I'm so often told "I wish I had an accent like yours", but today, American people, I came across a situation where it would have been useful to have an accent like yours.
In a conversation with my mum, she referred to something that "wouldn't have mattered formally". But to clarify, I had to ask her "formally, or formerly?"
Now see, if we'd been American, we wouldn't have had that problem.
Similarly, I might have to seek clarification if she ever talks to me about cheetahs or cheaters, though I expect the context would give it away in that case.
No thats true. Americans tend to spell the easy way.
ReplyDeleteMaggie X
Nuts in May
My relatives in Boston might not be so easy to understand! 'Formally/formerly' and 'cheetah/cheater' would have sounded the same coming from them. Took me longer than I would like to admit to figure out that 'Worcestershire' was what they meant when they said, 'Woostah'....
ReplyDeleteI have the opposite in this house - the Little Guy self corrects my English pronunciation, inserting an "r" in the middle or on the end of words. Therefore, Dalek, becomes Darlek, and his second cousin Luca becomes Lucer. And he won't believe me when I tell him I am saying it right!
ReplyDeleteOh, the suspense is killing me!!! You can't leave us dangling like that! Which did she mean?
ReplyDeletelove
J'ph xxx
My kids are forever sighing: "Oh Mooom, we're no in New Zealand now." I am ever the rebel and ignore US spellcheck. Like now
ReplyDeleteI am never quite sure to spell in English or American, so I often use a mixture of both! ;-)
ReplyDelete