> When I came from Ireland, I had a strong Ulster accent, but got by fine in > Quebec City for many years, since Quebecers speak as quickly as people from > Northern Ireland (Norn Iron). When I moved to Toronto, however, no-one > could understand me, and I had to put on a Canadian accent, which still > sounds foreign to me. > > So you can imagine how I felt during a trip to Ireland, when I dialed a > wrong number, and the person on the other end said to his friend, "There's > some Yank on the line, is it for you?"
Pat, One time I was driving in the high country in Connemara and I got flagged down by an old man by the side of the road who was looking for his sheep. He asked me for a ride, and when I consented he whistled to the woods and a boy and three dogs piled into my back seat while the old man got into the front seat. We had a nice conversation for many miles, over the barking of the dogs (the boy never uttered a word)--but when I spoke to the old man in my normal voice, he looked at me as if I came from Mars, or was speaking Swahili. It was only when I did my bravest impression of his own thick accent that he could understand me at all. I'm sure to him I still had a "Yank accent," but if any of my friends could have heard my clumsy attempt to try to "speak Irish," they would have howled with laughter. <g> --Mike
