Languages

[arewethereyet]

I wanted to take Latin in HS but the only teacher who taught it left to become a realtor before I was able to sign up.  My later foray into Medical Assisting meant studying medical terminology which is heavy on the Latin.  I did well with it and can break down a lot of words, but I certainly can't have a conversation in Latin.

Being in the middle of a cornfield in the 70s, Spanish and French didn't seem like they would be of much use.  

I understand, but don't speak, American Southern redneck...'cause I married one and learned along the way.  There are still times that I have to figure out, through context, WTH he's talking about.  When we were first married there were times I would ask him to spell what he just said as I was at a loss.

I'm always afraid I'll be seen as racist for this, but I have more difficulty understanding a lot of the black people I speak with.  I suppose there's a bit of a selection effect in that I don't remember all the conversations I've had with black people that I found perfectly intelligible, so it's probably only a minority of black people.  My parents were raised in the south, so southern is fairly natural for me.  Not as much for Hillbilly or Louisianian.

There is a big difference in Southern accents.  When I moved to SC and off the Army base, the accent I was hearing was NOT the one I grew up hearing from my mom's family who were from the Outer Banks of NC.  Louisiana, I can handle...Cajun takes a bit to work through.

My uncle (who has lived in your area for decades) was in NC with us when my dad died.  We were inland, so not the family accent I grew up with.  Uncle sounds very, very Minnesotan.  A waitress came to take our order one evening and he leaned over to me and asked what she had said.  After she walked away, he said he wasn't able to translate that country southern into Twin Cities dialect.  LOL.  We were deep in the heart of they have to pipe in sunshine out here.  Think Mayberry.