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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!tjj
From: tjj@ssc-vax.UUCP (T J Jardine)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Quack, quack, I'm an American
Message-ID: <555@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Oct-83 16:57:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.555
Posted: Mon Oct 10 16:57:55 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Oct-83 20:19:11 EDT
Organization: Boeing Aerospace, Seattle
Lines: 27

After seeing all the baffgabble on the net regarding the adverse
nature of American accents overseas I can no longer remain silent!

I have lived/worked/traveled in Europe, Africa, the Far East, the
Caribean and Central America over a period of more than twenty years.
I have had occasion to see and hear SOME people who epitomized the
ugly American, but they have been few and far between.  It is my
experience that there are people/dialects in almost any language
that can be considered harmful to the ear.  I have also had more
than one experience not being understood/not understanding right
here in the good old U.S.A.!

There are people in this world who will act boorish/loud-mouthed,
and they will do so without regard for their place of birth or national
origin -- they seem to believe that they have an inalienable right to
whatever they want, whenever they want it.  I've taken the time and
effort to learn the local language whenever I have gone to another country,
and I know several people who have done the same thing.  I've found that
with the single exception of Paris, France, that people appreciate the
attempt to speak their language, even if your accent is as wide as the
Atlantic.  So perhaps you folks who seem inclined toward making duck-like
noises ought to find yourselves a suitable pond and go swimming.  Your
holier-than-thou attitude is not well received here!!

Ted Jardine
TJ (with Amazing Grace) The Piper
...uw-beaver!ssc-vax!tjj