NationStates Jolt Archive

Not hard for me to understand at all. I just didn't want to jump to conclusions... lmao...

Wow... that must have been a helluva drive for your friend. Cambridge to Florida, every day, huh? I would *assume* that while he was attending school and work in Florida, his HOME was actually somewhere a little more localized to the region of Florida than *Cambridge, England*.

Which really goes to show how "unreasonable" my assumptions and conclusions have been here, while your counter-points haven't been spliting hairs to the Nth degree but have in fact been the most reasonable, logical and rational of responses...

Or... uh, something like that...

Slightly sarcastic, I like it.

The thing is... if I go away for training, at my work... I go and stay somewhere (usually in a motel/hotel), and that is my accomodation - but it isn't my HOME, and it isn't where I LIVE. It's just the place I 'am', while I'm away.

My friend stayed with friends in Florida - so he actually only 'commuted' to Cambridge about 6 times in two years - but THAT is where his HOME was.

My point was simply that Dempublicents could quite easily be attending school and working in the South, but not 'LIVE' there.

Not to say she doesn't, of course - just pointing out that you were making an assumption based on what you 'guessed' might be the logical facts.

In Grave's defense, work and school are pretty much the same thing for me, a fact which I have probably mentioned in other threads.

I was working on the knowledge that I KNOW where you attend school, but I don't know for certain that you do/don't have a part-time job.

And, if education is still anything like when I was at University... you NEED a part-time job, at least... or you work your butt off through summer...

So - I point out that you could 'live' away from your school, and work (which might just be school, or might be school-plus-job).

Just pointing out one of the many errors in assumption that the other poster made. :)

Slightly sarcastic, I like it.

The thing is... if I go away for training, at my work... I go and stay somewhere (usually in a motel/hotel), and that is my accomodation - but it isn't my HOME, and it isn't where I LIVE. It's just the place I 'am', while I'm away.

My friend stayed with friends in Florida - so he actually only 'commuted' to Cambridge about 6 times in two years - but THAT is where his HOME was.

My point was simply that Dempublicents could quite easily be attending school and working in the South, but not 'LIVE' there.

Not to say she doesn't, of course - just pointing out that you were making an assumption based on what you 'guessed' might be the logical facts.


Yeah, I see your point. I do think the guesses based on what might be the logical facts was a pretty safe guess. I looked at language pattern and spelling... after all, English people speak English, Americans speak American.

"Fanny"... Daft, Colour, Ad-vert-is-ment. Liechishishoshuinkwourthwartshire (pronounced "Lester") Square.... among others...

Yeah, I see your point. I do think the guesses based on what might be the logical facts was a pretty safe guess. I looked at language pattern and spelling... after all, English people speak English, Americans speak American.

"Fanny"... Daft, Colour, Ad-vert-is-ment. Liechishishoshuinkwourthwartshire (pronounced "Lester") Square.... among others...

And yet - people on NS are constantly assuming I am an American...

I didn't DIRECTLY claim you were from the South. I made some implied assumptions when I started returning the endearing yet condenscending quanit Southern-Bell phrases you are so fond of, chitlin-cakes...

And yet you claim to have caught me in a lie by suggesting that I denied something you never stated. Interesting....

And Southern-Belle phrases I am fond of? The only one I can think of that I may have used was "Darling", which I have heard used in many places other than the South.

As for the South versus the rest of the nation... There are certainly *pockets* of progressive thinking throughout the South. Surrounded by oceans of regressive, backwards, obsolete ideology. They're connected to the rest of the nation by highways "maintained by the local chapter of the Klu Klux Klan" and airliners that are rusting apart at the bolts.

My, what a completely outdated and unfounded description of the South.

If we wanted to be truthful, even in some of the tows which are the most backward, the KKK is viewed with general animosity. The places which you have described are only found in small pockets. For instance, in GA, it would be in the North GA mountains or in the southwestern corner of the state. Medium to large cities (in GA, this would refer to Savannah, Atlanta, and Macon - to a point) and military towns are generally more progressive. The rest of the area tends to be somewhat backwards when compared to much of the rest of the country, but not even nearly to the extent you imagine.

I was working on the knowledge that I KNOW where you attend school, but I don't know for certain that you do/don't have a part-time job.

