A plague on both their houses

[sirs]

Now now......deep breathing......in thru the nose, out thru pursed lips.  Don't blow a blood blister

[Xavier_Onassis]

It's called mirroring and usually results in positive responses from your target audience. Sales guys use this tool all the time, and when you think of it politics is nothing but sales.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That is entirely correct. It is a natural reaction for many people. Americans, who are monolingual, are unfamiliar with li

Everyone has an accent. The standard neutral accent in the US is called "American Standard Broadcast English", and it is basically the way people speak around Omaha.

Dan Rather was from Texas, but to become a national announcer, he had to stop saying Windsdee and Dallis and pronounce it 'Wendsday' and Dallas.

++++++==============================
Ahhh, let the rationalizations begin.  Palin, who consistently has the same accent, that doesn't change anywhere she goes, is deemed a phony.  Obama's ability to modify his dialect depending on where he is, is deemed a talent.  Nope, no kool-aide in that methodology      Roll Eyes

I have not heard Palin enough to know that she has "consistently the same accent". To me, she sounds like some sort of hybrid between Minnesota and Oklahoma. But it does not ring true to me. It sounds like she had a voice coach that was not very good at voice coaching. I am a linguist, and like a musician who can tell when a note is flat, I notice such things.

Palin is competitive and ambitious, and is trying very, very hard to please whomever she thinks she has to please in the Party. I am sure she does not WANT to sound phony.

I won't be voting for her, because I want this war to end, and I think Obama & Biden will be the most likely to do this. I am sick of Republicans, mavericks or just the usual GOpricks

I have not noted any inconsistency in Obama's accent at all, nor did I mention that I had. He seems to speak American Broadcast English everywhere. He gave a speech at my University here in Miami, and sounded just as he does everywhere else.  I did not say that he had a talent for adapting his accent, I said Gore did, and of course, he did. But the people in his family had a wide range of different accents: Oklahoma, Tennessee, DC, Northeast US.

[Knutey]

I am surprised to see that you think Bill Clinton is a dumbass for not shaking that Arkansas accent.

Not at all the same thing and you know it. Bill was born and raised in ARK. He came by his accent legitimately unlike the phoney tard Palin. I am sure Bill could have lost his accent, but it served him well  so why bother. No one doubts Clinton's intellect. Maybe his common sense sometimes, but not his intelligence. When 83 % of the people say that that bullshit performance by Palin exceeded their expectations meant they must have had some pretty low ones.

[Knutey]

Let's review:
FDR had an accent
Truman had an accent.
JFK had an accent
LBJ had an accent
Carter had an accent
Clinton had an accent

And they are all dumbasses according to Knute.

I would suspect others of being misleading here,but I think , unlike BT, you really dont know the difference.
They all had genuine accents. Palin's is at best phoney and at worst a show of her overwhelming retardation.

[Knutey]

I am just glad that you didnt anal fixate on what an accent is.

I leave the anal fixation in your well-experienced hands.

Seee? What did I tell y'all.?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyXDK2JBk_U[/youtube]

[hnumpah]

Now now......deep breathing......in thru the nose, out thru pursed lips.  Don't blow a blood blister

Then explain to me, please, why it is that when I post a simple, plausible, possible explanation for something you perceive to be a problem, you come back and accuse me of making an effort to simply 'rationalize' whatever it is that you disagree with. I did not say that was the reason Obama spoke the way he did, I merely offered it as a possibility, much as BT explained that it is also used by salesmen. Yet for some reason, you seem to feel the irresistable urge to take every opportunity to insult me. Why? Is it because I don't explain my post in enough detail for you? Is it because I don't make it simple enough for you to understand? What's the problem?

[sirs]

No problem at all. 

You've concluded that team Palin/McCain are much worse than team Biden/Obama.  You have made numerous posts highly critical of the former, and very few of the latter, some even supportive.  Here we have comments referencing true sincere accents vs those made up, and you immediately post 1 explaination of why it's reasonably normal to "make it up".  Perhaps had you applied a mild reference in the defense of Palin's so-called phony accent, one might not be led to believe your initial response was anything other than a rationalization effort in support of team Biden/Obama

Now, try not to get defensive and try to put yourself in my place.  You see someone typing/posting condemnation after condemnation of McCain/Palin.  You see very few criticisms of Obama/Biden, even some that are actually supportive, if not defending some of their positions.  You see then this effort to explain some of the "phoniness" of Obama's changing dialects.  You're telling me you would not initially support the notion that said explaination might not be another effort in defending Obama, perhaps??

But hey, if you're just making some casual, completely objective "plausible" comment, in light of your prior posts and near support of Obama vs condemnations of McCain, my apologies

[BT]

I would suspect others of being misleading here,but I think , unlike BT, you really dont know the difference.They all had genuine accents. Palin's is at best phoney and at worst a show of her overwhelming retardation

And what is your level of expertise that leads you to conclude the Palin's accent is contrived?

[Knutey]

I would suspect others of being misleading here,but I think , unlike BT, you really dont know the difference.They all had genuine accents. Palin's is at best phoney and at worst a show of her overwhelming retardation

And what is your level of expertise that leads you to conclude the Palin's accent is contrived?

