Accented English

[John Walton]

Tabouli wrote:

> When I was in South Africa, I went to a party held in what was a "coloured"
> area under Apartheid and discovered that while the "whites" had had no trouble
> understanding me, the people at this party, presumably poorer and less
> well-travelled, were having difficulties.  I said I thought my Australian
> accent wasn't particularly strong, and they laughed and told me to listen to
> myself!  (?)  I then demonstrated a true broad Australian accent (which they
> were unconvinced was really English), and then I jokily adopted an English
> accent.  Ah!  they said, that's *much* better, can you speak like that from
> now on?

Oh, I love this thread.

I was at dinner at my friend Hansie's house (no prize for guessing that he's
a white South African) the other night, and we were discussing this very
thing. He's a mature student (mid 30s) and remembers, during his late teens
and early 20s, having to pass himself off as Australian while travelling
lest he be harangued by anti-apartheid activists. The fact that he himself
is a strong believer in racial equality never entered into it.

My personal favorite, however, is when I'm at home in NY. Now, despite my
American nationality and the fact that I consider myself a New Yorker, I
have a very strong English public school accent which would probably be
termed "BBC English". I have lost track how often I have had the following
conversation with various people, many of them at least partially educated:

Me (buying something/talking about something): Blah blah.

Person: Oh, I *love* that accent!

Me: Thank you.

Person: Are you from Ireland?

Me: No, I'm a New Yorker but my accent is from England.

Person: England...is that in Ireland?

Me: No, England is part of Britain.

Person: Is *that* in Ireland?

Me: No, but it's nearby. Kinda like New York and Pennsylvania.

Person: Oh. So they're like different states?

Me: Yep, except actually different countries. Like America and Canada, but
smaller.

Person: Wow, I had no idea.

Heh. Of course, I experience the same thing in Europe: "Is Oregon near NY? I
have an internet friend in Oregon!"

--John

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-"You are drunk, Sir Winston, you are disgustingly drunk."
-"Yes, Mrs Braddock, I am drunk. But you, Mrs Braddock, are ugly.
Tomorrow morning I, Winston Churchill, will be sober."

John Walton || john at walton.vu
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