May 3, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. The Accent.

Years ago when we were in Ireland traveling with Andrew's soccer team and spending time with the local players and parents, we experienced a new phenomenon. We knew they were speaking English but we could not understand what they were saying, so would ask them to repeat their words slowly. They thought that was very funny. "We can understand you. Now how come you can not understand us", they said. We agreed and we all laughed. Eventually, when they were speaking to us we could understand just fine but when they talked to each other we had no clue. They were not speaking Gaelic. Now I have the same problem. Our helpers are all born and raised in the Jackson area. They speak with a broad Mississippi accent. Most of the time I am forced to ask them to repeat their words. And I try to translate those words that I can understand. I know they are speaking English but I can not understand their words. Ken actually does better but not me. The pronunciation of their words is so different than a Canadian that I do not catch what they are saying to me. Emma and Bettye are identical twins, born in a small town east of Laurel, which itself is a small town. Their speaking patterns are remarkable and interesting. They work at night and are not young. They were born in 1947. They actually mispronounce many words which make life even more difficult for me. I actually love to hear them speak even if I must work hard to figure out what they are saying to me. Their accents are charming. April and Kendria, the young ladies who work during the day both have a broad Mississippi accent which is lovely. But I always am forced to ask them to repeat themselves even though I have no problem with hearing. Th vowels fool me. So far, I have not told them of my difficulty. I suspect that they think I am a bit slow. After all I am 80. I love their accents. Soon I may be able to understand what they are saying.