Two nations seperated by a language

[kiev4a]

Funny story from our vacation:

We wandered through Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland struggling to communicate with the natives -- although almost everywhere we went someone knew enough English to help us.

So, we got to Calais and were going through U.K. immigration before crossing on the ferry. My mate and I walked up to a nice young man who examined our passports and and asked me some questions which I answered. Then he turned to my wife and asked her if we were enjoying our vacation. She just stared at him. He asked her another question and when she didn't answer that one I jumped in and picked up the conversation. He gave us our passports and as we were walking away I asked my mate why she hadn't answered his questions? "I didn't want to tell him I couldn't understand him," she said!

In her defense, she was really tired that day and the agent did have a fairly heavy British accent. But I could understand him with no problem. (probably because of all my conversation with you U.K. folks on the forum:))

But I thought it was funny that the only time she couldn't communicate was with someone speaking the same language!

Didn't Churchill once say Great Britain and America were two nations seperated by a common language?

[PeterW]

Hi Wayne:
Love the story!

Didn't Churchill once say Great Britain and America were two nations seperated by a common language?

It was actually George Bernard Shaw who said that Britain and America were two nations divided by a common languge, but Churchill did quote it. Nine out of ten.

PeterW

[doubs43]

^ That was easy for Sir Winston to say. After all, his mom was American.

FWIW, I've always been a huge admirer of Churchill. The right man at precisely the right time in history.

Walker

[PeterW]

Wayne: A few more thoughts on your posting.

On the European mainland it does help if you have at least a smattering of French and German. Even if it's only enough to go shopping, get a meal or ask the way.

What's a 'heavy British accent'?

In the UK most Americans, from whatever region, are easily understood by most people because of the huge diet of American films and shows on TV.

The reverse may not always apply. In the south, of course, we don't have an accent . But they do in the north where 'they do talk funny' Sorry, John. Shields (defensive, not South) at maximum strength.

If you go to Liverpool, Glasgow or especially Newcastle upon Tyne you won't find a phrase book to help you. As a Geordie (Newcastle) friend in the RAF sometimes used to ask me when we finished duty (with a fast clipped Geordie accent): 'Ahwey, Pate. We gan yoot a neet en?'

In Manchester someone might remark to you: 'Ee bahgum burum cowd'.

And in Liverpool they speak Scouse which, except for the pronunciation, is possibly more understandable. Example: 'On the booses the condooctors yewsed to go oop the sters to collect the fers from the ladees with blue-rinsed her and fair coats'.

Appropos of not much, I once heard a story about an American officer with the Allied Control Commission in Germany soon after the war. His wife and young son were also with him. The boy spent a lot of his free time between the ages of six and nine with their German au pair girl, going out with her when she did the shopping etc.

Dad had been to the American Services intensive language teaching school, but when the little lad was out with Dad and Mum he had to do all the translating!

PeterW

[doubs43]

peterw said:

What's a 'heavy British accent'?
PeterW

Peter, at one time I lived in the small village of Needham Market, between Ipswich and Stow Market. My neighbor was native to Suffolk County and one week took his wife to Yorkshire on holiday.

Back home again, I asked about his trip and he said "Ya know, Mate, I had an awful time getting directions to a place. The man I asked couldn't understand me no matter how I pronounced the name."

I asked him to spell the name. He did and I said "I'd pronounce it ---."

A strange look came over his face and he said "Bloody Hell.... that's exactly how he said it once I showed him the map!"

I still smile about that when I think of it.

Walker

[kiev4a]

Peter:

I didn't have any problems with the different accents in the U.K. but did notice much less of what I would call an "accent" around London than in the hinterlands.

Same thing can happen over here. I once attended a conference in Boston and literally had to interpret for three guys from Mississippi when they went shopping. In national radio and TV they tend to hire anchors from the Midwest states because they have the most neutral accents. A lot of the earlier settlers in our area have Midwest roots. I have a retired college professor friend who is on of the leading authorities on American West folklife. He can usually identify where in the country a person's family came from--not by accent but by the words they use to describe various things. It's a fascinating study.

If I stay in an area any length of time I tend to pick up the local accent. I'm sure if I stayed in the U.K. for a couple of months it would happen there, too. My brother-in-law has been there 14 years and hasn't acquired an accent but he spends 8 hours a day on an American military base teaching kids from American families.

BTW, I remembered enough of my high school French to tell people "I do not speak French" in French -- sort of a contradiction, I suppose:)

[John Parry]

Wayne - there was a study carried out regarding accents and dialects. Turned out that in the US there were three 'Mutually Incomprehensible Dialects' - which means that a third of the population can't reliably understand what the other two-thirds are saying. In the UK there are 57 'Mutually Incomprehensible Dialects'. We rely on the BBC to be able to communicate!

When I went to sea, we were expected to make ourselves understood. I had no problem - my accent is almost neutral now after 11 years at sea, and 5 years in Saudi Arabia, and surprisingly Glaswegians (broad as anything in conversation) were the same. It was the people from the Northeast - the Geordies and Yorkshiremen, who couldn't tone down their accents. Good lads - but you knew at the end of a voyage that you'd never see tham again.

Regards - John

[John Parry]

Wayne - High school french - Again when I was at sea (this must be getting boring!), I was the only person on most of the ships I sailed on who could remember any French at all. The most used expression was "Excuse my friend - he's a pig", which seemed to sooth most bad situations.

The most embarrassing situation I found myself in was in Mauritius. I went up the road to a chemists to purchase some condoms. I had my wife aboard with me, we were recently married, and she'd run out of contraceptive pills. "Condoms - Comprenez-vous? Je voulais les condoms" Turned out they'd never heard of Condoms - but the mention of Durex had them all happily smiling and counting them out.

Just as well it didn't happen in Australia, because if I'd asked for Durex, I'd have got Sellotape. Just what I needed!

Two countries divided? All of us are!!

Regards - John

[doubs43]

On our first trip to London, my wife and I took the train from Ipswich. Once there and not knowing anything about the transportation systems, we hopped aboard the first bus that was going our way. The Conductor (Ticket Taker?) was a thin man with a wonderful Cockney accent. He lost no time telling us that the bus was no way to go places in London. "Take the Tube, Mate. That's what I do when I'm not on duty. It's the best way to get around." All spoken, of course, in Cockney. Asking where we were going, he put us off at the closest Tube station with directions to take the "X" Line and to buy a day ticket that would cost less than individual tickets. And he didn't charge us for the bus ride!

One of my fondest memories of London..... my favorite big city in the world.

Walker

[kiev4a]

What you talkin' about?

[herron]

You don't have to be from England/America to have language and accent differences with the English language! I grew up in Michigan, with its midwest accent, but I have tons of relatives in central Tennesse, where the drawl is thick enough to cut!

One of my favorite stories growing up involved visiting the local municipal swimming pool with my cousin, while we were still teenaagers (16).

We met some cute girls and were talking to them, when one looked me in the eye and said "We uns all sho nuff do lak y'alls ac-cent!"

I just smiled.

[doubs43]

My maternal grandfather was from Nelson County, VA, and spoke with a rather high pitched twang to his voice and in an accent difficult to understand unless you'd been around him for awhile. He once told my father that he wanted a "fo do foad" someday. (That's a "four door Ford" to the rest of us!) When he actually owned his Ford, he'd fill it up with "Gud Guff" or "Good Gulf", a grade of gasoline. He missed living to 100 by a month or two.

Walker