Besides English, What Languages Do You Speak?

[avedwards]

Alan, if I may politely comment on the above...Marla simply said that they were "miffed" by her accent and vocabulary. If this resulted in "tacitly forcing" her to adjust the latter two, it is at least somewhat understandable. Last term I had an English student (London) whose vocabulary was was not much different than the rest of the class, but whose "accent" sometimes interfered with our understanding of what he was attempting to say (including sometimes me, who is quite used to varieties of spoken English). Another boy I had last year for Social Studies, born here but with a heavy English accent due to his father, also sometimes was not intelligible to the rest of the class. To my knowledge, though, neither student was explicitly/implicitly suggested to change his pronunciation or vocabulary; both still speak the way they did when I first met them. The point is, accents and regional vocabulary can interfere with communication, and sometimes the speaker must accordingly adjust, as I would have to do if I busted out speaking Castilian Spanish to a group of Mexican Indians from Oaxaca...And I think the same would likely happen to me if I began enunciating Southern California Surfer/Valley-Speak in the middle of Manchester.

Sorry if I offended you (or any of the many Americans who post on here). I meant no offence, I just find it a shame that things have got to the stage where many Americans can no longer understand the British accent. I understand that the badly spoken/gutteral English is difficult to understand and can sometimes even be painful to listen to, but I think that correctly spoken "Oxford" English should be accepted within the English speaking world, as it would be a shame for those who grew up speaking it to lose their cultural identity by picking up the accent of where they live. I hope this doesn't come across as snobby, because I would also encourage an American living in England to retain their accent providing it is understandable to the English.

I am all for globalisation and learning new languages, I just find it a shame to lose any accent as they form an important part of one's cultural identity in my opinion. Of course common sense must apply as some accents are nearly impossible to understand, for example the Indian English accent is sometimes so strong that it requires a lot of concentration to decode (made worse by many of the UK's companies having their call centres in India).

 

[C-dot]

Of course common sense must apply as some accents are nearly impossible to understand, for example the Indian English accent is sometimes so strong that it requires a lot of concentration to decode (made worse by many of the UK's companies having their call centres in India).

I have a huge problem with this on a near daily basis. We have a large influx of immigration into the Greater Toronto Area, so you'll run into 30 different accents when you go out. Any accent is easy to understand when the speaker enunciates properly: For example, I had a Chinese math teacher in school that I never had a problem understanding - But when I ordered Thai for dinner the other night, I couldn't decipher a word the girl was saying.

I have no trouble with even the most informal English accents, or with many European ones. But some are so thick that I am forced to sometimes say "I'm sorry, but I cannot understand you," which makes me feel just awful.

 

[Edward]

I just wish I could speak English with a German accent. Sadly no matter how hard I try and despite being fluent in German I simply cannot put on a convincing German accent when speaking English.

Heh, I've tried in private (I truly don't want to die before getting a crack at the role of EmCee in Cabaret - I was born to play that part), though it's still a little bit too Herr Flick for my tastes.

Why do you want to do that? I always hate it when people tell me I have an accent. But then, I AM German, that's probably the difference.

I suppose we all regard the ideal as speaking a new language learned like a native. There are plenty of us enjoy the sound of English as spoken with a German accent, though.

I did once on a project work with a German guy who spoke English so fluently with a Dublin accent that I mistook him for Irish for the first half hour. Heh. I'm not quite sure how he came by that particular accent, but he did it wonderfully well.

The People's Republic of China has completely butchered Chinese characters. What they use now are only shades of its original beauty, though the original characters are still very much in use in Taiwan (Formosa). Chinese characters used in Japanese have been somewhat simplified, too, but not as much as in PRC. Most Japanese can decipher the characters used in Taiwan, but I wonder if the younger generation from PRC can, unless they are versed in classic Chinese.

Yes, I was taught that Mandarin characters had been simplified. It's an interesting concept. The Roman alphabet has gone through a number of variations, particularly since the dawn of printing: most particularly, at one time an 's' was written the same as an 'f ' minus the horizontal bar. Ntohing to the extent that happened with Mandarin, though.

