N64 : Sixty-fourth lesson S00-TITLE : Day or Die? S01 : "It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him." S02 : So said George Bernard Shaw at the beginning of the last century on the subject of class and accents. S03 : Does Shaw's opinion still hold true in today's egalitarian rainbow society? S04 : Or are we Brits still classbound and uptight about the way we speak? S05 : With me to discuss the question are Peregrine Wade-Smythe from Oxford University and Jimmy Fowler from the University of the Solent. S06 : We also have a studio audience of all ages and backgrounds - not to mention accents. S07 : Professor Wade-Smythe, is Shaw old hat or does what he said still apply? S08 : One wouldn't wish to sound superior, but I think that old George is still spot-on. S09 : I have travelled the length and breadth of Britain and I find that regional accents are still very much a symbol of class. S10 : Oh come off it! The Britain you're talking about no longer exists, mate. S11 : Just watch TV, listen to the radio or even go to the movies: you won't hear a plummy accent nowadays. S12 : I know, the country is going to the dogs. We no longer have any industries - the unions have seen to that; S13 : now everyone drops their aitches and no one can pronounce the word "day" properly! S14 : Most regional accents are hard to understand but the hardest of all is the Liverpudlian one. S15 : Let's see whether the audience has anything to say. You madam, in the striped tee-shirt. S16 : The man's talking rubbish. I'm a Scouser and we're not just a bunch of lower-class yobs what can't talk proper. S17 : That rather proves my point, does it not? Britain has a ruling class that doesn't rule, a working class that doesn't work S18 : and a middle class that is not in the middle. No wonder we're confused! S19 : And on that note, I think we'd better call it a day. Or, if you're from "darn sarf", a die. T00-TRANSLATE : Exercise: Translate T01 : You can tell he's from down south: just listen to that plummy accent! T02 : The fire brigade was on the spot just minutes after the call. T03 : Here are the photos I told you about. Cheers, mate. T04 : We really couldn't have hoped for a better result. T05 : "You're not going to die today," said the surgeon. "I hope not," said his patient. "I've got nothing to wear to the funeral".