OT: Let me ask our British posters a strange question

[headquarters]

Yeah - I will give it a try :

The thread was about accents ,somehow politics got in .It seems civil enough .Anyways .The assessment :

Try to say your pieces with a New Zeeland accent .



It is WEIRD but beautiful.

They change the E with an I or some such so that the word EXIT will sound like IXIT etc .

No try to do this with the legislative measures towards which the tea party is currently protesting

Anyone from down under that feels I have misrepresented their wonderous English ,please I will take no blindfold .Just let me finish my last fag and get on with it .



( yes ,it is a joke -and Yanks ,fag is slang for a cigarette in case some of you raised an eyebrow )

[pmulcahy11b]

For some reason, I've always had this idea that Headquarters and General Pain are actually the same person. Hmmm...maybe this post belongs in the Conspiracy Theories thread...

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

For some reason, I've always had this idea that Headquarters and General Pain are actually the same person. Hmmm...maybe this post belongs in the Conspiracy Theories thread...

thank GOD ALmighty thats not the case .

( have you seen his picture ?!?!?!? )

But we have been gaming for 18 years and our brains "absurd recepteors "are finely tuned in sync .

Other than that - I would love to be at the heart of a conspiracy theory .

As for GP -he already thinks he is in one....

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by headquarters

thank GOD ALmighty thats not the case .

( have you seen his picture ?!?!?!? )

But we have been gaming for 18 years and our brains "absurd recepteors "are finely tuned in sync .

Other than that - I would love to be at the heart of a conspiracy theory .

As for GP -he already thinks he is in one....

Also -please take a look at our subforums and tell me : did the same man write these ?

I would have to strive to attain the same mastery of grammar and misspellings that the good General has . Really put an effort in to work my way down to that level.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by headquarters

Also -please take a look at our subforums and tell me : did the same man write these ?

I would have to strive to attain the same mastery of grammar and misspellings that the good General has . Really put an effort in to work my way down to that level.

OK, maybe you're both Higgins? Or Robin Masters?

Never mind, that's an old reference -- put "Magnum PI" into Google or Wikipedia and you'll understand...

[Caradhras]

Slightly OT

What annoys me about US shows is that the British/English bloke is always the bad guy - and usually talks like the Royal family!

A mate from my neck of the woods (NW England) was on holiday in the US and another tourist from the US (he was @ grand canyon or something) asked my mate 'what part of the US are you from?' - obviously he couldnt have been English because he didnt talk like the Queen or the dodgy chimney-sweep in Mary Poppins

And finally - what amazes me is the Dutch and Scandanavians, they speak English better than us English! Many with perfect, if neutral, accents.

[pmulcahy11b]

Speaking with an "American" accent should be difficult for British or Australians (or other non-native speakers) but it doesn't seem to be. The US is a big country, and there are a LOT of regional and even in some cases community accents -- in some cases, even Americans don't understand each other's accents. Then you throw in ethnic accents, and you have a bigger problem. Then throw in colloquial phrases and words, which again can vary greatly from place to place, and you have a bigger mess. American also love to borrow words from other languages (usually mispronouncing them, again in different ways from place to place), and you have an even BIGGER mess. My mother told me that learning what she still considers weird grammar, weird spelling, and even weirder colloquial phrases and sayings was the hardest part of learning American English -- and she still, 50 years after becoming an American citizen, has problems sometimes with idioms and spelling some words.

An yet, British and Australians still manage to pull off American accents better than Americans can pull off British and Australian accents!

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Caradhras

Slightly OT

What annoys me about US shows is that the British/English bloke is always the bad guy - and usually talks like the Royal family!

A mate from my neck of the woods (NW England) was on holiday in the US and another tourist from the US (he was @ grand canyon or something) asked my mate 'what part of the US are you from?' - obviously he couldnt have been English because he didnt talk like the Queen or the dodgy chimney-sweep in Mary Poppins

And finally - what amazes me is the Dutch and Scandanavians, they speak English better than us English! Many with perfect, if neutral, accents.

Cheers.There are strong accents in many of our compatriots English , but as for knowledge ,our NorseGov has really strived to tie us to UK and US for the last 70 years .

( Choice between USSR and NAZI Germany and US/UK axis -not to hard to choose. )

Compulsory English as a second language for at least 6 years in school ( I had 9 ) ,and add to that media and cultural influence .

Funny thing -although most Norwegians have some accent ( we hear it at least ) when they speak English ,we all SING with good pronounciation....

( If not really in tune )

My own English weirdly adapts to whomever I am speaking with . If BBC broadcaster type English I will try to approximate . If Third world taxi driver I wil lsay " we go -yes ? "..

[WallShadow]

Originally Posted by Caradhras

Slightly OT

What annoys me about US shows is that the British/English bloke is always the bad guy - and usually talks like the Royal family!

<SNIP>

And finally - what amazes me is the Dutch and Scandanavians, they speak English better than us English! Many with perfect, if neutral, accents.

Caradhras:
The villain speaks the Queen's English because he is so cool and sophisticated compared to the slobbish 'Merican half-arsed do-gooders. But then the underdog Colonials turn the tables on the uppity ne'er-do-well by some quaint home-spun backwoods (or urban streetwise) trick!
("Why, that's just not cricket! It simply isn't _done_!")

One other factor of Americans speaking English is that they in general have lazy ears. English is a pleasant amble through communication while other languages tend to be a roller coaster ride on steroids comparatively. I work for a computer help desk and when we get clients who are not native English speakers, some of my co-workers are stymied by the accent and unfamiliar rhythms of non-native speakers. In fact they call me over to try to figure out what is being said. Sad to say, many if not most Americans don't _listen_ very attentively--they expect their language to be spoon-fed to them. JMHO.

[weswood]

When I was on active duty, the question I was asked wasn't "Are you from Texas?" it was "What part of Texas are you from?".

And I freely admit to being language stupid. I've always had a hard time trying to learn other languages. Three phrases I always made a point of learning in whateve country I was in was "Can I have a beer, please", "Where is the restroom", and my favorite "I like the way your butt wiggles when you walk."

I understand a little bit of Spanish, and speak less. A major function of my job is disconnecting people's electricity when they don't pay the bill. A lot of times I knock on a door, tell the customer what's going on, and get a blank look. "No english" is the phrase. I just smile and say "Adios le luce"- spellings' probably wrong, but literally translates into "goodby lights". I won't get into a rant about non english speakers

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

OK, maybe you're both Higgins? Or Robin Masters?

Never mind, that's an old reference -- put "Magnum PI" into Google or Wikipedia and you'll understand...

God,I wish I had a moustache like that..the women ..the admiration of my peers..

Caught Magnum PI as a boy on Norwegian telly too.Much better than "Hunter" ( SF,Ca show -alot of jumping cars over the hills downtown SF)

That aside - what make you of the new Tom Selleck series ,Jesse Stone ?
I kinda enjoy the slight quirky ambience to it .

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by headquarters

Much better than "Hunter" ( SF,Ca show -alot of jumping cars over the hills downtown SF)

I have to differ with you on that -- Stefanie Kramer as Dee Dee McCall was not only smokin' hot, she kicked ass and was a crack shot, and was still very feminine. What guy could want anything more? To me, a woman who can take care of herself is a turn-on.