Speech Patterns
Here's an odd little thing you didn't know about me.
I was born in Southwestern Kansas where they speak with a bit of a slow drawl...it's not Texas twang...but it has that flavor. I moved as a small child to Rock Hill, South Carolina, where they have a distinct accent. Then my mother divorced and we moved to Lexington, KY...where they have a beautiful lilting and gentile accent. From there, I moved to the suburbs of Chicago...where they speak through their noses and nasally caterwauling is the norm. Then, I moved to Central and Southern Illinois, which are mixes of the nasal in lessening degrees as you go south and picking up some drawl the farther south you go. Now I live in Wisconsin...where there is quite a bit of strange speech depending on if you are around the river (nasal with Minnesota/North Dakota "yeaah") or other areas where the Minnesota/North Dakota "oh yeaah" exists sans nasal.
Which means that I have been indoctrinated in all of these speech patterns. More than that though, it means that I am highly susceptible to sliding into these speech patterns without even noticing I'm doing it. If I go on vacation for more than 2 days somewhere...I can pick up the accent without realizing it. I simply speak back to people as they speak to me. Interestingly, it doesn't even have to be a speech pattern that I have previous indoctrination to!
For example, I have recently met someone who is from Virginia and speaks with a definite drawl. It is so interesting to listen to her speak, but I worry that in spending time with her I will start to imitate it subconsciously. Then I'm afraid that I will offend or make her feel that I am poking fun. It is certainly not my intent to do so...but the only way to avoid it seems to be paying more attention to how I speak when I'm having a conversation. But I'm afraid that this will amount to me looking like a dolt and stilted conversation.
It can be very easy for me to slip into these accents. If it is someone with a Texas drawl, I can slip into that just by speaking with someone by phone. I don't kow what to do. But if I should run into you, don't think I'm making fun if I pick up your speech pattern. I don't even realize I'm doing it.
