The slow and gradual descent of the UK (GB) into a European state...

[Highlander]

There is a funny side to this, sort of...

I was driving home from work a couple of days back after sorting out a sensor on an automatic rolling barrier for a truck yard and was stuck in some early evening traffic...
As I slowly approached a bus-stop I could not help but notice a blue sweatshirt being worn by the sole person standing at the bus-stop...
On it was emplazoned "KENTUCKY WILDCATS"...
Well, my wife's home state is Kentucky, and when over there in 2003 I bought a shirt that had the University of Kentucky Wildcats' logo (UK WILDCATS - United Kingdom being another name for Great Britain, so for me it was a nice link)...
Anyway, I commented to the person at the stop that , "That shirt's a long way from home, you don't see many of those over here..." and the confused Slavic accent that came out of this guys mouth said, "I wait for bus..."

I honestly don't think he understood a word of what I said... I just no longer feel at "home" anymore...

I think the only part of the "English" that will be left is their language...

[Freuds_Cat]

Its OK Kenny, as an Australian I can assure you of two things.

1. Us Englis speekin peepols know that it is already a stew of other peepols languages.
and
2. Your Slavic mates children will speak perfect English (whatever that is) when they grow up.

The other thing that is kinda funny is that in your small Island you can go a few Kms north of wherever you are and not understand what ppl are saying simply due to the accent.

Or in my experience from Brixton over the railway line into Dulwich.

[Highlander]

(there goes another keyboard to the de-coffee-ing labs...)

(Not being of "English" descent) I have often commented on "just who are the English, anyway...?" and have come up with this viewpoint... "being English is not a race of people, it is a state of mind..."

My roots are (sort of) Pictish-Nordic, but a Londoners roots...? Roman, Saxon, Norman/Danish, Indian, Mediteranean, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Turk, African, Caribbean, Arabic, blah, blah, blah...

[Highlander]

Forgot to add... It is now (officially???) the political language of Europe...

[Denis]

The other thing that is kinda funny is that in your small Island you can go a few Kms north of wherever you are and not understand what ppl are saying simply due to the accent.

Scots should all come with an ipads hanging around their necks with subtitles so you can interpret what they are saying.

[OldManC]

Scots should all come with an ipads hanging around their necks with subtitles so you can interpret what they are saying.

I heard a similar sentiment years ago while in someone's sitting room but it was pointed toward the Welsh.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Scots should all come with an ipads hanging around their necks with subtitles so you can interpret what they are saying.

A funny sidenote to that is that few years ago my old station did a live show from our local Highland games, and I had to figure out how to do audio for Clan and Drumma, a now-defunct Scottish drum group whose biggest claim to fame was playing at Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie. They had a very atheletic field routine, not unlike a marching band on meth. Being the audio snob that I am, I wanted to capture as much of their wild sound as possible for the viewers. In talking with the guys to plan my miking, it was weird because I understood every word they said and they had no trouble with my very thick hillbilly accent (which most people around here have trouble with). It surprised us both, but considering that my hillbilly accent is a bastardization of their bastardization of the English language and my heritage is Scottish on both sides of the family, I do come by it honest. I liked those guys.

[Freuds_Cat]

... but considering that my hillbilly accent is a bastardization of their bastardization of the English language and my heritage is Scottish on both sides of the family.........

Ok I would love to hear that accent, especially next to my 'strain accent.

Guitarist I've been playing with recently is from Georgia/Florida. He lived here for 2 years and got very used to hearing our accents as normal. Funny thing was that when were were recording there is always those moments when you hear yourself on the playback. He couldn't believe how "American" he sounded LOL 

[Highlander]

Hey Cobber, anwhere a 'strian can gat a tinnie...?

Shoot boay, they're plenty in the cooler in mah pickup... 

Gaelic has been on the curriculum in the Highlands for sometime now, and all teachers are expected to have a working knowledge of the (home) language... 

Scots should all come with an ipads hanging around their necks with subtitles so you can interpret what they are saying.

There is no possible translation machine for Glas-wee-jan... 

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Shoot boay, they're plenty in the cooler in mah pickup... 

Nope; that's more the "genteel Southern" accent that you run into in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Around here, we'd say,"Git yer own damn beer before Sund'y; this here's the buckle of the Bible Belt an y'uns can just go cry over our Blue Laws. 'Sides, hit ain't called no 'pickup;' Hit's a truck, and hit better be a Ford or Chevy."

Kidding aside, my accent is more common in Northwestern North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia and Southeastern Kentucky than the rest of Tennessee. The town where I'm from and most of those around it were initially settled by Scotch-Irish from those areas, while further to the west in the East Tennessee Valley, the settlers were mostly English seeking the safety of the forts.

[Highlander]

She-it, boay...  Jackie was born near Winchester, KY., but most of her cousins are around Harrodsburg KY., so Ford trucks, an' God Bless America Agin - she's a big fan of Loretta Lynn and I nearly persuaded her to take a trip down to one of her "farm" shows while we were over, but too much t' do an' too little tahm...

I was stunned by the beauty of the Bluegrass State - found some mount-in folks - "you-um back soon...?" an' sippin whisky, in a very clear form - gen-u-wine bib-an-brace-shotgun-tottin' cousins... real God fearin' peoples...

Seriously thought about movin over, but the unemployment at the time was a frightening prospect, and her mum lives over here, so...

[Freuds_Cat]

"...Still makes whiskey cause he still knows how....."

"Ruth Ann and Lynn they wear them cut off britches and those skinny little halters
And they're second cousins to me
Man I don't care I want to get between 'em
With a great big ol' hard on like a old bois d' arc fence post
You could hang a pipe rail gate from
Do some sister twisters 'til the cows come home
And we'd be havin' us a time"

"..we're gonna have us a time!"   


Love James McMurtry and what and awesome groove these guys have.