Shoved to Them
I have a hidden talent I haven’t yet shared with you. I don’t quite know why. I pick up accents. That is, I assume them effortlessly in conversations to the never-ending amusement of my children.
The naughty kids who live in my house have invented a game called “Guess Who Mom’s Talking To.” They listen as I talk on the phone and can usually tell, in less than one sentence, which of my friends is on the other end. My natural Texas drawl with a little extra twang and it’s Scottie in Virginia. A little extra dose of Southern charm? Savannah in Kentucky. Is my Jersey girl showing? I must be talking to Joanne.
All parts of the country, all parts of the world. Five minutes and I’m picking it up, and in 15 I’m sounding like a native. It started as a survival technique which was necessary when I was a Navy brat on the move. I soon discovered that sounding like the kids around me helped me to quickly become one of them. I started consciously mimicking my classmates in the second grade and was doing it on instinct by high school.
If you ever meet me in person, give me bit of time and then see for yourself if I don’t begin to sound like a little slice of down-home goodness. If you don’t think so?…At least my children will think it’s funny.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In