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?