And, if education is still anything like when I was at University... you NEED a part-time job, at least... or you work your butt off through summer...

So - I point out that you could 'live' away from your school, and work (which might just be school, or might be school-plus-job).

Just pointing out one of the many errors in assumption that the other poster made. :)

Well, the good thing about research-based graduate degrees is that you generally get paid to go to school. Your research is your job, but also the main mechanism through which you learn, and after a few years, you probably don't have to attend classes anymore either.

Well, the good thing about research-based graduate degrees is that you generally get paid to go to school. Your research is your job, but also the main mechanism through which you learn, and after a few years, you probably don't have to attend classes anymore either.

Ah, getting paid to learn... the dream. :)

And yet - people on NS are constantly assuming I am an American...

The Internet makes everything a little harder to determine, and Americans do tend to assume that we OWN the Internet and every site on it is only populated by other Americans. In all honesty, I know of at least one site with a co.uk extension being hosted out of a closet in New Jersey...

Every time I am in England, I get English on vacation coming up to me asking me for directions as if I were a local.

Must be the long face, weak chin, large nose, and bad teeth... :D

(Actually, I like to THINK that it is because I conduct myself in a polite and generally respectable manner and don't reek of being a stereotypical American. But between the two extremes, I'm not sure if I should take it as an insult or a compliment to be mistaken as English by an Englishman. :)

And yet you claim to have caught me in a lie by suggesting that I denied something you never stated. Interesting....

And Southern-Belle phrases I am fond of? The only one I can think of that I may have used was "Darling", which I have heard used in many places other than the South.



My, what a completely outdated and unfounded description of the South.

If we wanted to be truthful, even in some of the tows which are the most backward, the KKK is viewed with general animosity. The places which you have described are only found in small pockets. For instance, in GA, it would be in the North GA mountains or in the southwestern corner of the state. Medium to large cities (in GA, this would refer to Savannah, Atlanta, and Macon - to a point) and military towns are generally more progressive. The rest of the area tends to be somewhat backwards when compared to much of the rest of the country, but not even nearly to the extent you imagine.

You know... you're quite the literalist. You should maybe get out a little, get pissed-drunk, flash people in return for plastic beads...

The Internet makes everything a little harder to determine, and Americans do tend to assume that we OWN the Internet and every site on it is only populated by other Americans. In all honesty, I know of at least one site with a co.uk extension being hosted out of a closet in New Jersey...

Every time I am in England, I get English on vacation coming up to me asking me for directions as if I were a local.

Must be the long face, weak chin, large nose, and bad teeth... :D

(Actually, I like to THINK that it is because I conduct myself in a polite and generally respectable manner and don't reek of being a stereotypical American. But between the two extremes, I'm not sure if I should take it as an insult or a compliment to be mistaken as English by an Englishman. :)

Depends on the Englishman.

Back in the mother country, I had American friends come to visit, and they would get very varied reactions - from awe (at a girl with a Georgia accent) to insults and prejudice (to a friend from New Joisy).

Hard to tell - if it was because you were polite and respectful... I guess they meant it in a complimentary fashion... because I know a lot of English folk who AREN'T polite, or respectful.

You know... you're quite the literalist. You should maybe get out a little, get pissed-drunk, flash people in return for plastic beads...

Did you just invite Dempublicents to Mardi Gras?

Depends on the Englishman.

Back in the mother country, I had American friends come to visit, and they would get very varied reactions - from awe (at a girl with a Georgia accent) to insults and prejudice (to a friend from New Joisy).

Hard to tell - if it was because you were polite and respectful... I guess they meant it in a complimentary fashion... because I know a lot of English folk who AREN'T polite, or respectful.


I used to get my ass *beat* in elementary school. We had family friends, the "Walchs"... or maybe it was the "Walks". English, anyhow. I spent a great deal of time there during my very formative years. I picked up a bit of an English accent, evidently. I had a grandmother who instilled an incredible sense of manners and respect in me, polite behavior. The combonation was deadly on the playground. "You think you're such a little proper English ____, don't you..." *pound, pound pound*... I was in "speech therapy" until 4th or 5th grade to lose the accent. I can't even fake a decent English accent now. I do a great Indian, Scot, or Irishman, though... heh. I've heard that American students in English schools take horrible abuse, as well, though... so, I guess it is a universal thing... I just "rather wish I hadn't had the accent to begin with".... :)

Really, I generally was just walking down the street, minding my own business, when I would find myself troubled for directions in England. Maybe it is my head-down, non-engaging manner that says, "local". I don't know. My wife thought it was really amusing after it had happened several times within a short period of time.

