OT - All-American or All American

(Hanne Gottliebsen) wrote in message . com...
OK, help out a Dane who is somewhat out of her element wrt language.

Is it All-American or All American? And what exactly does that mean to
you?
I'm making this flag (US) banner quilt (or quilted flag banner?) for
some friends of mine, and I was thinking of calling it "All-American
Colours" (deliberately using British - or at least non-American -
spelling), since they've spent the two years we've know eachother
struggling to pronounce my name and also making fun of my
pronounciation of just about anything.

Is that a stupid name? I know - my quilt, I get to name it, but I
wouldn't mind it making some sense to other people too.

Thanks
Hanne

Sort of a half OT response... I've just figured out which pattern I'm
going to use for my "american" quilt. It's a modified carpenter's
wheel, lots of diamonds and squares, and will be in red, white, and
blue. I'm counting on the making of this quilt to keep me sane; it's
my first quilt since I got married last month, and DH is overseas in
the "Thingie"/navy... I'd do a mariner's compass, but I want to hold
off on that pattern until I'm a little better at machine piecing!

Mary

How about when English is not your first language (though I did start
learning it at 4 years old). I cannot say some things right, like fuzzy
and fussy... I was telling people in the lab yesterday that my friend
has a 'fuzzy baby'... they had a laugh at that! ). DH is quite funny
when he says he is in 'dip sheet' )

Ethne Slusser wrote:

Hanne makes perfect sense to me and I would go with All American.

By the way I'm originally from South Africa so know what you mean about
people laughing at pronunciations.

Ethne in PA (now)



"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...

I will concur with Merry about the spelling, since I dont know and she
sounds like she does...
but your quilt idea and name is so wonderful! what lucky friends you have!
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Hanne Gottliebsen" wrote in message
.com...

OK, help out a Dane who is somewhat out of her element wrt language.

Is it All-American or All American? And what exactly does that mean to
you?
I'm making this flag (US) banner quilt (or quilted flag banner?) for
some friends of mine, and I was thinking of calling it "All-American
Colours" (deliberately using British - or at least non-American -
spelling), since they've spent the two years we've know eachother
struggling to pronounce my name and also making fun of my
pronounciation of just about anything.

Is that a stupid name? I know - my quilt, I get to name it, but I
wouldn't mind it making some sense to other people too.

Thanks
Hanne





--
Dr. Quilter
Ambassador of Extraordinary Aliens

Well, Hanne, I'll tell you what to do. Make that lovely quilt, show it
to you friends and if they don't pronounce your name correctly,---send
it right here to me. I will be your new dear friend and I will never
make fun of your pronounciation!!! LOL
RedQueen

Youve hit on a gripe I have. In my former workplace there were a lot of
Hmong workers. Every once in a while one of my American coworkers would say,
"they should all learn to speak English" as of learning a new language as
an adult is something easy to do. Language is more than just how we speak,
its a part of how we think. Hmong sentance structure is sort of opposite to
ours. I applaud those who were able to master it. The others I suspect would
have loved to be able to converse fluently in this foreign to them language
but feared making a fool of themselves by mangling it. I know I backed off
trying to learn Hmong fairly quickly when I realized Id have to be able to
hear it spoken more than the noisy plant would allow. I had no desire to
embaress myself in their eyes.
rant over
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Dr. Quilter" wrote in message
...
How about when English is not your first language (though I did start
learning it at 4 years old). I cannot say some things right, like fuzzy
and fussy... I was telling people in the lab yesterday that my friend
has a 'fuzzy baby'... they had a laugh at that! ). DH is quite funny
when he says he is in 'dip sheet' )

Ethne Slusser wrote:

Hanne makes perfect sense to me and I would go with All American.

By the way I'm originally from South Africa so know what you mean about
people laughing at pronunciations.

Ethne in PA (now)



"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...

I will concur with Merry about the spelling, since I dont know and she
sounds like she does...
but your quilt idea and name is so wonderful! what lucky friends you
have!
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Hanne Gottliebsen" wrote in message
.com...

OK, help out a Dane who is somewhat out of her element wrt language.

Is it All-American or All American? And what exactly does that mean to
you?
I'm making this flag (US) banner quilt (or quilted flag banner?) for
some friends of mine, and I was thinking of calling it "All-American
Colours" (deliberately using British - or at least non-American -
spelling), since they've spent the two years we've know eachother
struggling to pronounce my name and also making fun of my
pronounciation of just about anything.