I said it could be phony or an expression of her retardation just like Bush either lied us into war or is a stupid fuck. I actually opt for retardation like her fellow Alaskan that I quoted earlier.( He put it a little nicer):
The Alaskan Accent
Everyone agrees - Tina Fey nails Governor Palin’s accent.  But the real funny thing is no one in Alaska talks like Sarah Palin!  In fact, Alaskans in my opinion are curiously without an accent.  Sarah Palin has developed her very own, unique, red-neck meets Fargo North Dakota accent.  I swear, no one in Alaska talks like that!  Sure, you run into the occasional Alaskan who (like some southerners) never speaks in the past tense, but overall Alaskans have pretty good grammar, and have a neutral, flat speaking voice.  Palin’s propensity for poor grammar and talking like a hick isn’t regional but just a reflection on her ignorance and lack of education.

http://alaskanexposure.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/the-alaskan-accent/

[hnumpah]

Here it is for you in a nutshell, Sirs...

I grew up in a military family, and we moved around quite a lot. Because of this, I was exposed to a lot of different regional accents while I was young, and, unknown to me, it became rather easy for me to pick up or lose an accent, depending on whom I was talking to and their accent. When I left home and went into the Army, again, I moved around quite a lot, this time to quite a number of countries for varying periods of time over my six years in the Army. Again I was exposed to different languages, different accents when I was around people who spoke English. Just before I went into the Army, it was brought to my attention in Chicago, by a young fellow of Puerto Rican extraction, that he thought I was mocking his accent, when I actually had no idea I was speaking with a Puerto Rican accent. Hence my comment that Obama may not have been aware of what he was doing. It was a simple observation, based on my own personal experience over the years. In no way would it have benefitted Obama, or detracted from McCain or Palin, even if that had been my aim. I admit I don't like the old geezer and the perky chick, and I favor Obama ove them. Hell, I'd favor damned near anyone over them. But unlike you, not everything goddamned thing I do or say is driven by politics, and I resent it when some snot-nosed little shit like you takes it upon himself to try to take everything I say and use it to impugn my honor and integrity. So from now on, if you have any more snide remarks about me, please keep them to yourself.

[BT]

Knute,

I doubt you want me to take seriously comment about Palin's accent from a blog that runs stories about how Alaska screws military families because unless they change their residency and file for the resource rebate they aren't eligible.

There is no scientific study that I am aware of that links accents to retardation.

http://alaskanexposure.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/alaska-screws-over-army-and-air-force-families/

[Amianthus]

I doubt you want me to take seriously comment about Palin's accent from a blog that runs stories about how Alaska screws military families because unless they change their residency and file for the resource rebate they aren't eligible.

This is funny, too.

Welcome to Alaska, there's a sale on "youth rifles"! Nothing like killing animals to help with childhood development, it really gets 'em primed for date rape once they hit puberty. I snapped a few pictures around town because I've gotten several emails from Alaskans telling me that they have lived here for 20+ years and NEVER seen anything like what I've written about on this blog. Hmm, maybe these folks were born without, say, eyes?

http://alaskanexposure.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/alaskan-love-guns-part-2/

The attached pic:


You'll notice that sale is for "BB rifles" not real rifles. Perhaps he should check his own eyes...

[sirs]

Here it is for you in a nutshell, Sirs... I admit I don't like the old geezer and the perky chick, and I favor Obama ove them. Hell, I'd favor damned near anyone over them. But unlike you, not everything goddamned thing I do or say is driven by politics, and I resent it when some snot-nosed little shit like you takes it upon himself to try to take everything I say and use it to impugn my honor and integrity. So from now on, if you have any more snide remarks about me, please keep them to yourself.

Speaking of snide and inability to not become defensive         I thought I had asked for at least 1 effort to try and look at it from my perspective, and to be a little objective.  I even included a conditional apology.  Too difficult perhaps?

[Plane]

Sarah Palin has developed her very own, unique, red-neck meets Fargo North Dakota accent.

Wow ....

It must take a geinus to do that.

[Knutey]

Knute,

I doubt you want me to take seriously comment about Palin's accent from a blog that runs stories about how Alaska screws military families because unless they change their residency and file for the resource rebate they aren't eligible.

There is no scientific study that I am aware of that links accents to retardation.

http://alaskanexposure.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/alaska-screws-over-army-and-air-force-families/

I am so shocked that you do not support our troops! You must be a troophater to deny them some relief if they have to live in that frozen hell-hole. Shucks even disney gives military discounts to our "heroes.

Accents arent a link to retardation but the retarded do have different speech patterns :
What is a person with autism like?

A child with high functioning autism may have a normal or high I.Q., be able to attend a regular school and hold a job later in life. However, this person may have difficulty expressing himself and may not know how to mix with other people. Moderately and more seriously affected children with autism will vary tremendously. Some autistic children do not ever develop speech, while others may develop speech but still have difficulty using language to communicate. Often, there is an unusual speech pattern, such as echoing whatever is said to them, repeating a word over and over, reversing "you" and "I" when asking for something, and speaking only to express needs, rather than emotions.

A child with autism looks just like any other child, but has distinctive behaviour patterns. A child who is autistic may enjoy rocking or spinning either himself or other objects, and may be happy to repeat the same activity for a long period of time. At other times, the child may move very quickly from one activity to another, and may appear to be hyperactive. Many autistic children have sensitivity to certain sounds or touch, and at other times, may appear not to hear anything at all. Autistic children may have very limited pretend play; they may not play appropriately with toys or may prefer to play with objects which are not toys. Autistic children may be able to do some things, like sing songs or recite rhymes very well, but may not be able to do things requiring social skills very well.
http://www.autism-india.org/afa_aboutautism.html