An Accent
As I was giving blood this morning, I engaged in conversation with the man on the next table. Hearing me talk, one of the plebotemists in the room asked me, "Do you have an accent?"
"Yes," I replied with embarrassment. "I can hear it too and it iritates me to no end," I said as I remembered the first time I realized that I now speak with a New Orleans accent.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
"Guess," I replied, knowing I've been all over the world in my travels.
"Are you from the south?" she inquired.
"Yes," I said, not wanting to reveal too much information.
"Are you from New Orleans?" she guessed.
"Well, I just moved here from New Orleans last year after having lived there for 8 years, but I grew up in Florida. One of the reasons I moved here was because after a short time in Louisiana I could hear my son speak with the same New Orleans accent and knew we needed to move because I didn't want him to grow up having it," I explained. That then reminded me of the last sisters' weekend I hosted.
My sisters had requested a session with the local voodoo priestess and I'd obliged. When we entered her shop on Rampart St. in New Orleans, she asked about us. "Were sisters here for vacation," my oldest sister offered. "Where are you from?" the priestess asked. We kind of looked at each other and then my second sister said, "well, we're here visiting her," as she pointed at me. "I've lived here for 6 years, but I grew up in Florida," I stated. The voodoo priestess then said, "I grew up in New Orleans, I grew up in St. Louis, and I grew up in Chicago." Today, I got her point: "Everywhere you live has an affect on you, and one of the ways it shows up is in your speech...that's why it's called an accent."
"Yes," I replied with embarrassment. "I can hear it too and it iritates me to no end," I said as I remembered the first time I realized that I now speak with a New Orleans accent.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
"Guess," I replied, knowing I've been all over the world in my travels.
"Are you from the south?" she inquired.
"Yes," I said, not wanting to reveal too much information.
"Are you from New Orleans?" she guessed.
"Well, I just moved here from New Orleans last year after having lived there for 8 years, but I grew up in Florida. One of the reasons I moved here was because after a short time in Louisiana I could hear my son speak with the same New Orleans accent and knew we needed to move because I didn't want him to grow up having it," I explained. That then reminded me of the last sisters' weekend I hosted.
My sisters had requested a session with the local voodoo priestess and I'd obliged. When we entered her shop on Rampart St. in New Orleans, she asked about us. "Were sisters here for vacation," my oldest sister offered. "Where are you from?" the priestess asked. We kind of looked at each other and then my second sister said, "well, we're here visiting her," as she pointed at me. "I've lived here for 6 years, but I grew up in Florida," I stated. The voodoo priestess then said, "I grew up in New Orleans, I grew up in St. Louis, and I grew up in Chicago." Today, I got her point: "Everywhere you live has an affect on you, and one of the ways it shows up is in your speech...that's why it's called an accent."
posted by N'j at 9:35 PM
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