How ethnic do I look to people

[Cia]

When I first met my BFF's mom I couldn't understand her, she had an Iowa/English accent. Yes a truly odd combo. Her mom was from Iowa and after a few years in England (BFF's dad was in the Air Force) she'd gained an English accent on top of her Iowinian accent. I had to have my friend translate for me.

If someone asked me if I spoke English in that tone SC's like to use I'd answer "¿Sí, y tú?" or "Ja, und Sie?"

[sms001]

A British co-worker of mine likes to joke about American English

If said co-worker didn't go on to admit that there are some, er, 'peculiar' British Isles pronunciations, accents, dialects, and vernaculars, they weren't playing fairly. Cockney, Geordie, Brummie, etc. etc.

[mjr]

If said co-worker didn't go on to admit that there are some, er, 'peculiar' British Isles pronunciations, accents, dialects, and vernaculars, they weren't playing fairly. Cockney, Geordie, Brummie, etc. etc.

Oh, he definitely admitted there were peculiar dialects.

[greek_jester]

I used to joke with people that there should be one of those language learning tools for learning "redneck" or something.

*snip*

But that would probably make us look more stupid than the rest of the world already thinks we are.

I live in East Anglia in the UK (the bit that looks like the knee on a kangaroo) near to the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Since it's on the coast, most towns/villages have an array of tacky gift shops. I can guarantee you that at least one in three of them will have either a Norfolk or a Suffolk dialect translator tea towel.

I can neither confirm nor deny that I quietly sloped off to the local gift shop to work out what the hell some of my colleagues were saying when I moved over here...

[Jester]

I used to joke with people that there should be one of those language learning tools for learning "redneck" or something.

Speaker: "Sweet tea"
Translator: "Swait tay"

Speaker: "Did you?"
Translator: "Didja?"

Speaker: "He is an idiot."
Translator: "Bless him."

Hitler, ruddy little ignoramus*

*This is what JRR Tolkien called Hitler

More proof that Tolkien was a genius.

...she'd gained an English accent on top of her Iowinian accent.

I'm pretty sure it's Iowan, not Iowinian.

I mention this because it drives me nuts when people say "Arizonian." No such thing. It's Arizonan.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Re: accents.

I have a pretty decent ear for accents. In that I can generally imitate them pretty well once I listen to them for a bit. I can't always PLACE the accent, mind you.

There was a mover my Mom met once-- this might've been from when we were moving from Texas to Virginia-- who asked my Mom where she was from, and guessed she was from western Pennsylvania.

That's where my Mom was born, but she was raised and spent her life up until college in South Bend, Indiana. And somehow, this guy-- who admitted he's been all over the country in his job-- managed to place it.

[Lovecats]

I live in East Anglia in the UK (the bit that looks like the knee on a kangaroo) near to the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Since it's on the coast, most towns/villages have an array of tacky gift shops. I can guarantee you that at least one in three of them will have either a Norfolk or a Suffolk dialect translator tea towel.

I can neither confirm nor deny that I quietly sloped off to the local gift shop to work out what the hell some of my colleagues were saying when I moved over here...

My husband & I were both stationed in that area in the early 70's. We lived in Grundesburgh (can't remember exact spelling), Ipswich, & Saxmundham. By the time we left (were there over 4 yrs), I could figure out most of what people were saying.

[Argus]

Speaker: "He is an idiot."
Translator: "Bless him."

Not "Bless his heart."?

[Ironclad Alibi]

Not "Bless his heart."?

Even in the South, there are regional variations.

[SailorMan]

Apparently I look ethnic, but have never sounded so to anyone that I know of. I technically am, if you count the native Americans in my family. But I look western European. I'm pale with blue-green eyes and medium brown hair. It's never stopped people from asking if I was Mexican or Egyptian, among other things.

I'm mostly of English descent. Medium-brown hair, blue eyes. But I'm on a lot of ships that go to the Middle East. I'm a Merchant Marine officer, working on auxiliary ships of the U.S. Navy -- yes, the cargo ships and fleet oilers are run by Merchant Marine personnel, though as employees of the Navy. Our ships are grey-hulled and numbered, though the names of our ships start with 'USNS,' United States Naval Ship, rather than 'USS.'

Anyway, in the Middle East when ashore, active-duty Navy sailors tend to think that I'm Middle-Eastern, which baffles me. I mean, blue eyes, light skin? Maybe it's the goatee, which they're not allowed to have.

[dawnfire]

I'm mostly of English descent. Medium-brown hair, blue eyes. But I'm on a lot of ships that go to the Middle East. I'm a Merchant Marine officer, working on auxiliary ships of the U.S. Navy -- yes, the cargo ships and fleet oilers are run by Merchant Marine personnel, though as employees of the Navy. Our ships are grey-hulled and numbered, though the names of our ships start with 'USNS,' United States Naval Ship, rather than 'USS.'

Anyway, in the Middle East when ashore, active-duty Navy sailors tend to think that I'm Middle-Eastern, which baffles me. I mean, blue eyes, light skin? Maybe it's the goatee, which they're not allowed to have.

there are Middle Eastern people with light eyes. this one picture comes to mind http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...irl/index-text

My father in his sailing days (he's a sea captain by trade but has worked on shore for the last 303 years) used to be mistaken for English. His birthplace for Newcastle (NSW, Australia as opposed to Newcastle-on-the Tyne,England) muddied things up too.

[Cia]

I'm pretty sure it's Iowan, not Iowinian.

I mention this because it drives me nuts when people say "Arizonian." No such thing. It's Arizonan.

When I was going to college East River I'd say Iowan because Iowa was just a hop, skip and a jump away but since I'm back living West River and Iowa is a good day's drive away I'm back to saying Iowinian.

[Peppergirl]

Cia, you go ahead and call it whatever you wish. Jester knows we are not supposed to correct one another's grammar or spelling here.

[sms001]

Middle Eastern people with light eyes. this one picture comes to mind [/url]

She's since been identified (a few years ago, iirc): Sharbat Gula.

[Deevil]

When I was going to college East River I'd say Iowan because Iowa was just a hop, skip and a jump away but since I'm back living West River and Iowa is a good day's drive away I'm back to saying Iowinian.

I'm on the other side of the Muddy Mo, and I always heard people from the state which is an acronym for "Idiots Out Wandering Around" called "Iowegians"