Got my butt chewed twice

**Drac** · 2nd December 10, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by Teufel Hunden

This actually REALLY annoys me. Some people insist on gaining a particular accent when pronouncing a single word in sentence, then revert back to their normal accent, and it sounds ridiculous to me. Speak with your usual tongue and call it good. As well traveled as I am, I've never hear anyone but an American do this. I've never heard a Scot try and speak with an American accent to pronounce anything, nor a French person, nor an Arab... etc. I speak with a mid-western American accent, so all of my words are going to sound like that, unless I'm speaking a different language altogether.

I do have to say I'm guilty of that but in my defense it is not intentional. Sometimes the words I pickup are from someone with an accent and I learned it from mimicry. My wife beats me across the head to get me to stop and I try to make an effort but habit.

Jim

**Mike_Oettle** · 2nd December 10, 11:05 AM

Jim (Drac) wrote: “Off topic but my wife constantly asks me – ‘When did Norse/Scandinavian people get British accents?’ ”

It all depends on who they learnt English from. Those that settled in the US (and their descendants) speak like Americans.
Those who picked up English from Britons will naturally speak with British accents.
But nowadays a great many Europeans (and Asians) learn English to be able to communicate with Americans, and are taught either by Americans or by others who are contracted to teach US English.
Regards,
Mike

**Teufel Hunden** · 2nd December 10, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Drac

I do have to say I'm guilty of that but in my defense it is not intentional. Sometimes the words I pickup are from someone with an accent and I learned it from mimicry. My wife beats me across the head to get me to stop and I try to make an effort but habit.

Jim

I think we're all guilty of it from time to time, and some words truly lose the meaning if you don't pronounce them correctly. But someone correcting you on how to say Lamont correctly and expecting you to gain an accent that isn't yours is over the line, IMO. It's like my name, Samuel. Your average midwestern American is going to pronounce that name the same as I do. But someone who has spoken Spanish their whole lives might pronounce it "Sahm-well." It's just how the world works, and it would be totally inappropriate of me to tell that person, "no no. You need to pronounce it like an American would."

**wildrover** · 2nd December 10, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by auld argonian

...nah...they'd just think it was one of those Capital One credit card commercials where the barbarians are doing their Christmas shopping...what's in your wallet?

Best

AA

**Mike_Oettle** · 2nd December 10, 11:36 AM

Interesting to learn that Teufel Hunden has the name Samuel.
It was the name of my (French-speaking) Swiss great-great-grandfather.
None of my immediate relatives has that name, but since my closest family includes Afrikaans- and English-speakers, their pronunciation of it would vary.
My own name (Michael) is pronounced the English way, but a German ancestor of mine also had that name, which was of course pronounced quite differently.
Afrikaans has two or three variant forms of that name, too, but my Afrikaans-speaking schoolmates used to make quite a hash of trying to pronounce it the English way.
It has been easier down the years to shorten it.
Regards,
Mike

**Tek a boo son** · 2nd December 10, 12:14 PM

I have to admit, I was rather relieved to learn that the butt chewing described in this thread was not physical, I was very close to considering a chastity belt under my kilt until I opened the thread up.

I haven't gotten any criticism despite my kilt not being the best in terms of quality, in fact the words "Boss" and "You're the man" seem to be coming from people more often. I think if an old woman ever critisizes me I might just start speaking in absolute gibberish and start running in small circles.. Yeah that sounds like a plan

**Whidbey78** · 2nd December 10, 01:00 PM

I was stationed in at NASNI for four years...and was more than happy to leave. It seemed that there was always someone ready to tell you what you're doing wrong, what could be done better or why you don't belong there. A few nice people too, but a lot of jerks, especially around Coronado.

**Burly Brute** · 2nd December 10, 01:22 PM

Have these people never been to celtic festivals? I mean, you will see a whole other spectrum of clothing if you attend one of those! Stuff that nobody ever would wear, atleast not on this planet haha!

**Geoff Withnell** · 2nd December 10, 02:03 PM

I had one of these proverbial old ladies going off on me. She asked what part of Scotland my famly was from. I replied "Weehawken" (the town of my birth in New Jersey. She then asked "Is that in the Highlands?" I replied "Yes, on the very top of the Palisades." (the cliffs running parallel to the Hudson river). She nodded and went away.

Geoff Withnell

**Burly Brute** · 2nd December 10, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by Geoff Withnell

I had one of these proverbial old ladies going off on me. She asked what part of Scotland my famly was from. I replied "Weehawken" (the town of my birth in New Jersey. She then asked "Is that in the Highlands?" I replied "Yes, on the very top of the Palisades." (the cliffs running parallel to the Hudson river). She nodded and went away.

Geoff Withnell

Bwahahahaha! That's the best, does "Tucson" sound Scot? haha