"Not AGAIN", you're sighing. Yes, another post about accents. I'll be brief.
I was stunned the other day when we were talking about accents, and 4-yo asked me "what is an accent?" I got her to repeat the question, and then I explained how people say the same words differently. She was still a bit mystified, so I gave some examples.
"You know how Daddy or I say 'good job, well dun', but your preschool teacher would say 'good jaahb, well duuhn'..."
After I'd given two or three examples, with exaggerated clipped regal-sounding English and my best Midwest drawl (which isn't very good, actually), she nodded. She'd got it.
"Have you never noticed before that Daddy and I speak a bit differently to everyone else round here?" I asked.
She hadn't.
I find this completely intriguing. I can see how she might not have formulated into a conscious thought, the fact that her parents speak differently to other people. It's just that I would LOVE to know what she thinks all those conversations have been about, those many many conversations that I have had over the past 2 years, with friends and with complete strangers, with her, my small blond shadow, at my side. She must have heard me have an accent conversation at the checkout at least once a week (and that's a conservative estimate). She has occasionally been involved as an exhibit in conversations with friends (although I've avoided that as far as possible - I don't like the performing animal effect).
What does she think we've been discussing? Or has she just flicked the off switch that children use when adult talk gets boring? I would love to know.
I have had the same conversation with Captain Underpants recently. He speaks like a pure Yank now and is just starting to pick up on the fact that my ex and I pronounce so many words differently to him. The fact that he is learning French at school adds a little confusion to the mix - he is convinced I am speaking a different language half the time. Exhausted gibberish perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI like to think that all the while you were discussing accents at the checkout your little blond shadow was away dancing with princesses, taking tea with fairies and playing games with woodland animals. She might also have been explaining to them that whilst adults don't usually get what really matters they do sometimes need to be humoured.
ReplyDeleteMy Miss E hasn't really noticed the accent thing at all. She does notice that we use different words for things - and she uses UK/Irish English words interchangeably with US English words.
ReplyDeleteMiss E herself has a really mixed accent - some words are pure southern drawl - others are like our Northern Ireland accent - so other people here - on meeting her before us, will know that she's from a 'foreign' home if you know what I mean?
I should have that conversation with my children given I have a South African accent and they've never commented on the fact that I sound different either. Intriguing
ReplyDeleteI'm just wondering if you live in a small town. Not that its any of my business, but in this large city of mine, with so many different people from all over the world, I think it would be considered rude if a person in the check out lane said something about a person's accent.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am not surpirsed that your daughter didn't noticed the different talking thing. We used to always tease my dad about his American Southern drwal. I'm from Texas too of course, but that big city thing.. I don't have a southren accent at all.
So I was always amused by his "warsh" instead of "wash" and his mystifying ability to make whole sentances into one word. "Whajadoin'?". Even the way he pronounced my oldest sister's name. "Jill" was always "Jay-il".
DD knows (from trips to the UK) that some vocabulary is different. Although she rarely sounds like me she is quite a good mimic - after 24 hours in the UK her accent had changed - to be like her London cousins. (I'm from near Liverpool and don't sound a BIT like them!) The most confusing thing is her southern drawl - where she acquired that is a mystery as she's a New Englander!
ReplyDeleteOurs are very aware of accents and they can switch between thme very easily.
ReplyDeleteWhen I grew up my parents spoke another accent and my dad actually spoke a dialect with my gran and greataunt. I only noticed the accent quite late on - my mum's first (it was stronger) and my dad's only after living abroad and coming back. However, I always knew the dialect was different, maybe because I really didn't understand it. Maybe it's a question of degree, the stronger the differences the easier you are aware of accents. Interestingly my Scottish husband still thinks I'm winding him up when I tell him about his strong Scottish accent. He thinks he speaks RP...
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