Incidentally, the US when occupying Japan after WWII, tried to force us to completely ditch our Japanese characters--both kana, the alphabet and kanji, and change our writing to romaji, the usage of the English alphabet, because they thought that since written Japanese was soooo difficult, many people must be illiterate and it should be made simpler for better educating our people. What made them give up the idea was a test given to random groups of Japanese. Imagine their surprise when over 80% of the Japanese aced the test. That was the end of that bright idea lol

Heh. That I did not know. So they were basically pushing for the adoption of a Japanese equivalent of PinYin. I've noticed that most signs in China, at least in the Beijing area, with which I am most familiar, are in both 'alphabets' - the PRC now being very willing to accommodate we Big Noses who wish to spend our tourist dollar there.

And I think the same would likely happen to me if I began enunciating Southern California Surfer/Valley-Speak in the middle of Manchester.

Over here we're pretty familiar with a wide range of US accents insofar as they are represented in US television shows and films; it's easy to forget that given how much entertainment content the US puts out compared to how much of ours they buy back in, folks over there don't have the level of familiarity with accents across the UK that we do across the US. At least, with the range of US accents that Hollywood chooses to portray, which is a whole different can of worms we also often forget....

Now come on, admit it. Do you say "about" or "a boot"? lol

I've always loved accents. I learned how to do them from watching Peter Sellers and Monty Python when I was growing up. So much so that the British accent is now second nature to me.

Ah, now there's a term I hear often from folks in the US: "the British accent". I've never been quite sure what is meant by that - bearing in mind that Britain includes not only the very wide range of accents across England itself, but also Wales and Scotland (and all the myriad variations on those too). I don't think for a minute that Americans are incapable of distinguishing Sean Connery from Tim Curry, so I presume it must refer to one specific accent which is the "generic", in the way that (thanks to Hollywood) generic Californian / West Coat is perceived as the "normal" American Accent much of the time over here. Is there an example of a person whose voice typifies the term "British accent"? I'm curious.

The Canadian accent is very simple (or at least the approximation of one): I just talk like I have a head cold. In fact I use it sometimes to avoid the more persistent signature gatherers in front of Target or Walmart who want me to sign their petitions. I tell them that I'm a noncitizen (Canadian) who can't vote. ...it's better than claiming to be a felon, eh?

I don't know, the latter might shift them off your property a lot faster, if that's what you want...

I have a huge problem with this on a near daily basis. We have a large influx of immigration into the Greater Toronto Area, so you'll run into 30 different accents when you go out. Any accent is easy to understand when the speaker enunciates properly: For example, I had a Chinese math teacher in school that I never had a problem understanding - But when I ordered Thai for dinner the other night, I couldn't decipher a word the girl was saying.

I have no trouble with even the most informal English accents, or with many European ones. But some are so thick that I am forced to sometimes say "I'm sorry, but I cannot understand you," which makes me feel just awful.

Oh I know how you feel. Years ago when I first moved to London I had to avoid a particular post office. It was run by some lovely Indian people who spoke perfect English (as most Indian folks do - to this day it is the lingua franca of India, providing a common language among all the very many local Urdu dialects, and it is also the language in which education is conducted over there). Unfortunately, they struggled with my accent almost as much as I struggled with theirs, which was very heavy. I hadn't had much practice with their accent before and they I think were fairly new to the UK and weren't familiar with mine. I can smile about it looking back now, but I felt like a real ignoramus at the time!

 

[Harp]

I couldn't decipher a word the girl was saying.

--. --- -.-. ..- -... ... -.-.-- (My Morse code was always lousy)

 

[C-dot]

Now come on, admit it. Do you say "about" or "a boot"? lol

I've always loved accents. I learned how to do them from watching Peter Sellers and Monty Python when I was growing up. So much so that the British accent is now second nature to me. The Canadian accent is very simple (or at least the approximation of one): I just talk like I have a head cold. In fact I use it sometimes to avoid the more persistent signature gatherers in front of Target or Walmart who want me to sign their petitions. I tell them that I'm a noncitizen (Canadian) who can't vote. ...it's better than claiming to be a felon, eh?

