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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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As an off-shoot of this thread, I was wondering if those of you who, like me, have to travel abroad fairly frequently, find yourself using "verbal markers" to try to determine where people you meet are from? This really only applies to people who are native English-speakers in my case.
Incidentally, speaking Zild goes down like a lead balloon in SE Asia which is where I go most often. I have to consciously move to an approximation of RP and slow down. When I was in Dallas earlier this year, I was asked if I came from Massachussetts ...
Anyway, a few examples of the verbal markers I use:
For an Australian, I wait for them to use a word like "six" or "pool". Zild and Strine are very similar and it's sometimes hard to tell them apart, but someone from Oz will usually say "six" as "seeks" and "pool" as "poo-il". There is an extreme brogue of Strine which is unmistakable, however.
Telling the Canucks and Yanks apart isn't so straightforward for me unless they come from south of the Mason-Dixon line. I have to wait for an "-out" word such as "out" or "about" or "shout" - a Canadian will say "a-ooo-t" while an American will say "ahht".
Telling which part of Britain someone is from used to be quite straightforward in most cases, based on brogue. But I notice that more and more Brits are speaking in a flat London accent. Probably a false impression!
What other verbal markers to people use - or am I the only nutter who cares?
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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In reply to:
. My (English) mother had fits over this. My (Zild-speaking) father was happy that all the pretension had been dropped. I just spoke Zild like all of my contemporaries (sounds of vowels being flattened underfoot).
My maternal grandparents had a big influence on my speaking habits - I can blame them for many of my personality trays. I am grateful that they cured me of the Zild habit of pronouncing "women" and "woman" in exactly the same way. I hate that - I find myself silently screaming (sometimes not so silently) "it's wimmin for crying out loud!"
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Joined: Mar 2000
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addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2000
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<"Stee-RAW-berries, strawberries".>
So did DuBose Heyward in the early years of this century and included it in his novel 'Porgy' which George Gershwin subsequently, and memorably, set to music in the early thirties as 'Porgy and Bess'.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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...I was surprised that no one commented on the fact that Louisville ain't the capital of Caintuck.Jackie, of course we all knew that, but since Helen set the stage for you to share your knowledge, this nacherly polite bunch sat back and waited 
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Joined: Nov 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146 |
...I was surprised that no one commented on the fact that Louisville ain't the capital of Caintuck.Jackie, of course we all knew that, but since Helen set the stage for you to share your knowledge, this nacherly polite bunch sat back and waited Ah ... as the old joke goes, who's this "we", white man?It's been thirty-some years since I could recite all the state capitals of the US of A. An' I disremember Caintuck. But I do remember Kentucky. Capital is Frankfort, ain't it? Unless it's still Bowling Green, which it was just before Jackie and I were born. Give or take 90 years. Jackie, have you been to the Louisville museum to see the new Cezanne?
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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have you been to the Louisville museum to see the new Cezanne?
Mer-SEE, you are up on things, aren't you, Hon? I are
impressed!! No, I don't think it is on display yet, but will check tomorrow's paper. (Speaking of which, I just checked Max's gift and learned that you are 18 hours ahead of me, so you are already in tomorrow!)
BUT--if I recall last week's paper correctly, the
GUTENBERG ARTIFACTS are now at our main library!
And I'll be there!
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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'never veterinarian' - some social stigma attached to it?
It's a Yankie word, Shanks, so the answer is she hestitates no, course not! We say veterinary surgeon (don't ask me why).
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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>new Cezanne
I didn't realise that he was still painting.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Of course Jo, it is a new painting method, slightly akin to postmodernism. I believe it is called postmortem. But don’t quote me on this, I might be dead wrong.
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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"post-mortem-modern"-- If the dead can be elected to Congress, why couldn't they paint, as well? 
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