After lunch at a restaurant overlooking Lake Saguaro in Arizona, not all that far from the ghost town of Sunflower, a fellow guest approached me and spoke with an impeccable British accent. “Excuse me, I was seated at an adjoining table to yours and I must say you have the best American accent I have ever heard.”
Momentarily taken aback, I could only mumble in response, “Thank you. I’ve been working on it for a long time.”
It is rather uncommon in America to speak of an “American” accent. More likely is we will take note of regional differences (Southern, Midwestern, the Bronx) or foreign accents such as British, Chinese, or Indian.
But American — that was indeed a new slant. It certainly struck my brother-in-law as strange. “What’s wrong with *my* American accent?” he asked no one in particular. I took his point.
But as I was also taken aback, I failed to inquire as to what the British man had meant, exactly, or why he would take notice of such a nuance to begin with. Alas, he’d disappeared back into the desert, perhaps on his way to Sunflower or thereabouts.
Was he a linguist? An anthropologist? An ancient explorer?
Well, I thought, I do tend to speak somewhat slowly and clearly relative to other people, pronouncing words carefully, probably due to my training as a TEFL teacher in the Peace Corps half a century ago.
Ever since those days, I’ve tended to speak as I did in Afghanistan, later reinforced by years of delivering speeches overseas. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I’ve also fallen into a number of relationships with non-native speakers — it doesn’t seem to bother me if my partner is also learning the language I love, though it *is* a lot of extra work, come to think of it.
Anyway, here in the land of retirees, it could be that I’m also speaking a little more loudly than usual, enough so to be overheard at the next table. Hearing aids are almost as common as cacti, cataracts, tumbleweed, canes, walkers or roadrunners around here.
Just like accents.
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NOTE: “Taken aback” was originally a nautical expression describing that moment when a sudden wind change flattens the sails, stopping all forward momentum. Back on land it‘s rather more pedestrian, like being stopped in your tracks.
Today’s News (77):
Ukrainians Flee Mariupol as Russian Forces Push to Take Port City — Russian airstrikes, artillery and mortar rounds have gutted entire neighborhoods in the strategically important Ukrainian city (WSJ)
Ukraine thwarts Russian advances; fight rages for Mariupol (AP)
Thousands remain trapped as Mariupol attacks continue (BBC)
Ukraine retakes key Kyiv suburb as battle for Mariupol rages (ABC)
Zelensky says Mariupol is 'just ruins, like Armageddon' (CNN)
Russians Pound Ukrainian Cities, as Biden Rallies Anti-Kremlin Alliance (NYT)
Belarusian dissidents fight against Russia in Ukraine (BBC)
Biden to Sanction Hundreds of Russian Lawmakers, U.S. Officials Say (WSJ)
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny found guilty of fraud and sentenced to another nine years in prison (CNN)
US, Ukraine quietly try to pierce Putin’s propaganda bubble (AP)
Moscow's claim about firing hypersonic missiles could be more hype, experts say (NBC)
Ukraine’s Troops Fight War of Ambush and Skirmish Against Russian Invaders (WSJ)
Life underground: Ukrainian families make new homes in the subway (WP)
The Smaller Bombs That Could Turn Ukraine Into a Nuclear War Zone (NYT)
Russian journalist will auction his Nobel peace medal for Ukrainian refugees (CNN)
Ukraine War’s Spillover Swamps Poor Countries Still Reeling From Covid-19 (WSJ)
WWII Holocaust survivor killed in Ukraine's Kharkiv (Reuters)
Russian oligarch stashes second yacht in Turkey, apparently to beat Ukraine-linked sanctions (CBS)
As Mariupol Is Bombed and Besieged, Those Trapped Fight to Survive (NYT)
Biden tells CEOs they have 'patriotic obligation' to guard against Russian cyberattacks (The Hill)
Here are the CEOs who were briefed by the White House on the war in Ukraine (NPR)
‘I am enemy No. 1’: Protester on Russian TV speaks out from hiding (CNBC)
How 'shock therapy' created Russian oligarchs and paved the path for Putin (NPR)
Military briefing: how the battle for Ukraine became a battle for its cities (Financial Times)
UN head says time for Russia to end ‘unwinnable’ Ukraine war (Guardian)
Ukraine shopping mall destroyed in Kyiv by Russian shelling (USA Today)
Australia understands India’s stance on Ukraine, after talks (AP)
Biden says India 'shaky' in acting against old Cold War ally Russia (Reuters)
Why Biden can't help Europe rid itself of Russian gas (Politico)
Pressed to choose sides on Ukraine, China trade favors the West (Reuters)
Israeli prime minister rejects Zelensky comparison of Russia's invasion to Nazi genocide (The Hill)
UN refugee agency: 10 million people displaced in Ukraine, or have left country (Fox)
More than 3.5 million people have fled abroad from the war in Ukraine, United Nations data showed, leaving Eastern Europe scrambling to provide them with care, schools and jobs even as daily numbers crossing borders ease. (Reuters)
