"The complexities of the English language are such that even native speakers cannot always communicate effectively, as almost every American learns on his first day in Britain."
~The Mother Tongue
Now that I've spent some time in London (and understand a bit more British English!), I want to go back and explore more of the United Kingdom. I'm fascinated by the country-not only from a sightseeing perspective, but also from a linguistic perspective. As Bill Bryson writes in his book, The Mother Tongue:
"A paradox of accents is that in England where people from a common heritage have been living together in a small area for thousands of years, there is still a huge variety of accents, whereas in America, where people from a great mix of backgrounds have been living together in a vast area for a relatively short period, people speak with just a few voices."
This linguistic variance is cleverly showcased in the play The 39 Steps (a tribute to the Alfred Hitchcock):
This reminds me of the conversation between my boss and I last week (a Brit).
ReplyDeleteMe: Where's Alan?
He: On walkabout.
Me: Huh?
He: On walkabout.
Me: Yeah, I know, but what is that?
He: He's missing, probably on a drunk.
Me: Oh. (a beat) Hey, are we getting those two new hospitals to take care of?
He: I hope. The Indian lady is constantly winding me up, though.
Me: What?
He: Winding me...oh, she's getting on my nerves.
Me: Oh, look, I have something to do.
lol
It's always like this!
Well, as Brit - I'm proud of my 'Mother Tongue'! ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs for regional dialects, consider what I had to cope with as a child: born and raised in the Midlands, surrounded by Birmingham/Coventry 'twang', yet at home the family (recently relocated from generations spent in the Scottish Borders) spoke with a very different accent! Kids at school often looked at me strangely when I came out with phrases they'd never heard before; even the teachers at school told me to 'speak properly, child!'
Then I grew up and married a Londoner - much scope for pulling faces at each others' diction! ;-p
SueH I refuse to go quietly!
Twitter - @Librarymaid