Do you....

[R_C]

Re: Do you....

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Peasie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I always get &quot;You have an accent, where is it from?&quot;</div></div>

I hate that
A lot of time that question it is not coming from a good place. In fact, I am tempted to say, based on my own experience, that it isn't in certain situations.

[Gen]

Re: Do you....

My last job mi used to cuss badwud a mi desk of course that place did suh big and people too busy nobody pay mi any mind when mi a walk dung the hallway a call people claffy

jokes mi a tell yuh

mi a guh retain the accent next job though


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rollin_Calf</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Bizi_Oh_Em_Gee</div><div class="ubbcode-body">RC, u saying we mus chat patwa at work? </div></div>

No man, I am dealing with that &quot;neutral&quot; north American accent that many of us try to adopt in certain situations. I just notice that no other tribe seems to find it necessary to wash away dem accent in that manner and was wondering how many of us here do it and why.

For eggsample, when is the last time you heard anyone remark &quot;you don't sound......Irish (German, French, Japanese etc) to anyone ? </div></div>

[Stormmey]

Re: Do you....

I use the jamaican accent to my advantage....well my best imitation of jamaican accent and it works for some situation. Like once I returning something to this store and this likkle bumbleet hed gyal a gimme di run around so!!..... mi juss go awf pon here inna mi bess Jamaican hoccent coupled with 2 BC and RC ;yu shudda si di gyal start trible an tun and gimme back mi money. Then she say anything else I can help yu wid Miss....with a smile on my face I say no Missd razzCl....have a good day....brite

Also, the Canadian family when they irritate the hell outta me I try the jamaican accent ting pon dem.....but dem juss laugh and say there she goes in her wannabe jamaicanese

[johnnycakes]

Re: Do you....

I guess this is tangentially related to the subject but I found it funny at the time:

I used to work at Tufts University in downtown Boston and it was connected directly to a hospital next building.
A Jamaican woman who worked with me pointed out one of the groundskeepers at the hospital who was at a distance and told me &quot;That's Henry, he's from Jamaica too.&quot;
So I then knew that Henry was Jamaican but he did not know me at all.

So.......One day I was walking up to the hospital on a little side street and there about 100 feet away was Henry and there were about 5 other people on the street at the same time.

At that moment Henry had his back to me so I put on my best patois and yelled:
&quot;'ENRY YOU (very popular Jamaican vulgarity in which the two words involved might begin with the letters B and C respectively but I can't tell you what they are) !!!!

Henry jumped about an inch or two and spun around to see who was cussing him out but the only people in the street were white people and no one who even MIGHT Jamaican and certainly no one he knew that personally.

I just calmly walked right on past him and he's probably still thinking about duppies to this day.

It wasn't until a few weeks later when we got to know each other that I did tell him that it was me that day.

I guess we're both still getting a laugh out of it.

[Skelly]

Re: Do you....

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rollin_Calf</div><div class="ubbcode-body">...change the way you speak when having a conversation with people from another tribe (at work, professional meetings, in &quot;mixed&quot; ( ) social gatherings etc) ? Why ? And if you do and you are told &quot;you don't sound Jamaican&quot; what explanation do you give for changing the way you speak naturally ? </div></div>

yes I do....

I have:

- a white voice for white people
- a not too white american accent for black americans
- a regular jamaican accent for uptowners
- a not so uptown patois for country/downtown jamaicans


It is mostly suboconscious but I surmise it to mean that I want to blend in well with whatever social group i am engaged with


yes people tell me i don't sound jamaican all the time

when mi did fuss come up fi live in di states an meet di lawyewr my father used he told me that i don't sound like i just came from jamaica....i told him that not all jamaicans sound &quot;jamaican&quot;....

[Peasie]

Re: Do you....

I like your answer, Skelly

[CeaBee]

Re: Do you....

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Peasie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I like your answer, Skelly </div></div>

she sound like she possessed..is how much voice that suh?

[Peasie]

Re: Do you....

But, really, don't we all have voices for different occasions/people/tribes?

[R_C]

Re: Do you....

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Peasie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">But, really, don't we all have voices for different occasions/people/tribes?

</div></div>

But Peasie, what other nation of people do this ? I can't think of any. I'm trying to understand why we do.

[kia027]

Re: Do you....

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rollin_Calf</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Peasie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">But, really, don't we all have voices for different occasions/people/tribes?

</div></div>

But Peasie, what other nation of people do this ? I can't think of any. I'm trying to understand why we do. </div></div>

Italians at work
Italians at home -- 2 dfferent accent dem have

[Skelly]

Re: Do you....

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rollin_Calf</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Peasie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">But, really, don't we all have voices for different occasions/people/tribes?

</div></div>

But Peasie, what other nation of people do this ? I can't think of any. I'm trying to understand why we do. </div></div>

do you feel like we always haffi dance fi massah?

[kia027]

Re: Do you....

British people

They speak standard UK english at work

and dem when dem reach mongst dem friends is a different haccent &amp; wud tings a gwan

[R_C]

Re: Do you....

Dem have accent at work and speak Italian at home.

[R_C]

Re: Do you....

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kia</div><div class="ubbcode-body">British people

They speak standard UK english at work

and dem when dem reach mongst dem friends is a different haccent &amp; wud tings a gwan </div></div>

[kia027]

Re: Do you....

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rollin_Calf</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Dem have accent at work and speak Italian at home. </div></div>

Here they speak staten island englatian