Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-17
A UNIVERSAL ACCENT.
This Chicago Girls Way of Speaking
English Must BE Puzzle.


From the Chicago Tribune.
People who are under the impression
that accent betrays not only the nation
atty. but provincialism as well: will per-
haps be somewhat disilusioned by read
ing the following incident:
The experience is that of Chicago wo-
man who made a trip to New York
short while ago. Up to the time of her
visit to the eastern metropolis she sup
posed that she spoke fairly good English.
She had read none but the best authors.
and as her friends were all numbered
among the cultured people there seemed
no reason why she should not couch her
sentiments in pure, substantial Anglo
Saxon. Neither did she affect an accent
At least. she was not aware that she d1d
After arriving in New York. however, she
learned that she not only had an accent.
but that it was a many sided affair that
was truly perpleXing.
She attended a reception one evening
where literary and esthetic people predom-
mated. The first person she talked to was
man with a bushy red beard and gold
eyeglasses.
Il am SO glad, madam. he said. in
the course of the conversation, Ito know
that you are from my town. That Bos-
ton accent is bound to betray the speaker
wherever it may be heard.
The Chicago woman flashed him one
keen glance. then, seeing that he was in
earnest, she said
Il fear you have made mistake. I am
Soon after she began talking to an eld-
erly woman.
You are from Georgia, of course" said
the other woman. Il can always tell
Georgian anywhere. There is nobody on
earth who prOnounceS as and us like a
person born and bred in that state
And again the Chicago woman
forced to proclaim the city of her ma
tivity.
Later a young man commented on her
accent. From Nova Scotia. of course
said he pleasantly. Il hail from there my
self, and it's a pleasure to see someone
who speaks as they do at home. The min
ute you pronounced my name | knew you
were from my part of the country. No
body else could say it with just that ac-
cent" And she gasped out something
about Chicago.
I've been lonesome and out of place to-
night" he said Nobody here from my
section of the globe. You're the first per-
son I've met all evening that halls from
west of the Rocky mountains. The min
ute l heard YOU speak / said, Here's
woman from the far west We never lose
our accent, it seems, wherever we may
go"
Just before the reception ended the
suave young man who stood at her side
leaned forward and said:
III drive over to see you some day, if
you don't mind.
You'll do WHAT
Drive over to see you. I'll wager we
don't live more than ten miles apart My
home is in Robinson, w. Va. and you
cannot live far away. An accent such as
yours and mine is never heard outside our
immediate vicinity
They We're on their way home at last
QUIZ be apt to have caller tomor-
row., said her cousin. That young doc
tor from Montreal is anxious to know you
better. He feels confident that YOU belong
to his city He says he was attracted by
tTnr ha
homesick and would like to talk to some
one from his native town. | didn't tell
him any different. YOU
But the young woman gasped 'Chicagov
and tainted.