John Rennie wrote:
>
> "Bill Bonde { No matter what happens, it's caused by global warming )"
> wrote in message
> news:494D2ECB.57E99546@yahoo.co.uk...
> >
> >
> > Donna Evleth wrote:
> >>
> >> > From: "Bill Bonde { No matter what happens, it's caused by global
> >> > warming )"
> >> >
> >> > Organization: Our legacy is not the lives we lived but the lives we
> >> > leave to
> >> > those who come after us.
> >> > Newsgroups: alt.activism.death-penalty,soc.retirement,rec.travel.europe
> >> > Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2008 09:48:23 +0000
> >> > Subject: Re: THE WAR IN LYON
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Donna Evleth wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >>> From: "Bill Bonde { No matter what happens, it's caused by global
> >> >>> warming )"
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >>> If you cannot tell me what the difference in French between an
> >> >>> American and a British accent is, then their mistake that you are
> >> >>> British is understandable, especially given the proximity and
> >> >>> number of English who give it a go at the froggy talk compared to
> >> >>> the gloopy Amerikanski tourist.
> >> >>
> >> >> You have to hear the difference. It is just about impossible to
> >> >> describe in
> >> >> writing. I can always hear it in other people. In fact, it is French
> >> >> people who have expressed surprise after I have told them I was
> >> >> American,
> >> >> not British. "But your accent sounded British to me," they have then
> >> >> remarked.
> >> >>
> >> > I'm sceptical. Can you hear differences in the accent of Russians
> >> > and Bulgarians speaking English? Maybe. But those are different
> >> > languages. What you are saying is that you can hear the difference
> >> > between people whose language is a specific English dialect. And
> >> > then divide it between American and British even though American
> >> > and British might be less different in some cases than American and
> >> > American or British and British. It's certainly an entertaining
> >> > thing to discuss.
> >>
> >> No, I cannot hear differences in the accents of Russians and Bulgarians
> >> because I do not know either of those languages. It has to be a language
> >> I
> >> know, and even then it has to be a dialect of that language I am
> >> particularly familiar with. American English, preferably without a
> >> regional
> >> accent such as Southern or Texan, and British English are the only ones I
> >> can do this with.
> >>
> > I know you can tell the difference between a British and a General
> > American accent when someone is speaking English. The question is
> > when they are speaking some other language. What features betray
> > them as from North America vs. from the UK or maybe more
> > specifically from England?
>
> I'm intrigued, Bill. How do you expect Donna to convey how she can tell
> whether an American or a Brit is speaking French? After all it's what they
> SOUND like.
>
We have the IPA. We can discuss characteristics of speech that are
carried over into the speaking of foreign languages. For example,
people who are Slavic language speakers often devoice the ends of
English words incorrectly, at least this is a cliché of their
speech.
> How can she convey sounds via this medium? Perhaps you would care to make
> one or two sounds yourself in your next post?
>
This is a text-only affair which is why you have to use the IPA or
technical terms or descriptions. Someone who uses a different vowel
in "can" and "can't" might continue to do that in similar positions
when speaking another language. Canadian raising might continue in
speaking another language. There is potentially a lot to this
discussion.
--
"Oh, I'm broke."
"Take another mortgage, don't give in."
"I thought you were broke. Where did you get all that money from?"
"Don't question me."
"Where did you get it?"
"I borrowed it from the bank."
"Well, you can't do that, that's cheating."
"Listen you little stoat, I own Park Lane, I can borrow as much
bloody money as I like."
~Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, "Absolutely Fabulous" |