Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!cepu!ucla-cs!das From: das@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: 'enry 'iggins in America Message-ID: <2712@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Tue, 11-Dec-84 01:11:20 EST Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.2712 Posted: Tue Dec 11 01:11:20 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 13-Dec-84 01:40:53 EST Reply-To: das@ucla-cs.UUCP (David Smallberg) Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 29 Dialect games are fun: Scene: an office where I was teaching for a week Me: Any messages for me? Receptionist: Please? Me (a little louder): Are there any messages for me? Receptionist: Let's see...no. Me: OK, thanks. So how long since you left Cincinnati? Receptionist (dumbfounded): How did you know I was from Cincinnati? [The use of "Please?" when you didn't catch the question someone asked is local to the Cincinnati area.] Another one: Scene: I just handed someone a small stack of fresh IBM cards. She: Thanks. Could I get a gum band for these? Me: Sure. (I gave her a rubber band.) So, how are things in Pittsburgh? She (dumbfounded): How do you know I'm from Pittsburgh? Anybody else have any good ones? These worked because the localisms are not known by the speakers to be localisms -- I don't think a Bostonian who ordered a frappe, for example, would be so surprised if someone placed him/her, because that regionalism is fairly well known (I think). -- David Smallberg, das@ucla-cs.ARPA, {ihnp4,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!das