Ifitaintbroke Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Isolated populations tend to stick with the old ways. (and language, evidently) Some of the oldest written language is Sanskrit. I think I'd love to hear that spoken! I've heard, though I've not met any, that down in the Okefenokee Swamp (I've been there many times), there are actually people living there. They are (supposedly) of mostly English descent, and spoke a dialect close to the English of the Elizabethan era, well into the last century. They are called swampers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Quite true. We speak American, and there are many dialects. On Sunday, I dealt with 2 older gentleman from South Africa. I could barely understand them, but they were speaking English. Now, they were straight from S A, and had not been here long, so their accent is strongly flavored with Afrikaans I've met other South Africans who have been here longer, and I could understand them perfectly. Another great example of that process: last year (I think), I dealt with 2 guys from Georgia (the other one), and had a hard time understanding them. A couple of weeks ago, I sold an oil change to a Russian who evidently has been here for a while, his accent is noticeable, but, again, I can understand him perfectly. This has happened to me, also. Though I have lived my whole life in South Georgia, (yes-we capitalize it) I am not considered to have a Southern accent by those around me. My father grew up in North Dakota, and my mother's family is mostly from the Northeast(Boston/Rhode Island), and part from NC. I grew up in the Savannah area, where people don't have as strong an accent as out here in "the country". When I started at the parts store, I could barely understand many of the people I talked to. There are several dialects in this area, and I have met a few people that even my coworkers from out here couldn't understand. My own speech has als changed greatly since spending so much time around different people, and I'm well aware that I talk differently depending on who I'm around. When talking to rednecks, I talk more like them. When dealing with Hispanics, I try to have as little accent as possible, to help them with the language barrier (though I do speak a smattering of Spanish). My first stepmother was South African (this was in the days of apartheid) She was white as rice but realized that if she filled out 'African American' all kinds doors opened up for her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ifitaintbroke Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 India is as varied as Europe. If it were not for the British, it wouldn't have been unified into one country. The only reason for unification to make sense today is for economies of scale in military, manufacturing, etc. Most of the states have their own language, they are not dialects by any stretch. All the surrounding states from over where I grew up have a different language (writing script, vocabulary, grammer, sentence structure). Completely unintelligible. The only unifying language is English. I do not understand Hindi, or any other Indian language except 'Tamil'. The cultural similarities between states are just about the same as between neighboring countries lets say in Europe and Asia. About Automobiles, I had no idea automatic transmissions existed until I moved here Wow, in India manuals are still the standard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ifitaintbroke Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 My first stepmother was South African (this was in the days of apartheid) She was white as rice but realized that if she filled out 'African American' all kinds doors opened up for her! Never thought of that. Seems like that would raise some eyebrows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Never thought of that. Seems like that would raise some eyebrows. But, it was absolutely true... Estelle raised a LOT of eyebrows, but I won't tell. "I'm banned from attending State functions at the White House" She's found Jesus Christ, and lives a quiet life in Reno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Wow, in India manuals are still the standard? 20 years ago, I had never seen a car with an Automatic transmission. Today, from what I understand it is available in many models in much of the 3rd world. There is significant traffic congestion, unlike anything here, animals sharing the roadways... it is a different world and the speeds are also a lot lower... fuel costs are ridiculous vs. the USA so the driver might need to optimize driving based on the variables... so I guess manuals make more sense? As automatic transmissions have come a long way with more gears, less servicing... not sure where things will be heading in the future... But I do know one thing. the 3rd world nations do follow the same trajectory as the 1st world nations, just takes longer to get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 20 years ago, I had never seen a car with an Automatic transmission. Today, from what I understand it is available in many models in much of the 3rd world. There is significant traffic congestion, unlike anything here, animals sharing the roadways... it is a different world and the speeds are also a lot lower... fuel costs are ridiculous vs. the USA so the driver might need to optimize driving based on the variables... so I guess manuals make more sense? As automatic transmissions have come a long way with more gears, less servicing... not sure where things will be heading in the future... But I do know one thing. the 3rd world nations do follow the same trajectory as the 1st world nations, just takes longer to get there. I'd opine that fuel costs in the US are ridiculous, compared to the rest of the world (1st, 2nd and 3rd) But that's what you get from global hedgemony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I'd opine that fuel costs in the US are ridiculous, compared to the rest of the world (1st, 2nd and 3rd) But that's what you get from global hedgemony. Current petrol cost in India is 104INR/Liter which translates to $5/gallon. Average engineer in India makes <10K USD per year. The only way survival is possible in that situation is by driving severely underpowered cars or motorbikes. Most engineers can't afford a car, that's another story... We took my wife's family over there for our wedding. It was a significant reality check for them on how blessed they were to be born in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Current petrol cost in India is 104INR/Liter which translates to $5/gallon. Average engineer in India makes <10K USD per year. The only way survival is possible in that situation is by driving severely underpowered cars or motorbikes. Most engineers can't afford a car, that's another story... We took my wife's family over there for our wedding. It was a significant reality check for them on how blessed they were to be born in the US. "Wake up white people!" The planet does not revolve around you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ifitaintbroke Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 But, it was absolutely true... Estelle raised a LOT of eyebrows, but I won't tell. "I'm banned from attending State functions at the White House" She's found Jesus Christ, and lives a quiet life in Reno. And that's the only answer to anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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