True Brit and flying grit

This week I witnessed a revival of the great old Dunkirk Spirit.

It can't have failed to have come to your notice that a percentage of a certain airline's crew members have been on strike recently.

I was due to fly with this airline and whilst most of my friends around me were in a flap of 'will we or won't we have our flights disrupted' I had no such qualms.

I knew the British stiff upper lip would prevail. The Brits are at their best when their backs are to the wall and I felt sure they would come through. Arriving at Heathrow's Terminal Five I immediately noticed the first evidence of this spirit at the check-in desks and in the executive lounge.

Big bright smiles were everywhere amongst staff who had turned out to work and profuse and sincere apologies made for any inconvenience or reduction in service that I might receive.

My onward flight was delayed due to only half of the crew turning up for work but the customer services lady told us that they were not cancelling the flight and were hopeful that they would find the remaining required crew members to legally allow us to take to the air.

Twenty minutes later it was sorted and we boarded. Once on board the Captain made an announcement apologising for the delay and informing us that emergency crew had been found who would act as cabin crew, namely a spare Captain and First Officer.

Sitting in the front row, I had a ringside seat, allowing me to closely observe Captain Ron as he gamely carried out the pre-take-off safety demonstration.

Gesticulating with almost military precision, chin held high, that fighting British spirit shone in his eyes which were only out dazzled by his radiantly proud smile, it was enough to make you want to break out into a round of applause. His cohort, First Officer Jack, wound his way down the cabin politely checking seat belts were fastened, handbags were stowed correctly and mobiles switched off, as he made eye contact and personally thanked each passenger for complying.

No one cared that the inflight duty free was missing or that hot drinks were unavailable. The dedication and sheer determination of the crew to 'keep the flag flying' with an almost religious zeal was a wonder to behold and I for one felt proud to be in the presence of that great British Dunkirk Spirit. (Good job I was wearing water proof mascara.)

Willie Walsh can be justifiably proud of his loyal employees and his board of directors should be congratulating themselves that they have a strong, courageous CEO at the helm.

Whilst this outstanding example of the Brits at work would make our old soldiers proud, another example of Brits, not at work, would be enough to make them spin in their graves.

Can you believe that we Brits now have to send our passports to Germany to be renewed? Trust me; the irony is not lost on our new Teutonic passport issuers.

Dear Betsy,

I read with interest your response in last week's GulfWeekly regarding the use of the English language in text messages. I am a Bahraini of Persian origin but studied in a private school where English was the main medium.

While I was not very good in English at school however I do believe that I now have a good command of the English language and am particularly good at spelling. I, like you, prefer the UK English and change my PC/laptop settings accordingly - maybe it's because I got used to it.

With regards to the way many people write text messages these days this just irritates me. I find it difficult to read and even more difficult to write. It's much easier and faster for me to write the full words, proper use of capitals and small letters and correct punctuation.

What I find worse is that Arab and Persian speaking people also use similar ways of texting but with a difference.

Most Arabs write their messages using Arabic words but English letters. To compensate for the Arabic letters that don't exist in the English language they cleverly use English numbers to represent those missing letters. There are also different variations so try deciphering those!

Persians use similar methods but now it gets more complicated - mixing English, Arabic and Persian words in the same sentence and all using English letters and numbers!

I wonder if people speaking other languages have other variations of texting.

Mohammed Shafiee.

Dear Betsy,

Thank you for pointing out the awful texting language that threatens real UK English standards.

As an educator of some 30 years it makes me cringe to see the lack of proper use of the English language amongst young people. In fact, even 'us oldies' can be guilty of it as now some of my colleagues send out emails in such shorthand.

Like you, I was taught that mastering the English language was a must if you were to get on in the world. It was paramount to passing any exams at school.

If your history, geography or other such examinations featured correct answers but with wrong spelling then you were marked down. Can you imagine how today's students would fare if this were still the case?

Instead of complaining that A-levels and GCSEs are too easy and need to be upgraded, they should simply invoke this rule. That would soon sort out the wheat from the chafe. Even large corporations are not immune to typos and poor grammar in their literature and websites seem to be riddled with it. So, Betsy, thank you for pointing this out and perhaps it will inspire others to follow your example.

Miss Jean Brodie.

Dear Betsy,

I thought I was the only one who felt like this about language. I always correct my staff when they send emails or memos. I cannot abide poor spelling and think it is a very accurate insight into one's character.

The written word should be respected and it is time someone explained this to our transatlantic cousins whom I feel are taking far too many liberties as they bastardise our precious English.

It has evolved over centuries and is woven from a rich tapestry of languages, emerging triumphant as a linguistic masterpiece. I am proud of you for bringing this important matter to the attention of our readers and hope it provokes a more positive attitude amongst your readers in upholding proper English.

Steve.

Dear Mohammed, Jean and Steve,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am thrilled to see that there are lots of us out there who appreciate the intricacies of our British English language.

I think it is time to set up a supporters group who are committed to preserving the correct use of our language and encouraging others to do so. What about 'SOBEL' - Save Our British English language? It could catch on big time and help us revive not only the correct use of language but it hopefully would have a knock on effect of also reviving good manners, respect and the importance of developing a sense of social responsibility. Manners maketh man and good language use maketh great men and even greater women!

Let me hear your thoughts on this subject. Do you think correct language use really matters or is simply being able to communicate, in whatever linguistic form, more important?