I suppose I should say "ab-OW-t?"

Canadian should be easier than imagining you have a head cold. Just add an upward inflection to the end of all your sentences, and don't forget the obligatory "eh." Also, use your "u's"

(I tell restaurant servers south of the border that I'm Canadian so they don't think I'm a twerp when I want my iced tea sweetened or gravy with my fries.)

Is there an example of a person whose voice typifies the term "British accent"? I'm curious.

Not to me, because I can tell the difference between them all. I think it would be mainly the posh Prince Charles accent, because most will be able to recognize a "Cockney" accent. Anyone who can't tell the difference between an English accent and Scottish or Irish, well... That's some kinda tone deaf.

--. --- -.-. ..- -... ... -.-.-- (My Morse code was always lousy)

Now that'd be a handy language to have...

 

[Renault]

Castilian Spanish as spoken in Spain is significantly different than the Spanish spoken in South America, to much the same degree as US dialects of English are markedly different than English English. Not really a surprise, I suppose, as the language has simply evolved differently on two different continents.

And not the same as "Tex-Mex" ! Or the northern Mexican DIALECTS. Many Nahuatl (old language of the Aztecs) words used here. Even still used into NW Louisiana by the natives. Especially when dealing with local flora and fauna.

There is a pidgin that I used to be really good with called Mobilian which was a Muskoegean (Native American) based dialect. But u snooze u loose.

Renault

 

[Wally_Hood]

I speak passable Spanish because I live and work in southern California; I spent a few moments reading the Spanish half of a bilingual poster at the gas station yesterday and discovered I can chat okay, but formal reading is tough. I used to speak and read Japanese because that was part of my major way back in college. I do fine in American.

 

[Widebrim]

Sorry if I offended you (or any of the many Americans who post on here). I meant no offence, I just find it a shame that things have got to the stage where many Americans can no longer understand the British accent. I understand that the badly spoken/gutteral English is difficult to understand and can sometimes even be painful to listen to, but I think that correctly spoken "Oxford" English should be accepted within the English speaking world, as it would be a shame for those who grew up speaking it to lose their cultural identity by picking up the accent of where they live.

No offense (American spelling...ha, ha) taken, old boy. I agree with you, Alan, that the "Oxford" strain of English should be accepted within the English-speaking world, and that regional accents are strongly tied in to cultural identity. I think of my Sicilian grandmother who, although she grew up speaking her local dialect back at the turn of the 20th century, had to learn "standard" Tuscan Italian in school so that she could communicate with other Italians (most of whom wouldn't have understood her polyglot language with its many words of Greek, Arabic, Spanish, Catalan, French and ancient Siculi origin.)

 

[Widebrim]

Man, I thought we'd have some Arabic-speakers here...And considering all those Loungers with a background in Latin, maybe I should have listed that as a choice.[huh]

 

[Miss Peach]

Way to go with all of the French rollin' around here!

 

[Mr. Hallack]

A few years ago I encountered a new (for me) English dialect: Newfoundland English. Holy carp!! I worked at a lobster pound locally, and this company every year has some workers from Newfoundland working for them. I had the hardest time at first understanding them. The accent sounded like a mix of Irish English, Mainah while having your mouth stuffed with oatmeal. A lot of times during conversations I would be saying "sorry what was that?" But all these guys were really cool and figured I had some difficulty understanding them. They are some of the coolest people I met. Some time after I was fired from the lobster pound, we met again at a local grocery store, they asked what had happened to me and how I was doing. This was several months after I was fired, but they still remembered me. Someday I hope i can get to Newfoundland!!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

When I was a small child...all the neighborhood kids played 'cowboys & Indians'....so I was quite excited(as a 7 yr old boy) when we left on a family trip to Cherokee,NC. Arriving at the Cherokee Indian Village..we began the tour of the Cherokee way of life. Suddenly a little Indian boy dressed in ceremonial buckskin and beads ran up to the guide before she had started discribing the tour...and asked.."Mawmee..kin I have a peice of canedee"! I was floored....I had no idea that Cherokee indians had southern accents.....[huh]

