Hello Mr. Jack, etal.
Though I am not versed in the various internal dialects in the UK, one thing I had noticed (and enjoyed) in common British speech is what might be called "inverse emphasis". I later heard this example given:
quote:
To the British, an evening when the mosquitoes are particularly aggressive is described as a bloody massacre; whereas, World War II was a bit of a tiff. (unknown attribution)
Along with many others, I find it very pleasing to listen to alternate dialects. Not only because of unique accentuation, but also because the words themselves are quite often employed in a manner which was previously unfamiliar to me. And this unfamiliar word usage can evoke refreshing perspectives on what would otherwise be mundane events.
Many years ago, before I had access to the world's bookshelves via my computer, finding particular books was not always an easy task. At one point, I was trying to find a copy of R.O Faulkner's "
The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts", but was not having much luck. I decided, then, to contact the publisher in order to either buy the book directly from them, or to obtain information as to where I might find it.
From the bibliography I had, the publisher was listed as Aris & Phillips, Ltd., Teddington House, Warminster, Wiltshire. So I obtained their number and called them up. They informed me of a U.S. affiliate under the name of The David Brown Bookstore.
Upon calling this affiliate, it was immediately apparent that the person I was talking to must be a UK native, possibly from this Warminster, Wiltshire.
When I asked him if he had a copy of this book, he replied, "Yes, I think so. Let me just rummage about here". While he was "rummaging about", he asked me where I had previously looked in trying to obtain a copy. Upon naming one major franchise bookstore (which I won't name here), he replied:
"Oh yes, '(named bookstore)', you won't get any joy there."
And he was right; I have seldom gotten any joy there. I did, however, get a great deal of joy in listening to him talk.
Amlodhi
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