From: HTom4722@aol.com
Date: Sat Dec 02 2000 - 18:05:33 CET
In a message dated 12/2/00 10:30:37 AM Central Standard Time,
m.andreoli@tin.it writes:
> > > public italian is not so good, because I carry a regional
> > > inflexion (a common problem in Italy).
> >
> > You mean your pronounciation has kind of an accent?
>
> Yes: the accent of Southern Italy, because I lived until 18th,
> here. My inflexion appairs only if I'm irritated or under pressure.
> To speak in a public meeting at Firenze, the native land of modern
> italian language (Dante, etc ...) is something that can put me
> under high pressure.
Howdy.
All persons always have accents; this comes of speaking (and writing). Some
people carefully spend hours, days, weeks, years trying to groom their
language to fit some standard; others find other things to do that are more
useful in their lives and other's lives. If you are a politician or a
newsbroadcaster, the "neutral accent" can be useful; if you are an actor, the
ability to change accents is required. Since you are none of these,
perfection in accent is not rationally expectable, and someone demanding it
of you should be politely ignored. Even, or especially, if this person is
yourself.
Here in the United States the desired "neutral" is usually considered to be
"midwest" or "South Dakota" -- Tom Brokaw being the leading example. There
are very few people in or from South Dakota; I'm one of them and did not
manage, in the ten years (9 - 17) that I lived there, manage to aquire it,
retaining the Montana twang that I arrived with. Now I've lived in lots of
other places, and have a Montana - Minnesota accent. Or so I'm told by those
who pay attention to those things. (I suppose since I know this I must be
paying more attention to it than I should.)
Because there might be a rude person there who would think that such a thing
is more important to the universe than the message you bring is no reason for
you to deprive the other not-rude persons of your presentation, which I am
sure they will appreciate.
Go, please, enjoy yourself.
htom
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