DID YOU KNOW???

[TBG 150]

Are you calling me a swamp creature from the Everglades?

And are you sure that you're not an English Professor that retired to do whatever it is that you do?

[van the man]

Thank you Squirrel for your interesting explanation of dialect and pronunciation. I can understand how English varies around the world but what fascinates me is how English varies between very small regions of our very small island.

Even within the great county of Yorkshire, each of the Ridings (the regions that inspired the 'Lord of the Rings' - a did you know!) local accents differ so much that understanding each other often proves impossible! Modern travel doesn't seem to have alleviated local accents.

Very interesting.

[TBG 150]

Try combining Caribbean accents and Spanish accents into US English. You just look at them and say, Huh? Then you get that they speak perfect English and that you should understand them fine. Whatever.

The amount of dialects is astounding just here in the states. Go up into Canada and listen to a Newfie speak. Impossible to understand. Some of the deep south states where there is such a heavy accent adding they most have a mouthful of chewing terbacky, they understand each other fine.

Being partially deaf from years of loud machinery makes it a real challenge for me to communicate with a lot of people.

[Guest Squirrel]

Are you calling me a swamp creature from the Everglades?

And are you sure that you're not an English Professor that retired to do whatever it is that you do?

Nope. Referring to your less desirable neighbors. Myself, I'm surrounded by meth freaks.

And if I had been a professor, I'd be relaxing and living off a nifty pension.

[TBG 150]

My neighbours are like yours then. Very undesirable.

And for not being an English Professor, you sure must have paid attention in English class. It was my worst subject in school.

[Buster]

English is among one of the hardest languages to learn in the world.

[Dth]

I have been here for 56+ years and I'm still learning how to spell it.  There should be only one way to spell to, too and two. Because I pronounce it  one way.  people know what word I mean by the way I say it or use it in a sentence.   I drove a lot to teachers nuts because I was a not conformist of the 60's.

[TBG 150]

Between the 2 of us, we put a few in Belleview, I'm sure. I hated English class, and math, and political science, and history was totally boring.

I liked science, wood shop, metal shop, our auto restoration classes, etc... Anything to stay standing and working with my hands. Sitting in a boring class put me to sleep in seconds. Sometimes I woke up 3 classes later, looked around and didn't know any one. Talk about embarrassing?

[Dth]

to get back on topic:

Did you know I liked math, drivers ed, and looking at the girls in high school and the rest I could care less about.

[Guest Squirrel]

We went there for the possible interactions with the girls. Face it. It's a fact. I don't have any idea how intellectual development occurred during that time period without the lure of the females.

Of course, I didn't go to an all-male school, so I don't know about that end of it...

[Panther063]

Did you know, Grumpy Old Man syndrome is a genuine medical condition?

Apparently it has to do with ageing and the reduction in hormones.

I recognize myself doing it, and it's scary.

[Guest kevinbsam7]

Astonishing fact from last night's TV - 80% of the coffee drunk in the UK comes from Viet Nam!!