Sue -- are you from the upper midwest? I'd love to hear your "I s'pose". I've heard people say a shortened version of "I suppose" but the thing that sticks out with Eric's fam is the accent. The first "s" is just a whisper of an "s" and the "o" is more of a short "o" than a long "o". I think that is why it stuck out to me.
I love the regional variations in what people say and do and I think that is one of the fun things about travelling, especially east or south of colorado (it seems like everyone sounds similar to the west). Quite a while ago, I was driving through Virginia to get from Wash DC to east Tennessee. I stopped at a Subway in a smaller town in Virginia to get a sandwich. Who knew there would be a language barrier! The woman helping me had a very thick southern-ish accent and I'm sure I sounded totally alien to her. Getting my sandwich built was a little frustrating for both of us and we were both happy to get to the the mayo/mustard oil/vinegar stage. I told her I wanted pepper on my sandwich. (Apparently I talk a little fast and certainly faster than the norm for a smaller town in VA). That was the last straw. She stopped completely, put her hands down, and said (read with a thick accent): "Honey, you want peppah....from a shakah?" Huh??? I couldn't figure out what she was saying. I mean how many kinds of pepper are there? She already put green peppers on my sandwich.... Then I realized she was trying to distinguish between ground pepper (from a shaker) and those banana peppers or jalepenos or something. I think. Needless to say, I was happy to have my sandwich and she was happy to see me leave with it!
I love the regional variations in what people say and do and I think that is one of the fun things about travelling, especially east or south of colorado (it seems like everyone sounds similar to the west). Quite a while ago, I was driving through Virginia to get from Wash DC to east Tennessee. I stopped at a Subway in a smaller town in Virginia to get a sandwich. Who knew there would be a language barrier! The woman helping me had a very thick southern-ish accent and I'm sure I sounded totally alien to her. Getting my sandwich built was a little frustrating for both of us and we were both happy to get to the the mayo/mustard oil/vinegar stage. I told her I wanted pepper on my sandwich. (Apparently I talk a little fast and certainly faster than the norm for a smaller town in VA). That was the last straw. She stopped completely, put her hands down, and said (read with a thick accent): "Honey, you want peppah....from a shakah?" Huh??? I couldn't figure out what she was saying. I mean how many kinds of pepper are there? She already put green peppers on my sandwich.... Then I realized she was trying to distinguish between ground pepper (from a shaker) and those banana peppers or jalepenos or something. I think. Needless to say, I was happy to have my sandwich and she was happy to see me leave with it!
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