An American JW friend -- full-blooded Italian, fluent in the language -- went to Italy and said there were language difficulties from one area to another. It wasn't the "Italian" he grew up speaking.
Languages, Dialects, Accents
by LoveUniHateExams 180 Replies latest jw friends
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LoveUniHateExams
I love listening to accents, and U.K accents give me lots of fun taking the piss out of them for not saying things "properly", i.e as I do of course, with my Southern English/slightly Kentish accent - yes, sometimes accents add to comedy in some way.
When I'm in the mood for it, I sometimes watch stuff by Keith Lemon (alter ego of Leigh Francis, from Leeds).
A part of me watches Celebrity Juice just to listen out for dialect pronunciations, words & phrases.
Here are some things from his speech that interest me ...
T-V distinction is apparent in some phrases, e.g. "from me to thee".
The definite article (the) is shortened to t', e.g. "on t' telly".
Vowel sounds in some nouns and verbs are shortened. We can represent this by doubling the following consonants, e.g. "tekk (take) it in your hand"; "after t' brekk (break)", etc.
The shortening of the vowel sound in some verbs happens not only in the present tense but also in the past tense and past participle forms, e.g. "that's medd (made) up "; "my arm's brokken (broken)".
It doesn't happen for all verbs - he doesn't say hopp for hope, for instance.
But does he say oppen for open? Dunno, but I'd expect him to.
These and other points are very interesting to me.
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Simon
There are parts of Britain where it's almost possible to place someone's location pretty much down to the town / village, they are so distinct. Certainly often the city.
I think it's because traditionally people didn't move around quite as often as in some other countries. Some of it's disappearing due to more social mobility, changes in work patterns (no more local-employer-for-life) and TV / internet.
Accents are fascinating though.
Kind of weird, but when we first moved to Canada, we'd get asked if we were from Australia and I used to think (gee, idiots, it's nothing like). Now, after 10 years living here, I hear some Aus / NZ accents and wonder if they are British.
Apparently I have quite a strong Manchester accent when I can't be bothered to speak in BBC English. I can tell sometimes when I talk to one of my friends that she hasn't understood a word I've said. For fun I'm teaching their kids to say broad Lancashire expressions, LOL.
Also the different use of language can cause confusion - the same friend was once telling me about the suspenders she used to wear when she was 16 because she thought they were cool ... apparently I looked horrified and uncomfortable - turns out suspenders in Canada are what we call braces in the UK, not the sexy things that hold ladies stockings up.
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compound complex
"The shortening of the vowel sound in some verbs . . ." -- LUHE
By "shortening," do you mean Crisco? Of course, that might be spoken with a southern-fried accent!
Good thread.
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snowbird
LOL!
Y'all should come to A-L-A-B-A-M-A.
Sylvia
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LoveUniHateExams
Kind of weird, but when we first moved to Canada, we'd get asked if we were from Australia - this kind of makes sense. Australian accents have a twang and so does a Manchester accent (though not the same twang!).
I can also understand why Americans & Canadians confuse the Australian & Cockney accents - Cockney also having its own twang, plus odd vowel sounds and swallowing parts of words that must make it a nightmare for foreigners to understand.
Also the different use of language can cause confusion - the same friend was once telling me about the suspenders she used to wear when she was 16 because she thought they were cool ... apparently I looked horrified and uncomfortable - turns out suspenders in Canada are what we call braces in the UK, not the sexy things that hold ladies stockings up - lol! So you could have a heterosexual, macho type, happily married, wife-and-two-kids Canadian guy stating "I feel great when I wear suspenders!"
Then there's the word "fanny" - in American English it means buttocks; in British English it's a silly way for referring to the vulva. How offensive is this word in America? Is its use avoided because it means something different and more personal in the UK? Or is its use fairly common? Nerdy minds want to know ...
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snowbird
Fanny is quasi-offensive here.
Nice, polite, respectable people don't use such a term.
Tee hee hee!
Sylvia
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Simon
Then there's the word "fanny" - in American English it means buttocks; in British English it's a silly way for referring to the vulva. How offensive is this word in America?
Not at all - they talk about their "fanny packs" freely (a kind of small bag that ties round your waist, what in the UK would be called a "bum-bag")
Again, when my friend uses the term, I have to politely snigger and say "please don't say that, I can't explain why, just don't"
I also had to explain why the "Shagganappi Trail" was so funny. It basically translates to calling a road "Fuck-a-diaper Avenue".
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LoveUniHateExams
Fanny is quasi-offensive here - gotcha.
So, similar in a way to its level of offensiveness here in Britain.
(It's a quasi-offensive British term for the vulva - not polite, but not a word that gives maximum offence, such as c**t).
Edit: just read Simon's post.
Not at all - they talk about their "fanny packs" freely (a kind of small bag that ties round your waist, what in the UK would be called a "bum-bag") - yes, that reminds me, there's a scene in The Office (UK version) where Keith counsels Dawn about fanny packs - "word of warning, then: fanny packs are bum-bags, 'coz fanny means your arse over there ... not your minge"
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btlc
Can't resist, my english is even worse :)