Wait till you hear this hilarious story from best-selling author, Susan Page Davis. You'll hoot!
I am about as northern as you can get, having grown up and spent most of my life in Maine, but about a year ago, I moved to Kentucky. Before we even moved, I opened a post office box in my new town for writing correspondence. I didn't think my accent was that bad (after all, it's these people around me who talk funny, right?), but I found out otherwise when I called my postmistress about a month after we moved in. Before asking my question, I thought the polite thing to do was identify myself, so I started out, "Hello, this is Susan Davis. I live on--" Her drawl interrupted me: "Ah know who you are, ma'am." I laugh every time I think about it, and I wonder if she tells people about that crazy writer woman from Maine with the accent.
Susan, you've just made your mark in the community.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Texas, and have a trace of an accent, although it sounds fine to me. Then again, the accent of Northerners probably sounds normal to them.
I got a big laugh when I lectured before a large group of doctors in New York. I opened with, "Some of you have commented on my accent. Actually, I don't have an accent. But you all talk funny." And to my ear, they do.
I certainly understand this. I was reared in Memphis, TN and at 19 moved to upstate NY. I found people talked to me just to hear me talk, but didn't really listen to what I was saying. So, I worked hard at getting rid of my southern accent to fit in better. After 26 years in NY, I now live in Richmond, VA, and am now back to embracing my southern roots!
ReplyDeleteKathleen, that reminds me of the time I was walking in Boston, stopped at a street vender's display of paintings, and said, "Thanks" when he told me to "just ask if you have any questions." He jumped up from where he was sitting and said, "Oh! Oh! Say something else!" I looked at him like he had three heads. He said, "You're from the South, right?" I said I was. He said, "I love to hear you people tawk." (You people???) LOL
ReplyDeleteSpeaking from a "Northern" girls experience being in the "South", I can recall when I first moved to Florida,everyone that I encountered asked me where I was from. Only a select few could tell I was from NY. I began to feel like an alien from another planet. I said to myself, "ya'all need to quit ask'n me where I from." Still not sure which sounds better, ya'all or youse guys????
ReplyDeleteI have people tell me they love to hear me talk because I'm from the South, too. I also have others who think my accent is funny. I can't seem to shake it either, but God made me, so it's good enough for me. Blessings, Barb
ReplyDeleteOMG - I can just HEAR the postmistress! What fun!
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