Did you just invite Dempublicents to Mardi Gras?

They're making snowmen in Hades this very minute. :)

And yet you claim to have caught me in a lie by suggesting that I denied something you never stated. Interesting....

And Southern-Belle phrases I am fond of? The only one I can think of that I may have used was "Darling", which I have heard used in many places other than the South.



My, what a completely outdated and unfounded description of the South.

If we wanted to be truthful, even in some of the tows which are the most backward, the KKK is viewed with general animosity. The places which you have described are only found in small pockets. For instance, in GA, it would be in the North GA mountains or in the southwestern corner of the state. Medium to large cities (in GA, this would refer to Savannah, Atlanta, and Macon - to a point) and military towns are generally more progressive. The rest of the area tends to be somewhat backwards when compared to much of the rest of the country, but not even nearly to the extent you imagine.


People making incorrect assumptions about a place they probably have never been :eek:

Religious belief isn't a "right?"


I think he's refering to the right of freedom of relgion.

I used to get my ass *beat* in elementary school. We had family friends, the "Walchs"... or maybe it was the "Walks". English, anyhow. I spent a great deal of time there during my very formative years. I picked up a bit of an English accent, evidently. I had a grandmother who instilled an incredible sense of manners and respect in me, polite behavior. The combonation was deadly on the playground. "You think you're such a little proper English ____, don't you..." *pound, pound pound*... I was in "speech therapy" until 4th or 5th grade to lose the accent. I can't even fake a decent English accent now. I do a great Indian, Scot, or Irishman, though... heh. I've heard that American students in English schools take horrible abuse, as well, though... so, I guess it is a universal thing... I just "rather wish I hadn't had the accent to begin with".... :)

Really, I generally was just walking down the street, minding my own business, when I would find myself troubled for directions in England. Maybe it is my head-down, non-engaging manner that says, "local". I don't know. My wife thought it was really amusing after it had happened several times within a short period of time.

My little girl has a strong Georgia accent, and the kids at her creche in England adored it... she slowly picked up an English accent, and now she's back in Georgia, the kids at school adore her English accent.

Seems to be win-win. :)

My little girl has a strong Georgia accent, and the kids at her creche in England adored it... she slowly picked up an English accent, and now she's back in Georgia, the kids at school adore her English accent.

Seems to be win-win. :)
Now all she has to have is a English-Georga accent and she will be universaly addored!

My little girl has a strong Georgia accent, and the kids at her creche in England adored it... she slowly picked up an English accent, and now she's back in Georgia, the kids at school adore her English accent.

Seems to be win-win. :)

Strangely enough, even living in GA most of my life, I haven't picked up much of an accent. You can hear it every now and then on a few words and I fall into a thicker accent very easily when I'm around people who do have it. Of course, I pick up bits and pieces of any accent when I'm around it enough. Sometimes I'll be talking to someone from Britain or the Middle East or somewhere and I just fall into their pronunciations (whch can get you in trouble if you don't know the person well enough that they know you aren't trying to make fun of them).

I spent my first 4 years in the NW (Seattle) and then moved to GA. Maybe it's because I lived in a military town, but I never picked up enough that people can immediately place me.

Now all she has to have is a English-Georga accent and she will be universaly addored!

Well, she's been back over here a couple of years now, so it has pretty much settled down to a Georgia accent,(Southern-belle, not redneck), with occassional flashes of an English accent - so, she's pretty much there.

She has a friend in Canada, from whom she is picking up an appalling french accent - it's like she's an accent magnet.

Strangely enough, even living in GA most of my life, I haven't picked up much of an accent. You can hear it every now and then on a few words and I fall into a thicker accent very easily when I'm around people who do have it. Of course, I pick up bits and pieces of any accent when I'm around it enough. Sometimes I'll be talking to someone from Britain or the Middle East or somewhere and I just fall into their pronunciations (whch can get you in trouble if you don't know the person well enough that they know you aren't trying to make fun of them).

