Posted by Robert Dilley on October 23, 2003 at 17:26:43 from 65.39.15.73 user rdilley.
In Reply to: Re: Social Obstacles, RP & 'accurate' Surveys posted by Prue Eckett on October 23, 2003 at 04:51:16:
But not everyone from Christchurch, Prue. Last Christmas we had a young lady from that town stay with us: my two older daughters had met her in Europe and invited her to come and feel what a real winter was like. She had an accent you could sharpen knives on. I didn't do too badly (though it took me a while to work out that "Alsies" = Alsatian dogs -- known as German Shepherds over here). I am told that the mutual incomprehension was hilarious when she was taken to stay with my Portuguese mother-in-law in southern Ontario.
I do cherish a picture I took in Cathedral Square, Christchurch, of a passing businessman in bowler hat, tightly-furled umbrella, pin-strip suit -- with shorts (pin-stripe, of course).
There's an Arthur Upfield mystery -- can't remember the title -- where a fairly wealthy cattleman(?) is castigating the local headmaster because the cattleman's son is coming home speaking Strine and not "proper" English. Is accent still a factor in Oz -- as Prue asserts it is in Canterbury, at least?