end up being appalled by the lack of literacy in spoken speech.

[@ahmetgokhanyeter]

👍

[@maximodiaz6628]

Sad!

[@stefanieschroter3188]

As a German who loves listening to British English, it is so sad to hear, that there is a decline in the manner of speaking. I rather prefer British TV shows to American ones. Thanks for your videos!

[@apricus3155]

Hallöchen! Ich gerne die British auch. As you say in German "Dialekt"( instead of "accent") British English is different from language and not just the difference in "accent"( for eg. the words choosen are different) Best way to "be" British is to watch cricket 🏏 which is popular in the sub-continent ( Afghan to Sri Lanka). I like to watch all those horrible old British comedies like Men from the Ministry or the classics like Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, etc. Lot of word puns. But the British, like the French can be decadent, I mean "spoilt"( especially the upperclass, and the British are one of the most class conscious people)

[@66longinus]

I really like your clothes in all your videos, they are beautiful. You choose them with great taste.

[@JadeJoddle]

Thank you.