Language barrier
As a person who was trained in vocal performance for decades -- through my experiences at a performing arts high school, to my college minor in vocal performance, to the few operas I participated in as an adult -- I like to think that I am truly accent-less. I definitely say some things weird* (who doesn't?!), but in general, I like to think I am pretty easy to understand.
To say this happened often is truly an understatement. Another interaction occurred when Meg purchased a keg for a party from a local grocery store. We walked in to pick up the keg and asked customer service for help.
Meg: "Hi, I'm here to pick up a keg."
Customer Service Lady: "Ok, go over to the bakery, they can help you."
Us: [exchanging weird looks] "Ok, thank you."
Us, at bakery: "Hi, we're here to pick up a keg."
Bakery Lady: "What's your name?"
Meg: "Meghan _______."
B.L.: "Hmm... I don't have an order here for you. When did you place the order?"
Meg: "Last week."
B.L.: "Hmm. Let me look again." [goes to the back, and returns empty-handed]. "Sorry, we don't have anything for you."
Meg: "Well, we ordered it last week, and I need it today. We're having a party, and we need to get this keg now."
B.L.: "What size was it? Half or quarter?"
Meg: "Quarter."
B.L.: "Ok, I'll look through the forms and see if we missed it. What's on it?"
Me: "Umm... Bud Light...? It's a keg."
B.L.: "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. A keg of beer. I thought you was talking about a cake! You can get that from customer service."
After this one, we sat in the car waiting at the stop light and just kept saying "cake, keg, cake, keg, cake, keg, cake, keg" over and over. Those are not the same word. Not even close.
My funny boss and I used to laugh at the funny things she said that I did not understand. One such statement is, "You ain't telling me nothing!" When she noticed how perplexed I looked at this exclamation, she started talking in "my accent" (which I think is just basic white girl) to translate-- it went something like this: "Jennifer, you aren't telling me anything I do not already know. Meaning, I agree with what you are saying. Also known as, 'No Shit.'"
Also, in this region of the world, the pronunciation of the last names "Steele" and "Still" are identical. Also the names "Don" and "Dawn". As are "pen" and "pin". And "ice" and "ass". Really, if there's an I in the middle of the word, it's not what you think. (I once had an entire conversation about "tights" that I thought was about tater "tots".)
Being a stranger in a strange land is even harder when you can't fake the most basic thing about you. Who would have thought that one of our biggest barriers would be in language and communication? It's weird to be misunderstood, especially when you've been perfectly understood for the majority of your life. Fortunately, we have been accepted, and labeled lovingly as "foreigners" (pronounced "fer-eigners").
My dad was born to Portuguese immigrants in Brunswick, GA, and grew up in Key West (seriously). He talks like Forrest Gump, and no one knows why. My mom was born in New Jersey but grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland; as such, she says "wooder" instead of "water". I don't say that-- but Meg does. Despite the locations that may have had an effect on their accents, proper grammar and pronunciation were always expected by both of my parents, and they offered up corrections often and earnestly.
Living in Charlotte proved uneventful for my accent. I was understood, except when I talked too fast, and even then it wasn't ever really brought to my attention. But moving to the Appalachian region of Virginia really made me re-evaluate how I've been speaking for the past 35 years. NOTHING makes one stand out more than sounding different, and I can not even begin to list the number of ways I have been misunderstood, or misunderstood others, while living here.
In my first job here I worked as a counselor in a school dealing specifically with extremely poor kids who also had some sort of mental health diagnosis. My good friend and boss had a lot of laughs at my expense because she always happened to be present when I was misunderstood, and she relished in seeing me squirm. For example, the first day I met the assistant principal, a handsome guy in my age bracket, he asked my name.
Me: "Hi, My name is Jen."
Him: "Excuse me? What?"
Me: "Jen...? [beginning to feel sweat appear on my upper lip and my hands]"
Him: "Jun? How do you spell that? J-U-N?"
Me: "Umm...? What...? It's Jen...? Like short for Jennifer...? J-E-N...? [certain he can see my face glowing with sweat]"
Him: "Oh. Hmm. Nice to meet you."
Boss: "BAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA"
Me: "Hi, My name is Jen."
Him: "Excuse me? What?"
Me: "Jen...? [beginning to feel sweat appear on my upper lip and my hands]"
Him: "Jun? How do you spell that? J-U-N?"
Me: "Umm...? What...? It's Jen...? Like short for Jennifer...? J-E-N...? [certain he can see my face glowing with sweat]"
Him: "Oh. Hmm. Nice to meet you."
Boss: "BAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA"
To say this happened often is truly an understatement. Another interaction occurred when Meg purchased a keg for a party from a local grocery store. We walked in to pick up the keg and asked customer service for help.
Meg: "Hi, I'm here to pick up a keg."
Customer Service Lady: "Ok, go over to the bakery, they can help you."
Us: [exchanging weird looks] "Ok, thank you."
Us, at bakery: "Hi, we're here to pick up a keg."
Bakery Lady: "What's your name?"
Meg: "Meghan _______."
B.L.: "Hmm... I don't have an order here for you. When did you place the order?"
Meg: "Last week."
B.L.: "Hmm. Let me look again." [goes to the back, and returns empty-handed]. "Sorry, we don't have anything for you."
Meg: "Well, we ordered it last week, and I need it today. We're having a party, and we need to get this keg now."
B.L.: "What size was it? Half or quarter?"
Meg: "Quarter."
B.L.: "Ok, I'll look through the forms and see if we missed it. What's on it?"
Me: "Umm... Bud Light...? It's a keg."
B.L.: "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. A keg of beer. I thought you was talking about a cake! You can get that from customer service."
After this one, we sat in the car waiting at the stop light and just kept saying "cake, keg, cake, keg, cake, keg, cake, keg" over and over. Those are not the same word. Not even close.
My funny boss and I used to laugh at the funny things she said that I did not understand. One such statement is, "You ain't telling me nothing!" When she noticed how perplexed I looked at this exclamation, she started talking in "my accent" (which I think is just basic white girl) to translate-- it went something like this: "Jennifer, you aren't telling me anything I do not already know. Meaning, I agree with what you are saying. Also known as, 'No Shit.'"
Also, in this region of the world, the pronunciation of the last names "Steele" and "Still" are identical. Also the names "Don" and "Dawn". As are "pen" and "pin". And "ice" and "ass". Really, if there's an I in the middle of the word, it's not what you think. (I once had an entire conversation about "tights" that I thought was about tater "tots".)
Being a stranger in a strange land is even harder when you can't fake the most basic thing about you. Who would have thought that one of our biggest barriers would be in language and communication? It's weird to be misunderstood, especially when you've been perfectly understood for the majority of your life. Fortunately, we have been accepted, and labeled lovingly as "foreigners" (pronounced "fer-eigners").
*My weird pronunciations: Banana, sandal, sandwich, manual... any word that has that "a" sound used to come out with an "a as in apple" sound. I don't know why, it just did. It's been happening less and less frequently since we've moved to Appalachia... maybe as a defense mechanism because I am hard to understand!
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