 

[sheeplady]

A few years ago I encountered a new (for me) English dialect: Newfoundland English. Holy carp!! I worked at a lobster pound locally, and this company every year has some workers from Newfoundland working for them. I had the hardest time at first understanding them. The accent sounded like a mix of Irish English, Mainah while having your mouth stuffed with oatmeal. A lot of times during conversations I would be saying "sorry what was that?" But all these guys were really cool and figured I had some difficulty understanding them. They are some of the coolest people I met. Several weeks after I was fired from the lobster pound, we met again at a local grocery store, they asked what had happened to me and how I was doing. This was several months after I was fired, but they still remembered me. Someday I hope i can get to Newfoundland!!

If you do, be sure to try the screech. Basically a shot of dark rum. I spent some time in Newfoundland (Grand Banks), and it is beautiful. The people are some of the nicest I've ever met (present company excluded, of course). Your former coworkers sound exactly like the people I met when I was there.

 

[Mr. Hallack]

They were wicked cool!! Asked if I needed a ride home, hang out with them, etc. When I had met up with them again months later I was surprised they remembered me since I didn't work with them that long. But it made me feel good that they did. I hope they do represent the majority of Newfoundlanders.

 

[C-dot]

I hope they do represent the majority of Newfoundlanders.

I think that's a safe assumption. I've been to Newfoundland many times, and one thing that sticks out to me is their incredible geniality. You can jaywalk across a busy road there, and people in cars will stop, smile wide, and wave you on! If you pulled a stunt like that in Toronto, you'd be mowed down in a second.

 

[Harp]

Some time after I was fired from the lobster pound

Cahhanned, huh?

 

[grundie]

It's such a shame to see it dying out, even if it was in so many ways inevitable. Do kids in the Twenty-Six resent it or treat it as a "dead language" the way English kids might have seen Latin? I truly do wish I'd had the opportunity to learn it in the North. When I was at school it was only taught in the Catholic schools and, alas, had developed a distinctly political association - as, sadly, has so much of our Irish culture in the specific circumstances of the Six Counties.

In the Twenty-Six it is mostly seen as a dead language, in particular by the young. I can see their reasoning as speaing English makes things easier for us as a a nation.

I want to see the language thrive, but the langauge fundamentalists annoy me. These are the ones who refuse to speak English, even in Dublin, and call you a traitor for not speaking As Gaeilge. No wonder young people have no interest in learnign the langauge!

 

[Cricket]

I speak English but my father's side of my family were all born and raised in Louisiana with heavy French, cajun dialect. I don't necessarily sound or speak like they do. But it's kind of funny that I can understand everything they say. I love the throwing in of French words out of nowhere during a conversation as well.

I have found in Mississippi, we are almost like a melting pot. Although it is all English of course, there are many different regions and accents throughout the area. My family is of Irish descent so there are a lot of hard "r" sounds in my really country (yes, I freely admit I have the drawl) accent.
But then you can go down the block and have a heavy French accent out of nowhere. And then in the Delta, it's a whole other dialect. Very interesting.

 

[Edward]

In the Twenty-Six it is mostly seen as a dead language, in particular by the young. I can see their reasoning as speaing English makes things easier for us as a a nation.

I want to see the language thrive, but the langauge fundamentalists annoy me. These are the ones who refuse to speak English, even in Dublin, and call you a traitor for not speaking As Gaeilge. No wonder young people have no interest in learnign the langauge!

Absolutely. and hey, if the Big Fella spoke English, it should be good enough for anyone. The irony is, of course, that it was our own who abandoned the language to begin with. During the Gaelic Revival of the 1890s and thereabouts, a lot of the Anglo-Irish set, keen to impress with how much more Irish they were than the Joneses, tried to teach their servants Gaelic, only to discover said domestics had grown up speaking it as a first language but had learned English to get ahead.

 

[Yeps]

I speak English reasonably well, and am more or less fluent in Italian. I have a working knowledge of French, and will be starting German in a couple days. If I jogged my memory a bit, I would be able to read and write Classical Greek and Latin.