Talk to Strangers III: Accents

I wonder how accents evolve. I’m sure someone knowledgeable in phonology could tell us but I’m ignorant and curious. [Side note: That really sounds like a subject line for a personal column. “Ignorant and curious”.] I recently came to know two lovely young ladies from London. The family seemed quite international to me, the father being from South Africa and mum from Malaysia. The girls are home schooled, beautiful and brilliant. Beyond brilliant. These 8 and 11 year olds are extraordinary in their approach to the world, the questions they asked, their attentiveness and speech. We had a glorious time comparing the pronunciation of words or how words are used. I admired in their accent, as they did mine. They wanted to know how to say “Oregon” as an American and I learned that locals refer to Birmingham as “Brim” with a rolled R. (Try it.) And so began the game. They would say something that was especially charming and I would repeat it, trying to soften my Rs and reshape my mouth. Hearing them pick up my Ohio accent with such ease was captivating and would catch me off guard. What a delightful surprise! We would go through the usual – roof, water, carpet, laundry, train. Pretty much anything that included that notorious letter.

            In Asia there is no comparable sound for the 18^th letter in our alphabet and so it’s difficult to pronounce when learning English. Even after years of practice, angry becomes angly. “I am very angly!” looses all of its power and punch. An etymographist would be able to tell us why, but again I have no idea.

            I’m traveling north into a continent where the language is my own but the accent will make it more and more difficult to understand. Here is one of the first rules when traveling: Do not be shy when asking someone to repeat themselves more then once if necessary. Do not be embarrassed if you can’t understand and be willing to admit it. Who knows what conversations will ensue.