I spent my first 4 years in the NW (Seattle) and then moved to GA. Maybe it's because I lived in a military town, but I never picked up enough that people can immediately place me.

Also - if you live in some of the more cosmopolitan Georgia areas (like NOT where I am...) there is some variety - people from different faiths and nations, people from other states, etc. And that tends to flatten the WORST excesses of any accent.

That said, I lived all over England for more than two decades, and in Georgia for a couple of years now - but my London accent still shows up as the strongest influence.

Also - if you live in some of the more cosmopolitan Georgia areas (like NOT where I am...) there is some variety - people from different faiths and nations, people from other states, etc. And that tends to flatten the WORST excesses of any accent.

That said, I lived all over England for more than two decades, and in Georgia for a couple of years now - but my London accent still shows up as the strongest influence.

Yeah, I've only lived in Savannah, Richmond Hill (military town suburb of Sav.), Macon, and the Atlanta area. I've visited some of the more rural areas of GA and heard the accents (and some of the widely held viewpoints).

Just out of curiosity, what area of GA do you live in?

Yeah, I've only lived in Savannah, Richmond Hill (military town suburb of Sav.), Macon, and the Atlanta area. I've visited some of the more rural areas of GA and heard the accents (and some of the widely held viewpoints).

Just out of curiosity, what area of GA do you live in?

Those more-rural areas you mentioned. :)

I live just south of Tallulah Falls, up in the mountains and forests.

Think "Deliverance". :0

Which, of course, means I live in daily contact with those 'widely held viewpoints' you mentioned.

Scary place... especially for a slightly-gothic, English atheist. Oh, they LOVE me.

Those more-rural areas you mentioned. :)

I live just south of Tallulah Falls, up in the mountains and forests.

Think "Deliverance". :0

Ah, fun.

Which, of course, means I live in daily contact with those 'widely held viewpoints' you mentioned.

Scary place... especially for a slightly-gothic, English atheist. Oh, they LOVE me.

Hehe, "You sure do got a purty mouth..." =)

Ah, fun.

Hehe, "You sure do got a purty mouth..." =)

I actually watched Deliverance for the first time about one week before I was due to fly over.

So - for a week I was debating trying to get my money back on those tickets.. :)

My little girl has a strong Georgia accent, and the kids at her creche in England adored it... she slowly picked up an English accent, and now she's back in Georgia, the kids at school adore her English accent.

Seems to be win-win. :)

Sounds like a good plan. I was unfortunate enough to grow up in a progressive "yankee" state... A Southern Accent would have been just as hard to deal with as an English accent, in my schools.

I did help desk when I was much younger. One of our products was an automotive e-biz application. One day, I got a call... I took the guy through the menus several times, and "he couldn't find the sub-menu" I was directing him to. I grew more frustrated with him after each try. He had a slow, deliberate drawl.

On the 5th attempt, and still no sign of the sub menu, I asked him,

"you're sure you don't see it?"

"nope"...

"You're positive?"

"Yup"...

"Are you SURE?"

"God-damnit son, are you STUPID? I just done told you at least 8 times it ain't there. You think wishin' it was so is gonna make it appear? Jezuz Christ, what do they pay you folks... cuz it is too damn much..."

a thought occured to me... He was from Texas but had dialed into our California queue....

"Are you from Texas Sir?"

"Of course I'm from Texas. Where the hell would ya think I was from? California? Now can you help me fix this damn thing or not?!?"

"I'm sorry sir, you're right, it is my fault, I am stupid. Let's back out to the main menu, and do this once more"...

The machines in Texas had a completely different menu structure than the ones in California.

Strangely enough, even living in GA most of my life, I haven't picked up much of an accent. You can hear it every now and then on a few words and I fall into a thicker accent very easily when I'm around people who do have it. Of course, I pick up bits and pieces of any accent when I'm around it enough. Sometimes I'll be talking to someone from Britain or the Middle East or somewhere and I just fall into their pronunciations (whch can get you in trouble if you don't know the person well enough that they know you aren't trying to make fun of them).