Russians opened fire on civilian protesters in Kherson: Ukraine armed forces (NY Post)
Biden flags ‘clear sign’ Russia considering chemical weapons (Guardian)
No indication of imminent Russian chemical weapons attack in Ukraine -U.S. defense official (Reuters)
U.S.-made Javelin missiles are ‘vital’ to Ukraine’s fight against Russia, experts say (NBC)
Some Chernobyl Staff Freed After Three Weeks on Duty at Gunpoint (WSJ)
Egyptian pound drops as Ukraine war prompts dollar flight (Al Jazeera)
Russia Warns Poland in Lengthy Letter Days Before Joe Biden's Visit (Newsweek)
On 'War Criminal' Putin, Obama-Biden Vet Says Putin’s Wrong But This is Not Time to Indict (MSNBC)
EU to establish rapid reaction force with up to 5,000 troops (Reuters)
Xi ‘can’t stomach doing something that might make Putin look bad,’ says political analyst (CNBC)
New Russian asset tracker details oligarchs' mansions and yachts (CNN)
Russia chokes major oil pipeline in further threat to global supplies (Financial Times)
EU Support Grows for Russia Oil Ban Over Ukraine War (WSJ)
Sanctions on Russia Pit the West Against the Rest of the World (WSJ)
Pentagon's Kirby pressed on Russian involvement in Iran deal talks, says 'clear evidence' of Putin war crimes (Fox)
As Ukraine burns, UN Security Council watches Russia halt group's action with its veto power (Fox)
Ukrainian refugees speak of bombs, half-empty cities, hunger (AP)
Japan reacted angrily after Russia withdrew from peace treaty talks and froze joint economic projects related to the disputed Kuril islands because of sanctions imposed by Tokyo. Russia and Japan have still not formally ended World War Two hostilities because of the standoff over islands just off Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido. (Reuters)
Defense Official Says Ukrainians Continue Strong Resistance Against Russian Invaders (US Dept of Defense)
Ukrainian children are in 'imminent danger' amid Russia's invasion, humanitarian organization warns (Fox)
Former President Donald Trump suggested that the U.S. threaten Russian President Vladimir Putin with American nuclear submarine patrols, which would likely dramatically escalate global tensions amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine. “You should say: ‘Look, you mention that word one more time and we’re gonna send [submarines] over and we’ll be coasting back and forth, up and down your coast,’” Trump pontificated. [HuffPost]
If You Think Republicans Are Overplaying Schools, You Aren’t Paying Attention — The culture wars over schools have produced an unlikely coalition: populists on the right and affluent, educated white parents on the left. (NYT)
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson faces intense questioning on second day of confirmation hearings (CNN)
History unfolds at Jackson’s hearing with glory, insults, comfort and patience (WP)
Black women rallied outside the Supreme Court to show their support for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as her confirmation hearings began before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her confirmation would make her the first Black woman and first public defender on the Supreme Court. She has already faced racist lines of attack from Republicans and conservative pundits, which supporters said they expected. [HuffPost]
Durbin, defending Jackson, says Congress has failed to do its job on sentencing guidelines (Politico)
Save the Forests—Especially the Five Biggest Ones — If we lose too many trees, everything changes. (Atlantic)
Bitcoin just isn't anonymous enough for a growing cohort of crypto users who are seeking greater seclusion. A volatile class of crypto known as privacy coins, created with the primary aim of masking the identity of users and details of transactions, has quietly been gaining ground this month. (Reuters)
If you thought NFTs were crazy, wait til you see how they’re taxed (Politico)
What happened to the world's ozone hole? (BBC)
There are more than 5,000 confirmed planets beyond our solar system, NASA says (NPR)
We’ve Found 5,000 Exoplanets and We’re Still Alone — So far, the search for a truly Earth-like world has turned up empty. (Atlantic)
Not a single country managed to meet the World Health Organization's air quality standard in 2021, a survey of pollution data in 6,475 cities showed, and smog even rebounded in some regions after a COVID-related dip. (Reuters)
BuzzFeed is cutting jobs and top editors are leaving its news division (NPR)
There are more than 5,000 worlds beyond our solar system, NASA confirms (CNN)
Russia’s snub sends satellite company OneWeb into the arms of Elon Musk’s SpaceX (WP)
Is Geometry a Language That Only Humans Know? — Neuroscientists are exploring whether shapes like squares and rectangles — and our ability to recognize them — are part of what makes our species special. (NYT)
Don’t blame bail reform for higher crime, NYC watchdog says (AP)
Senate Republicans Attack Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Lack Of Experience On U.S. Supreme Court (The Onion)
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