![]() ![]() As a writer, though, I’m terrified that I’ll make such a cut-and-paste mess out of my accent that I won’t be able to write in any region’s English. If I weren’t a writer, I wouldn’t have any problem with that. In other words, if I pick up a new accent or phrasebook in English, I’ll lose my clarity on the last one-the one I think is my own. Me, though? I assimilate languages by steeping myself in them, and once I do I’ve taken on the new flavor. ![]() It all lives in her head, organized into separate drawers (I know, I know, I’ve jumped metaphors go ahead and shoot me), each neatly labeled, and none of it escapes to mix itself with her own accent-the accent she uses when she’s being herself. Talking to her is like reaching into a grab bag: You (or more accurately, she) could pull out almost any sort of accent, along with any region’s phrasebook. I know someone whose mind catalogs these small differences. Oh, I can put together a line or two-enough to keep the blog fed-but if I wanted to write a full scene, never mind a full novel, in it? In no time at all I’d have one of my characters saying, “Want me to make the tea?” instead of, “Shall I put the kettle on?” Only it would be the equivalent on some subject where I haven’t noticed-or maybe even heard-the difference. It’s this kind of thing that makes me doubt I’ll never write British (as opposed to American) dialogue. She just, you know, uses it like language-ordinary, everyday language. ![]() And she doesn’t have what people here call a posh accent. says it as if it were a normal part of speech. And while we’re at it, I don’t think I’ve ever said “shall I,” although M. She never says, “You want me to I make the tea?” That’s what I’d say. and a cup of tea, not even if you’re producing baked goods. If I’m still getting it out of the pan, she asks, “Shall I put the kettle on?” Because you don’t want to stand between M. I make a pot of tea and set out whatever I just finished baking. As if you couldn’t have figured that out. ![]()
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June 2023
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