Darnit! Wish I’d read this before hitting the wee hours at Magic’s wedding: getting your point across a sea of drinks.
If you happen to find yourself in the company of foreigners, you should feel free to adopt their accent. If you’re drunk enough, it’ll probably happen without even trying. Much as mimes really dig it when you start mimicking them, your new mates will appreciate your ability to acclimate.
(I blame the Pims. I do. Really.)
July 18th, 2006 at 6:28 am »
When I was in Japan in the late 70’s, I met some Australian merchant sailors from the “Australian Escort”. I was Military Police at the time, and since the guys liked to hang out in US haunts, it was a ‘bonus’ (I guess) to be on my good side…
Anyway, When I would hang with my Aussie mates, I would unconciously ‘mimic’ my friends. I never noticed until it was pointed out, but my vowel shapes and inflection changed when I was in conversation with them…
And they seemed to appreciate it -at least, I didn’t have to repeat myself nearly as often!