On May 31, 2005, at 23:54, A & Y Farrell (Yvonne) wrote:
I fear there will be trouble Tamara when we meet later in the year and I find out your Aussie accent isn't as strong as I read it to be, LOL.
Don't worry; English being my second language, I'm like a sponge - I pick up the accent that's closest to me. The trouble is... the sponge is sopping already :)
First, 10 yrs of learning from people who'd never been outside Poland (and were too faithful to the regime to try and listen to BBC in the few minutes a day that the signal wasn't blocked). You might call that period the "Vistula English" :)
Then, 5 yrs at the U, where there was a mix: Poles who'd studied in Poland only, Poles who'd studied in UK, Poles who'd studied in US. Plus the occasional visiting professor - the "authentic article" - but from both countries. We aimed at the British RP, but our aim was far from perfect :)
Then, 32 yrs in Lexington, where, at home, I hear perfectly cultured (if somewhat Norfolk/Va Beach) accent but, in the grocery store, library, etc, it's "peon" for both "pin" and "pen"... :)
And, when my son comes home for Christmas... Well, his ear is very good also :) So, he left home with the same mix of Norfolk/Rockbridge County accent that I've been acquiring over the past 32 yrs, added some New York-ish vowels and intonations while at the U (Princeton) and is now broadening his scope with the Northern California mix. And he dutifully passes it all onto me when he's here (or I'm there)... :)
Add aging arteries (and ears) and, this particular "linguistic chameleon" is beginning to find it harder and harder to "blend in" with my current conversation partner... :( Sigh...
-- Tamara P Duvall http://t-n-lace.net/ Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland) To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
