Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-05-02
HER COMPLEX ACCENT.
A Chicago Girl Whose Way of Speak
ing English Must be a Puzzle.

People who are under the impress
sion that accent betrays not only the
nationality but provincialism as well
will perhaps be somewhat disillusion-
lied by reading the following Incl
dent, says the Chicago Daily Tribune:
The experience is that of Chi
cago woman who made a trip to New
York a short while ago. Up to the
time of her visit to the Eastern
metropolis she supposed that she
spoke fairly good English She read
none but the best authors, and as
her friends were all numbered among
cultured people there really seemed no
reason why she should not couch her
sentiments in pure, substantial Anglo
Saxon. Neither did she effect an
accent At least, she was not aware
that she did. 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 preplexing.
She attended a reception one
evening where literary and artistic
people predominated. The first per-
son she talked with was a man with
a bushy red head and gold eyeglasses.
Il am SO glad, madam he said, in
the course of the conversation, ito
know that you are from my own town.
That Boston accent is bound to be-
tray the speaker wherever it may be
heard
The Chicago woman flashed him
one keen glance; then, seeing that he
was in earnest, she said:
81 fear you have made a mistake.
I am from Chicago"
Soon after she began talking to an
elderly woman.
'.You are from Georgia, of course"
said the older woman. 81 can al
ways tell Georgian anywhere.
There is nobody on earth who pro-
nounces as and us like a person
from Georgia"
And again was the Chicago woman
forced to proclaim the city of her
nativity.
Later young man commented on
her accent.
From Nova Scotia, of course" he
said, pleasantly IT hail from there
myself, and it's pleasure to see some
one who speaks as they do at home
The minute you pronounced my name
I knew you were from my part of the
country. Nobody else could say it
with just that accent" Again she
gasped out something about "Chi-
cago"
A half hour later another man
claimed her for kindred spirit
eve been lonesome and out of
place tonight" he said. Nobody
here from my section of the globe.
You're the first person I've met all
evening that halls from west of the
Rocky mountains The minute
heard you speak I said, Here's a wo-
man from the far west We never
lose our accent, it seems, wherever
we may CO."
Just before the reception ended the
sauve young man who stood at her
side leaned forward and said:
It'll drive over and see you some
day, if you don't mind
You'll do what?"
"Drive over and see you. I'll wager
we don't live more than 10 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 were on their way home at
last
you'll be apt to have caller to-
morrow said her cousin. THAT
young doctor from Montreal is anxi-
Gus to know you better. He feels
confident that you belong to his city.
He says he was attracted by your
accent from the very first. He's
homesick and WOULD like to talk
TO some one from his native town.