Another ‘istake ‘onday
Here, another Mistake Monday from our own Jean Mercedes.
I’m on a business trip to London, asking people on the street for directions. First I ask the guy selling newspapers. “Excuse me, sir (Brits are always polite, so I try to be also), where is Hudson street?” The reply: ” ‘udson street? Down der, turn right…” A few minutes later, I am still lost in central London, so I ask the next person I see - a business man in a suit. Trying to fit in and speak the local dialect, I ask for directions to ‘udson street.
The reply “Hhhhudson street is just around the corner and then….”You can’t win with foreign dialects. Its best to stick with your own.
I’ve done the same thing - better to stick with whatever you’ve got than try to be too local, particularly as there’s a fine line between imitation and mocking.
Tags: dialect, dialects, hudson_street, international-business, london, Mistake MondayRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Mistake Monday
2 opinions for Another ‘istake ‘onday
kevin
Dec 10, 2007 at 3:25 pm
For some reason when I travel and start talking to people I try and mimic their accents. Not one of the smarter things I do in life.
Chris
Dec 12, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I’ve been known to do that as well. I think it’s some sort of assimilation instinct, one which will probably get me beaten up somewhere some day.
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