Actually, I'm real prone to doing that... picking up the inflections and vocal patterns of someone I am speaking to. I've found that in IT, it often puts me in the role of interpeter between two or more (typically Asian) dialects during meetings. They can't understand each other, they can both understand me, and I can understand both of them. :)

Sounds like a good plan. I was unfortunate enough to grow up in a progressive "yankee" state... A Southern Accent would have been just as hard to deal with as an English accent, in my schools.

I did help desk when I was much younger. One of our products was an automotive e-biz application. One day, I got a call... I took the guy through the menus several times, and "he couldn't find the sub-menu" I was directing him to. I grew more frustrated with him after each try. He had a slow, deliberate drawl.

On the 5th attempt, and still no sign of the sub menu, I asked him,

"you're sure you don't see it?"

"nope"...

"You're positive?"

"Yup"...

"Are you SURE?"

"God-damnit son, are you STUPID? I just done told you at least 8 times it ain't there. You think wishin' it was so is gonna make it appear? Jezuz Christ, what do they pay you folks... cuz it is too damn much..."

a thought occured to me... He was from Texas but had dialed into our California queue....

"Are you from Texas Sir?"

"Of course I'm from Texas. Where the hell would ya think I was from? California? Now can you help me fix this damn thing or not?!?"

"I'm sorry sir, you're right, it is my fault, I am stupid. Let's back out to the main menu, and do this once more"...

The machines in Texas had a completely different menu structure than the ones in California.

Oh boy - do I know THAT feeling.

I've done call-centre work... I don't think it's about the accent or the geography... so much as there seems to be a special class of citizen that calls help-lines most of the time...

Like the person my friend talked through fifteen minutes of trouble shooting, as to why their computer wouldn't finish it's print job... eventually, in desperation, he says "Have you checked the fuse in the plug"... the customer tells him to wait a minute while she goes to get a torch (flashlight, to Americans) because the power's out....

Oh boy - do I know THAT feeling.

I've done call-centre work... I don't think it's about the accent or the geography... so much as there seems to be a special class of citizen that calls help-lines most of the time...

Like the person my friend talked through fifteen minutes of trouble shooting, as to why their computer wouldn't finish it's print job... eventually, in desperation, he says "Have you checked the fuse in the plug"... the customer tells him to wait a minute while she goes to get a torch (flashlight, to Americans) because the power's out....

Yeah... in this case... he had "outsmarted" us, by calling the Cali queue, which had lower wait times... but hadn't mentioned it... so it was kind of HIS fault...

But on the other hand, I just sat there, listening to this drawl, which made me *assume* that he was a slow, country-bumpkin' grease monkey who didn't understand this new-fangled technol-a-gee.

As soon as he snapped at me with that Texas short fuse, I put it together, though. Heh.

Yeah.... most of the ones that go around that list, I've heard them coming from real customers. Not plugging something in is one of the BIGGEST ones...

It used to be monitors, for us, a lot of the times.

"My computer isn't working."

"Is it plugged in?"

"Yeah, and the lights are on..."

"What do you mean, then, it isn't working?"

"I can't see anything."

"Is the monitor on?"

"Yes. I pushed the on button."

"And it is lit up?"

"No, I just said..."

"Yeah, I mean the LED, the glowing light, on the front..."

"No, that isn't on..."

"And it is plugged in?"

<agonizing minutes later>

"No, sir/ma'am... the monitor needs to be plugged into the WALL too, not just plugged in to the computer... Thank you for calling, have a nice day, buh-bye..."

:headbang:

I've only been above the Mason-Dixon line twice, lived my whole life in Tennessee, Texas, and Alabama, and I've never actually heard someone use 'chitlin cakes.' I've heard this phrase being made fun of before, by guess who, other southerners. The South is changing and most of us looking back on the backward ways of yesteryear find it hilarious, or in the case of hate groups, disturbing. Also, the only time I've ever seen the KKK were on the steps of our courthouse. The police wer surrounding the area, trying to keep all the angry people from killing them. It wasn't quite riot level, but it was pretty rough. To make a long story short, the KKK do not come to our town, anymore. Another point that might surprise some. Neither me nor any of my family own even a likeness of a confederate flag, but we do have old glory flying on the front porch. It sad to dind so many with such a negative interpretation of the South. I also, barely have atrace of an accent, although like previously mentioned, I will sometimes fall into one if I'm around more accented people. (To any other southerners: is it just me or do girls have more of a southern accent than guys in general?) Two of my roommates are from Illinois and even they were surprised at the lack of backwardness in the South (we're at Univ. Ala in Huntsville which coincidentally, has one of the only two optical engineereing programs in the States'.) You Northeners should really try to visit the South sometime. You might even find that you like it.

