oracy

[Michael Rolls]

to be honest, I had to look it up - just means speaking clearly and grammatically. Keir Starmer reckons it should be taught at schools as of equal importance to literacy and numeracy. To be honest, although I don't remember ever hearing the word, I was horrified to discover that that is not the case. Apparently, our current tranche of teachers regard it as elitist and therefore to be frowned upon.
Back in the dim and ancient past when I was at school, it was certainly part of the curriculum. Our English master had an endearing habit of pointing to someone and demanding that they speak on a random subject the he (the master) determined. On one occasion I had to speak for a minute on 'nothing' - hard work, but I managed. Did speaking form part of your curriculum?

[Raven]

I agree, there's nothing to be proud of if you won't speak properly, or at least that's what we were taught, also told no body would employ you as how you looked, spoke and acted spoke volumes.
This Woke nonsense get dafter by the day.

[Ashy]

We had one period per week "speech training".

It didn't work.

[Scrumpy]

We were corrected if any teacher heard bad grammar in or out of the classroom..
I have been told that I speak posh..  I doubt that I do.. I just speak properly..
Nothing bugs me more when hearing someone say  ' nothink' instead of ' nothing'..
 I even swear in a 'posh' voice..
I don't always understand what is being said and often have turned a program/film off because of this reason.. Northern dialect, especially Scottish throws me..

[GrannyMac]

The Dundonian dialect and accent are both strong, and can be fairly unintelligible to outsiders. Even the kids with the strongest accents had to tone it down at school. My accent is still very obviously Scottish, but eh nivver spoke ory, y'ken.   Raven will get it. 😉

My mother said she once heard a woman teaching a Polish airman some English outside a fruitshop. Pointing to the display 'them's aipples, them's oeranges'.

I asked my children, who went to school 70s/80s if they'd heard teachers correcting broad Yorkshire accents, they said not, and they certainly don't now. Its one thing I could agree with Starmer about, if a person can't speak reasonably clearly it will limit them in lots of work situations.

[1955vintage]

People used to have elocution lessons so they could speak BBC English. 

Now the BBC frowns on people who speak properly or use correct grammar.

[GrannyMac]

Regional accents can be fine, poor grammar, not so.  BBC (RP) English is too removed from most of us. 

[Alex]

I don't think I have an accent   

[Ashy]

London Transport seems to let anyone loose with a microphone and sometimes I wonder if the person reading  it understands what they are saying.

[klondike]

I don't think I have an accent   

I know I don't. When somebody guessed where I come from it was entirely a lucky guess. 

I've not had a problem with Scots accents after having been on the booze with several Glaswegians at various times but otoh I've probably never heard the accents of the smaller Scottish towns and cities.

[Scrumpy]

London Transport seems to let anyone loose with a microphone and sometimes I wonder if the person reading  it understands what they are saying.