Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: A question. Are we funny ?

Ok, I've just phoned in USA. This was the second time in my life I have
spoken with an english mother tongue.
La prima volta è stata dopo aver conusciuto al mare una ragazza americana
(che parlava perfettamente italiano).
Tornata in USA le telefonavo, ma spesso a rispondere era le sue compagne di
appartamento, ed ero costretto a dire due parole.
Mi accorsi che queste ragazze tentavano di farmi parlare e che ascoltavano
insieme quello che dicevo, perchè erano divertitissime delle mie performance
linguistiche. Aho ! Ascoltavano e ridevano in tre.
Insomma il mio inglese era divertente.
Questa volta ho parlato con una signorina per motivi strettamente
commerciali, e ho percepito chiaramente una risatina alla fine di un mio
intervento per niente umoristico.
E c'è un terzo episodio finale. Io parlo un po' di romeno, vi sono rimasto
per qualche anno in romania, e laggiù mi dissero chiaramente che il mio
romeno era molto divertente per il fatto che parlavo usando le vocali come
fanno i loro bambini.
E' una mia qualità personale o piuttosto, come ho il sospetto, si tratta
della pronuncia italiana che in chi non sa bene la lingua straniera e in più
è totalmente privo di orecchio, è particolarmente divertente ?
In genere gli stranieri che parlano italiano male non lo sono, divertenti
(il primato è dei tedeschi, che al massimo ci fanno ridere perché ricordano
fantozzi).
ciao
L

 è totalmente privo di orecchio, è particolarmente divertente ?
Tu cerchi di parlare con la pronuncia, inglese o americana, corretta? Se
leggi l'inglese in base alla fonologia italiana...
Ciao, FB
-- 
"Nasalization is just a part of life"
(Joey DoWop Dee on it.cultura.linguistica.inglese)

 fantozzi).
I've often heard that when English speakers learn Japanese or Swahili,
their pronunciation is laughable because of the highs and lows that
naturally occur in normal English speech; apparently these two languages
(and others, probably) don't have such emphatic rises and falls.
I had a client from Brazil, a lovely lady from Sao Paulo. When she first
called me on the phone for an appointment, I thought she was crazy, just
based on her pronunciation of English. I would never be so rude as to laugh
at her, nor would I make a judgment without having met her, so I set up an
appointment to see her. She became one of my regular clients, and a dear
friend at that. Her intonation was purely Brazilian when she spoke English,
and others found it laughable. The only funny thing about that for me is
that I believe Brazilian Portuguese is a very beautiful language, and when
I hear that intonation in Portuguese, it sounds totally natural, lovely.
My last point is: don't let things like this deter you. I had to call Italy
many years ago for the hospital where I worked. They knew I was of Italian
descent and assumed I spoke Italian. I tried to have a short but important
conversation with an Italian patient who was coming to the hospital. I
failed miserably in my pronunciation and terminology, but I got the message
across, and that's what counts.
-- 
The foregoing is my opinion, and my opinion alone. It is intended to
demonstrate modern American English -- colloquial and spoken, (but well
spoken) for the most part; not literary American English. Ergo, caveat
lector. (No, not you, Hannibal)
Oh, if you feel the need to e-mail me, un-not my address first.

 My last point is: don't let things like this deter you.
No, absolutely, I like to be funny, especially with girls.
I was only curious
thank you Joey
L

 leggi l'inglese in base alla fonologia italiana...
Si si, mi sforzo di parlare come sento in tv (inglese, americano ? Le mie
orecchie non sono in grado di apprezzare la differenza. Puoi capire il grado
del mio inglese dunque).
Non sono perň cosě in basso da leggere l'inglese in base alla fonolgia
italiana .... :))
ciao

 I was only curious
Okay, I feel better. :) In that case, my guess would be that these women
are charmed by your Italian accent. It may be you; it may be the accent.
(In either case, it's you, I suppose.)
With the possible exception of some people who live in "middle America"
(and who still think of Italians as Non-white!) most everybody loves
Italians. It certainly works to *my* advantage! :)
I don't care for those "middle Americans" anyway, which is why I can't
share your "wholly American" sentiment. 
Rock on!


 share your "wholly American" sentiment.
Racists are everywhere. Forget perfection. Perfection does not exist and
usually is a pretext to criticize.
ciao
Lapo

 italiana .... :))
If Lapo is your real name... 'Un sarai miha tthoscano? If so, you might
have a hard time dropping your accent.
Anyhow, I wouldn't bother about people laughing (but I understand you
don't): I myself could not resist if somebody spoke Italian with a strong
foreign accent. There's nothing... wicked in it. When it comes to laughing,
I am quite unrestrained.
If you want to improve your pronunciation, you had better choose whether to
comply with the English or the American, and then you have to practise.
I think the average Italian's pronunciation isn't very good, but there's no
reason why you should want to be an average Italian. (smiling face) 
That said, I'm not sure *I* wouldn't make someone laugh heartily as he
heard me speak.
Bye, FB
-- 
Mrs. Palmer, in her way, was equally angry. 'She was determined to drop his
acquaintance immediately, and she was very thankful that she had never been
acquainted with him at all'. (Jane Austen)

 heard me speak.
ROTFLMFAO! :) Love ya; mean it.


 ROTFLMFAO! :) Love ya; mean it.
Ya 'r' naat serious, are ya?


 Bye, FB
I am *always* serious. I *never* joke. About *anything*.


 have a hard time dropping your accent.
i' vorrei che tu, Lapo ed io....
e invece no. Sono uno che intercala "pota pota".
Comunque ora che ci penso ricordo di aver sentito parlare inglese con
cadenza bergamasca ed era veramente spassoso...
Ohimé, adesso capisco ......
:)
P.S :no, solitamente quando parlo italiano fanno fatica a capire di dove
sono. Non sono stato contagiato dall'ambiente.
(Non me ne vogliano i miei concittadini, ma il bresciano/bergamasco č di una
rozzezza terrificante)

 I am *always* serious. I *never* joke. About *anything*.
When I studied to get the driving licence, they told me that all the
statements in which the words "always" and "never" appear are almost always
false. (witty face)
Bye, FB


 rozzezza terrificante)
Devo dire che concordo.
Ciao, FB
-- 
L'importante è che risplenda tu, sola primadonna e immarcescibile leggenda
del tuo pianerottolo.
(Lucangel su it.cultura.libri)

When I studied to get the driving licence,
I would have said "when I was studying to get MY driver's license"...but then
again, you know I live in CA and over here we don't speak English too good.
bye
ari
(1/2 MI and 1/2 CA)



*Yeah, yous Californies don't talk good. We talk better English here in NY
what yous do. Fuhgeddaboudit!
(But I agree with you: your wording is more natural.)
*No. Don't do this. It's not good English.


 (1/2 MI and 1/2 CA)
Almost forgot: would you explain this, please?
Does this mean you're half Milanese and half Calabrese?
Half Michigander and half Califor-ny-ay?


 again, you know I live in CA and over here we don't speak English too good.
Believe it or not, I thought about it this morning when I woke up!
Ciao, FB
-- 
Io ho deciso di rifiutarmi di vederlo: Ettore con la faccia di Eric Banana
mi fa venire i conati.
(commento sul film "Troy" su it.fan.scrittori.tolkien)