Strangely enough, even living in GA most of my life, I haven't picked up much of an accent. You can hear it every now and then on a few words and I fall into a thicker accent very easily when I'm around people who do have it. Of course, I pick up bits and pieces of any accent when I'm around it enough. Sometimes I'll be talking to someone from Britain or the Middle East or somewhere and I just fall into their pronunciations (whch can get you in trouble if you don't know the person well enough that they know you aren't trying to make fun of them).

I spent my first 4 years in the NW (Seattle) and then moved to GA. Maybe it's because I lived in a military town, but I never picked up enough that people can immediately place me.
I lived in Texas until I was 13, and never picked up a bit of accent. Next I lived in Vermont, and still picked up not a bit of accent. I sound fairly odd by most standards, though.

If anything, my speech sounds a little bit British. But not much.

Some not-too-polite people tell me my voice sounds like a death gasp, which is probably close to true, judging by the fact that it usually sounds as though I've just been straining my voice extremely. One of my friends says I should announce for a black metal station.
:D

EDIT: Funny thing is, I'm excellent at doing impersonations of people. And I have pretty good range if you include falsetto. I just sound bad by default, but can sound good if I have an example of somebody else to sound like.

I've only been above the Mason-Dixon line twice, lived my whole life in Tennessee, Texas, and Alabama, and I've never actually heard someone use 'chitlin cakes.' I've heard this phrase being made fun of before, by guess who, other southerners. The South is changing and most of us looking back on the backward ways of yesteryear find it hilarious, or in the case of hate groups, disturbing. Also, the only time I've ever seen the KKK were on the steps of our courthouse. The police wer surrounding the area, trying to keep all the angry people from killing them. It wasn't quite riot level, but it was pretty rough. To make a long story short, the KKK do not come to our town, anymore. Another point that might surprise some. Neither me nor any of my family own even a likeness of a confederate flag, but we do have old glory flying on the front porch. It sad to dind so many with such a negative interpretation of the South. I also, barely have atrace of an accent, although like previously mentioned, I will sometimes fall into one if I'm around more accented people. (To any other southerners: is it just me or do girls have more of a southern accent than guys in general?) Two of my roommates are from Illinois and even they were surprised at the lack of backwardness in the South (we're at Univ. Ala in Huntsville which coincidentally, has one of the only two optical engineereing programs in the States'.) You Northeners should really try to visit the South sometime. You might even find that you like it.

Chitlin-cakes was an obvious exaggeration. I can absolutely tell a woman of southern heritage in almost all cases after 5 or 10 minutes on the phone. They just can't help themselves to "sugar", "honey" or "<blank>-pie" you, eventually...

The South is *different*. Far different climate, far different history, far different perspective, far different economy, far different infrastructure. It goes all the way back to the founding of this nation. Your examples are all examples of admirable progress from the perspective of a Northerner... but the South is *never* going to be the North (well, short of an unimaginable geological upheaval)... But there is more to do with that than geographic location. It is based on the founding principles of the different States, and the history that they experienced to bring them where they are today.

As a Northerner, the South is an unnerving place. I won't even say it is better or worse... it is just different.

Chitlin-cakes was an obvious exaggeration. I can absolutely tell a woman of southern heritage in almost all cases after 5 or 10 minutes on the phone. They just can't help themselves to "sugar", "honey" or "<blank>-pie" you, eventually...

Funny, most women of southern heritage that I know (and being one, I know a lot) only use such terms as jokes or sarcasm. Go figure...

Neil Peart is awesome.

I see I've finally found the ultimate conversation stopper. I apoligize, I was listening to the Temples of Syrinx and just was overwhelmed.