rayosytruenos
Dec 24, 2005, 10:04 AM
Hi everyone!!!
When I first arrived to the UK, I found that the traditions are a bit different from those in my country, not as different as they could be in Japan or Korea, for instance, but still different for a Latin guy...
First, you find the language barrier, you think that you are going to be understood and that you will understand everyone with the English you studied at school but then you find that everyone speaks with a different accent: Cockney, Mancunian, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Scouse, Bristolian, Geordie, Mackem... and if we add to those the ones from other countries like the USA, Australia, etc. or the ones that use it now like one of their official languages like India or some African countries, the chance that everyone you meet in one day speaks with the same accent, it's almost impossible...
I thought that I wouldn't have problems with the vowels, after all, you can hear "boot" being pronounced "boo-t", "bo-oht", "baat", "baht", "boo?" for saying just a few... but then you find that probably you have just added a new pronunciation to a word with already a myriad of them, when you see the blank face of the listener trying to understand what you have just said...
Nevertheless I thought a native speaker of English could understand any of the other accents. It doesn't seem so, Jeremy Springer was invited to do his show here in the UK, with people from here as guests, instead of buying the product already made with US guests... I remember a program (it didn't last more than a week due to these problems I think) where he tries to understand what a couple from Glasgow was saying... In the end he said that they could say even a secret, as he was not understanding a word of what had been spoken. He usually repeated with his own words what he thought the guests had said and ask somebody from the audience to confirm or correct his interpretation... Rather curious if you think that he WAS BORN in the UK... :2cents:
Another example coming to my memory is when Clint Eastwood attended a meeting with students at Cambridge or Oxford (not sure which one of the 2 universities was, but both known as examples of posh, Queen's or BBC English if you prefer) and he required an interpreter because he couldn't understand the questions he was asked!!! :eek:
And of course, you start to doubt the intentions of what it's said... When I was humbly working selling soft drinks (and not so soft drinks for what it seemed), a customer entered the shop and bought a packet of crisps, and as we were trained, my colleague tried to oversell with something related to the purchase, so he asked her if she wanted a coke with it, but being English not his native language, I was surprised when she declined his offer to add some meat or cream to her purchase... :rolleyes:
A new country is a world full of contrasts and adventure. My first escapades to a pub were quite interesting... I wondered why the people were so thirsty, then I thought that when I heard the bell, the barman was going to say a speech or something, but he went quiet, then I realized that he was making sound the bell, to announce the end and start of the rounds of the fights going on...
It's admirable how these people are so sport-minded, they don't miss a chance to practice what it seem to be his national sport. I soon understood it, when I was told that the 26th of December was the Boxing Day... They have raised it up to a national celebration, and also the choice of date is quite thoughtful, just after Christmas Day, so if you lose the fight and you go to the office with a black eye, you can always say that you were too drunk on Christmas Day that you hit the door, or that you tripped and fell down the stairs...
Sadly somebody told me that the Boxing Day had nothing to do with the sport they seem to be so eager to practice, something that I was already thinking when I couldn't find on TV, any reports on the different competitions going on...
My fertile and inquisitive imagination started quickly to look for another solution to this fascinating mystery, and I think I've found it... After so many gifts bought for Christmas, they really need some time to sort everything out, so what's better than another day of national holiday to get ridden of all the boxes from the gifts???
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! :santa:
All the best, :bdaygrin:
ray :male:
When I first arrived to the UK, I found that the traditions are a bit different from those in my country, not as different as they could be in Japan or Korea, for instance, but still different for a Latin guy...
First, you find the language barrier, you think that you are going to be understood and that you will understand everyone with the English you studied at school but then you find that everyone speaks with a different accent: Cockney, Mancunian, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Scouse, Bristolian, Geordie, Mackem... and if we add to those the ones from other countries like the USA, Australia, etc. or the ones that use it now like one of their official languages like India or some African countries, the chance that everyone you meet in one day speaks with the same accent, it's almost impossible...
I thought that I wouldn't have problems with the vowels, after all, you can hear "boot" being pronounced "boo-t", "bo-oht", "baat", "baht", "boo?" for saying just a few... but then you find that probably you have just added a new pronunciation to a word with already a myriad of them, when you see the blank face of the listener trying to understand what you have just said...
Nevertheless I thought a native speaker of English could understand any of the other accents. It doesn't seem so, Jeremy Springer was invited to do his show here in the UK, with people from here as guests, instead of buying the product already made with US guests... I remember a program (it didn't last more than a week due to these problems I think) where he tries to understand what a couple from Glasgow was saying... In the end he said that they could say even a secret, as he was not understanding a word of what had been spoken. He usually repeated with his own words what he thought the guests had said and ask somebody from the audience to confirm or correct his interpretation... Rather curious if you think that he WAS BORN in the UK... :2cents:
Another example coming to my memory is when Clint Eastwood attended a meeting with students at Cambridge or Oxford (not sure which one of the 2 universities was, but both known as examples of posh, Queen's or BBC English if you prefer) and he required an interpreter because he couldn't understand the questions he was asked!!! :eek:
And of course, you start to doubt the intentions of what it's said... When I was humbly working selling soft drinks (and not so soft drinks for what it seemed), a customer entered the shop and bought a packet of crisps, and as we were trained, my colleague tried to oversell with something related to the purchase, so he asked her if she wanted a coke with it, but being English not his native language, I was surprised when she declined his offer to add some meat or cream to her purchase... :rolleyes:
A new country is a world full of contrasts and adventure. My first escapades to a pub were quite interesting... I wondered why the people were so thirsty, then I thought that when I heard the bell, the barman was going to say a speech or something, but he went quiet, then I realized that he was making sound the bell, to announce the end and start of the rounds of the fights going on...
It's admirable how these people are so sport-minded, they don't miss a chance to practice what it seem to be his national sport. I soon understood it, when I was told that the 26th of December was the Boxing Day... They have raised it up to a national celebration, and also the choice of date is quite thoughtful, just after Christmas Day, so if you lose the fight and you go to the office with a black eye, you can always say that you were too drunk on Christmas Day that you hit the door, or that you tripped and fell down the stairs...
Sadly somebody told me that the Boxing Day had nothing to do with the sport they seem to be so eager to practice, something that I was already thinking when I couldn't find on TV, any reports on the different competitions going on...
My fertile and inquisitive imagination started quickly to look for another solution to this fascinating mystery, and I think I've found it... After so many gifts bought for Christmas, they really need some time to sort everything out, so what's better than another day of national holiday to get ridden of all the boxes from the gifts???
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! :santa:
All the best, :bdaygrin:
ray :male: