aka why can't they speak our slang English clearly dammit! Damn foriegners!

Well of course they had a heavy accent. Since all 4 immigrated to America from different birthplaces in Europe. My Irish gramps was barely understood but of course Irish is something every American claims they are so rubbing noses with him was what ya'll do. Grams came from Germany and was one of them thar foreign folk who served you because she knew 7 or 8 languages, was fluent in all, clear in few. Gram and Gramps number two both were born and raised in Spain. They were the most successful of the trio of Europeans. They settled in San Francisco, opened a business on Broadway and became a landmark. Grams never learned how to easily communicate the many versions of our language she knew and understood so she stayed in the background. Gramps was the same but eventually got the speaking end down until an accent was barely detectable.

So how did they all succeed and why did they even come here? Well they succeeded because they had the spirit of America and they "got" what America was all about. The struggle, and the success and the second generation of which I am a part knows how hard and amazing that was but it often takes someone bit-ching about the communication skills of people who know many more languages than we do not being able to clearly enunciate our slang version of English.

When I run across someone that I really have to listen to for communication I marvel at how beautiful this is even as I, the second generation, know a handful of words in french and many of the cuss words in spanish I regret that I became so American that I didn't listen more in my language studies. Would Gramps and Grams be proud of this lapsed culture generation they created? Actually I think they would. They certainly beat the odds, stood with heads high and built their life around a country that is not always appreciated by birthright. I suspect they smile down on we, the second generation as they tsk, tsk us for our inability to communicate with the world of people.

-French derivate.

Nothing so rich my friend. Simply a humorous takeoff on someone I greatly respect on this board.

I suspect it would make a good contest to figure out who that respected poster is. ;)

Who is that respected poster you are imitating?

I am all curious as a cat and all ears as a wabbit.

WHO ?

And what do I win?

synonymous....so someone is pretending to imitate TheBell...in fact it could be THE BELL himself.

Didn't he quit the Fray or something like that?

What do you win?

A Silent Hand Clap...

You win the Clang of a Cow Bell. That will have to be enough unless a cyber made-up reward is acceptable. In that case you won Arizona and New York.

I don't know where he is but I hope The Bell decides to post in the new Fray. I always look forward to the posts that read like an article.

A Cow Bell cannot imitate The Bell, nor would a Cow Bell try. Purely for admiration with a touch humor.