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Olivet, France<br/>
June 27, 2001<br/>
Scoreboard: 12,205 miles; 6 Countries, 20 statesv

The Festival of Music and the Muskrat Lovers

Claytononboard
2005-11-18 13:15:01

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This has been a relatively slow period of our journey, so let me open by saying a few things about speaking foreign languages. I am no linguist. I lived in Germany for nearly thirteen years as a kid, so I speak some German. I lived in Ocean Beach (San Diego) for six years and went to Tijuana a few times, so I can order beer and tequila in Spanish.

I took French 101 my first semester of college, 21 years ago. I got a D. I had to promise the professor not to take French 102 in order to get the D. My French has never been, how do you say, magnifique.

But I remember, on those rare occasions that I attended the class, the professor drilling us unmercifully on pronunciation. Oui was pronounced "ooooo-eeeeee," not "we," or "wheee."

How shocking to realize that all of the locals just kind of slur "way" like South Dakota cowboys with beanstalks between their teeth.

I brought this up with the head of the local Volkswagen club, who will figure prominently in this week's installment. "Yes," he said, and in school I was taught to say 'Yuh-esss.' I go to America and all I hear is 'yeah,' and 'yup,' and 'uh-huh.'" Quelle scandale!

Of course, Europe is a wildly diverse frontier, culturally and spiritually. Lots of different sounds in lots of different languages. Some of the languages don't line up particularly well. Like the difference between jumping and rolling.

So far my favorite is the Danes trying to speak French. They sound like furbies with fifteen clothespins on their tongues. "Bweee-ach-eyow-uh-err-errr," is the typical rendering of bonjour, which itself has a significantly different pronunciation in Orleans and Lourdes. Think of someone from Gros Tete, Louisiana on the phone with a townie from Bunkport, Maine.

Myles is better behaved at haircuts than his father was
There has been some excitement, beyond my contemplation ...