Author Topic: I don't have an accent (Read 13998 times)

Jonathon · « **Reply #25 on:** March 09, 2012, 10:53:25 AM »

Huh? Foghorn Leghorn is definitely southern.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #26 on:** March 09, 2012, 11:06:44 AM »

He's a Rhode Island Red.

Jonathon · « **Reply #27 on:** March 09, 2012, 11:08:09 AM »

He doesn't speak like a Rhode Islander, though. He speaks like a Southerner.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #28 on:** March 09, 2012, 11:10:58 AM »

And a TV preacher.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #29 on:** March 09, 2012, 12:24:09 PM »

There's definitely a cadence behind how televangelists speak. But if you were to listen to one broadcasting in say Minnesota, I don't think you'd hear the Southerness to the speech if the evangelist was a native.

Prayer voice is something I struggle with intellectually. On the one hand it's good to have a voice distinct from our normal speech that helps set prayer apart from normal speech. We should be addressing God differently than we address other human beings. On the other hand though, I find the prayer voice to be somewhat creepy now that I'm older. I find while I don't want to use phrases or terms that infer a sort of buddy familiarity with God, I do feel like we should talk to God the way we might address a loving parent. Submissive, friendly, and some other adjectives I can't find words for. The way we teach kids to speak when praying though sounds wrong to me.

Porter · « **Reply #30 on:** March 09, 2012, 02:03:30 PM »

I say, I say Foghorn Leghorn has a Southern accent.

Quote

Like Porter said, I think it's more about adopting a particular pattern of prosody

How dare you sir! I never...

*goes to look up prosody*

BlackBlade · « **Reply #31 on:** March 09, 2012, 02:07:34 PM »

Quote from: Porter on March 09, 2012, 02:03:30 PM

I say, I say Foghorn Leghorn has a Southern accent.

Quote
Like Porter said, I think it's more about adopting a particular pattern of prosody
How dare you sir! I never...

*goes to look up prosody*

Kinda odd the study of poetic verse is "prosody"

Porter · « **Reply #32 on:** March 09, 2012, 02:10:23 PM »

Yeah, I thought that as well.

Marianne Dashwood · « **Reply #33 on:** March 09, 2012, 02:10:52 PM »

Rhode Island Red is a breed of chicken. Hence the witty joke.

I think it's about time to introduce this meme to this forum:

Porter · « **Reply #34 on:** March 09, 2012, 02:11:04 PM »

Quote from: Tante Shvester on March 09, 2012, 11:06:44 AM

He's a Rhode Island Red.

No he's not. He's a leghorn.

Marianne Dashwood · « **Reply #35 on:** March 09, 2012, 02:13:18 PM »

Also, I was with my grandmother once when we met this guy who said he could identify where any American was from just by listening to them speak. He went on to demonstrate with a few of the ladies in the group. Then my grandma, thinking she would stump him, said "Oh yeah, big shot? Well, where do you think I'm from?"

He glanced over and said "Green Bay Wisconsin. Don't waste my time."

(this was correct, of course, hence the re-telling of the story

)

BlackBlade · « **Reply #36 on:** March 09, 2012, 02:40:40 PM »

I would have loved to meet such a man. I don't think he could have pegged me down.

Porter · « **Reply #37 on:** March 09, 2012, 02:48:26 PM »

I have heard many such stories. I am dubious of them, but would love the chance to have it proven to me.

Brinestone · « **Reply #38 on:** March 10, 2012, 06:20:40 AM »

Yeah, I imagine I'd be hard to pin down as well. I have features of Canadian, general western, and even a couple of Utah. I don't know if I picked up anything from my years in Maryland, but I must have.

Jonathon · « **Reply #39 on:** March 10, 2012, 08:41:55 AM »

You say "putt-putt" instead of "miniature golf," but that's lexical, not phonetic.

Brinestone · « **Reply #40 on:** March 10, 2012, 11:40:29 AM »

Oh, yeah.

Marianne Dashwood · « **Reply #41 on:** March 10, 2012, 01:13:28 PM »

Here's a quick survey: My fiancé is from the NYC area and says something that I find really odd. I wonder how many of you would say it which way.

Scenario. You're on the phone with me and we're discussing plans for you to come to my house later in the day. Which would you say to me:

A: OK, I'll go over about 6.
B: OK, I'll come over about 6.

Question 2:

What do you give people for holidays and birthdays: presents or gifts?

Brinestone · « **Reply #42 on:** March 10, 2012, 02:17:14 PM »

Come and presents.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #43 on:** March 10, 2012, 05:02:48 PM »

I would use either, but I would always say, "at" before the word "about".

Porter · « **Reply #44 on:** March 10, 2012, 05:49:33 PM »

#1: come
#2: either

Zalmoxis · « **Reply #45 on:** March 11, 2012, 11:31:19 AM »

I believe that the preacher voice is an example of Register (or diatype).

I still have a few southern Utah vowels hanging on (I have a very hard time pronouncing color -- I say collar) that combine with California surfer dude and American Academic (for example, a crisp, clipped enunciation).

Marianne Dashwood · « **Reply #46 on:** March 11, 2012, 12:16:00 PM »

Zal, I wonder if you say museum the same funny way your sister does. Do you say 2 syllables or 3?

Zalmoxis · « **Reply #47 on:** March 11, 2012, 05:55:59 PM »

I do not. It'd be interesting to compare our two accent profiles -- she has no Kanab in her upbringing and a lot more California.

I think one of the most interesting accents I have heard is of a young man in his early twenties who spent most of his formative years in Minnesota, but whose father is from Scotland and his mother from England (I think south England, but I don't know for sure) who also served a mission in Idaho. He has a bit of the uptalk of young LDS, some of the Minnesota Scandinavian voweling, and yet there's an underlying British thickness to how he speaks. If I didn't know his background, I would find it impossible to place his accent.

pooka · « **Reply #48 on:** March 12, 2012, 12:22:10 PM »

I say /muzi^m/ Though I might end with a schwa. I've really got to learn the unicode for that at least.

We've been wondering why my children say syrup different from each other. I know I posted about this, but can't recall where. I think it's possible that the accent gets set at a particular age.

A leghorn is not a Rhode Island Red. Leghorns have white bodies and the hens lay white eggs. They are also very loud. Rhode Island Reds have auburn or even brown bodies and the hens lay brown eggs.

Jonathon · « **Reply #49 on:** March 12, 2012, 12:22:57 PM »

You say /mu-/ and not /mju-/?