Madam, - Beside me on the bus an older teenager spoke to a friend on her mobile phone. Part of the conversation ran much as follows:
"No, last Wednesday, I'm in her place and in comes this guy. He's like, you know, like kinda yuk. . .I say 'Hi' and he's goin' kinda 'am-I-seein'-things?' O my God, I'm sorta goin', 'Excuse me'. . . Yeah, yeah. . .O God, yeah, totally mingin. [Loud laughter.] I'm kinda cool but I'm really freakin'. O God, I'm near Grafton Street. See ya, five min. Bye."
She was an Irish girl, speaking the teenage English of today. Incidentally, what would we do without the mobile phone? - Yours, etc,
ANGELA MACNAMARA, Lower Kilmacud Road, Dublin 14.