Hey y'awl....

[tonym]

Today, the school my wife teaches at welcomed some guests from Texas. They were attending as part of a RE (religious education) scheme whereby people with different faiths and from different nations visit one another.

The Texans spoke to the children about their beliefs (fairly mainstream Christian) and how the church plays a big part in their community. They were alos told some anecdotes about aardvarks and other peculiarities.

This was followed by a quick question and answer session.

"How big are your hospitals?" was one question. I don't think this child realised everything is bigger in Texas.

One 7 year old child asked, "Did you go to college to learn to speak English better?"

He wasn't being facetious or sarcastic, it was totally genuine, my wife said apart from being lilting, their accents very strong; much like people in the North-east of England have.

I wonder what reaction Texan children would have if the situation was reversed?

edited to say I've just read Brownian Motion's thread......

Edited June 6, 2005 by tonym

[JSngry]

If the kids thought the Texans talked funny, they should hear people from Bahston!

Or New Yawk!

Or Chikaggo!

Or Minisoda!

Or Alahbahmuh!

Or Virginia - some of those people sound like they're always on the verge of crying when all they're doing is asking you if you want fries with that!

I could go on...

[tonym]

Please do go on...

[JSngry]

Nah...

Those people all think that we talk funny. so the joke would be lost on them.

[Soul Stream]

I just went back to Boston for a week after living there for a couple of years. It has been 4 years since I left. I forgot how thick that accent was. But, the whole trip was so much "wicked" fun I thought I'd have a "hat" attack.

Texans sound pretty silly I'll admit, but when I ever pass through or visit the deep, deep south...it makes me feel downright edumacated.

[JSngry]

The thing is, even within Texas itself, you've got 5 or 6 quite distinct regional accents. There's no such thing as "a" Texas drawl, accent, etc.

[tonym]

The thing is, even within Texas itself, you've got 5 or 6 quite distinct regional accents. There's no such thing as "a" Texas drawl, accent, etc.

←

So Lance Armstrong for instance? Which part is he from, and has his accent been 'tempered' from years of speaking Flemish and French?

Last time I heard him, he didn't have a drawl.

But when I last watched 'Dallas' there were more than you could hurl a lassoo at.

[JSngry]

Them was TV actors!

Honestly, I don't know Lance Armstrong's voice. Sorry.

[Big Al]

Well, you have the natural born Texans (the folks who've been here for generations), the transplanted Texans (folks who were born elsewhere, but moved here for one reason or another, and assimilated the accent), and those who are the children of the transplants. I'm in the last category, my folks are in the second. They're originally from Chicago, but they've been here for the last 40 years; they don't say "y'all" or anything like that, but they also don't sound like they're from Chicago. I say "y'all" and everything else, but my voice also has a slight Chicago tinge to it, especially whenever I say "sahcks" or "lahbster."

However, no one in our family orders a "pop" anymore!

[catesta]

Honestly, I don't know Lance Armstrong's voice. Sorry.

←

He sounds like this.

[WD45]

For the record, it is Minne-sOHHta.

[SEK]

On Texas accents, sure they can be very thick and distinctive. But one thing that struck my wife and me, while we lived in Texas, was how so many of the actors there, from high school level on up, could lose their accents on stage (often a useful thing, in my opinion). This has not seemed to be as common among Michigan or Chicago professional and student actors, for some reason.

[JSngry]

We long ago learned that it's a world that too otten requires deceit of some sort in order to survive the would-be attacks of those who would presume to know us better than we know ourselves.

Of course, some people take it waaaaaay too far (and from the wrong place to begin with...) and end up running the country, but who am I to judge?

[Brad]

If the kids thought the Texans talked funny, they should hear people from Bahston!

Or New Yawk!

Or Chikaggo!

Or Minisoda!

Or Alahbahmuh!

Or Virginia - some of those people sound like they're always on the verge of crying when all they're doing is asking you if you want fries with that!

I could go on...

←

I think we talk pretty nohmal in the City (that's New York for you outlanders) although I live in Joisey

[scottb]

Whenever I tell people I'm from Baton Rouge, the first thing they usually say is "You don't have an accent!" Everyone in Louisiana does not sound like Justin Wilson OK? And very few of us live in swamps or have gators in the backyard or take pirogues to work.

It is kind of amusing to me that in my entire life the people who made the most of my "accent" were Texans. They really commented more on the laid back pace of my speech rather than any pronunciation differences.

[JohnJ]

Speaking of Louisiana, when I was in New Orleans I found it quite difficult to place the accent. Laid back for sure, but definitely didn't sound like a typical Southern accent. Not surprising I guess as everything else about the place seemed different too.

[Big Al]

Whenever I tell people I'm from Baton Rouge, the first thing they usually say is "You don't have an accent!"  Everyone in Louisiana does not sound like Justin Wilson OK?  And very few of us live in swamps or have gators in the backyard or take pirogues to work.

←

I know what you mean; I still get asked where my ten-gallon hat is, or do I own a horse, or if I own an oil well, etc etc etc. It's like, "We're not all J.R. Ewing!"