Is that a stupid name? I know - my quilt, I get to name it, but I
wouldn't mind it making some sense to other people too.

Thanks
Hanne





--
Dr. Quilter
Ambassador of Extraordinary Aliens

I know Diana... like I said, I went to a british school from age 4, I am
well educated, etc. and still make mistakes. Looks like as a baby you
are born with an unlimited capability to make sounds (somebody here at
the UW is studying this). Then as you learn one language, you 'lock in'
some patterns and the ones that are not used are lost. I guess it is
based on the fact that some of your neuronal connections fail if you
don't use them. My friend that has a one month old girl wants me to talk
to her in Spanish, it seems that hearing more than one language at an
early age keeps you more flexible, you must 'lock in' more options.

Imagine how hard it must be for a poor immigrant. Most of the people
that leave the land where they were born are not doing to well back
home, or they wouln't have left, so most of the time you can assume they
are not the best educated/socially succesful layer of their original
society.. weird thing is, back home when people have accents we think it
is endearing... you have some people that will tell you that if you live
in a country you have to speak the language, and I agree you should at
least try and that it makes things much easier for your and everybody,
but I wonder how many of those people that made the comments you mention
were able to speak more than English, and how many would have
succesfully adapted to another country and spoken the native language
without any mistakes or misspronunciations....

Diana Curtis wrote:

Youve hit on a gripe I have. In my former workplace there were a lot of
Hmong workers. Every once in a while one of my American coworkers would say,
"they should all learn to speak English" as of learning a new language as
an adult is something easy to do. Language is more than just how we speak,
its a part of how we think. Hmong sentance structure is sort of opposite to
ours. I applaud those who were able to master it. The others I suspect would
have loved to be able to converse fluently in this foreign to them language
but feared making a fool of themselves by mangling it. I know I backed off
trying to learn Hmong fairly quickly when I realized Id have to be able to
hear it spoken more than the noisy plant would allow. I had no desire to
embaress myself in their eyes.
rant over
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Dr. Quilter" wrote in message
...

How about when English is not your first language (though I did start
learning it at 4 years old). I cannot say some things right, like fuzzy
and fussy... I was telling people in the lab yesterday that my friend
has a 'fuzzy baby'... they had a laugh at that! ). DH is quite funny
when he says he is in 'dip sheet' )

Ethne Slusser wrote:


Hanne makes perfect sense to me and I would go with All American.

By the way I'm originally from South Africa so know what you mean about
people laughing at pronunciations.

Ethne in PA (now)



"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
. ..


I will concur with Merry about the spelling, since I dont know and she
sounds like she does...
but your quilt idea and name is so wonderful! what lucky friends you

have!

Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Hanne Gottliebsen" wrote in message
le.com...


OK, help out a Dane who is somewhat out of her element wrt language.

Is it All-American or All American? And what exactly does that mean to
you?
I'm making this flag (US) banner quilt (or quilted flag banner?) for
some friends of mine, and I was thinking of calling it "All-American
Colours" (deliberately using British - or at least non-American -
spelling), since they've spent the two years we've know eachother
struggling to pronounce my name and also making fun of my
pronounciation of just about anything.

Is that a stupid name? I know - my quilt, I get to name it, but I
wouldn't mind it making some sense to other people too.

Thanks
Hanne



--
Dr. Quilter
Ambassador of Extraordinary Aliens





--
Dr. Quilter
Ambassador of Extraordinary Aliens

Hanne's speech is clear and her grammar is excellent. Yes, I
agree that her English has a slight UK accent ... what we
Americans might call a BBC accent. Very easy to follow. The
speaker at the guild has a Virginia Rural Accent, sort of. As
a hearing impaired person, I always have concern about how the
lecturer will speak. BTW: even though I am a Native, people ask
me from what country I came! Well, if we all spoke the same way
it would be a dull world. I do like that right here in RCTQ Land
we all speak Quilt!
PAT in VA\USA
PS: Hanne and I will be in the same Design Class with Cynthia
England next month. That will be fun!

Hanne Gottliebsen wrote: ...cut...
We (Danes) translate some stuff, but not all, as you can see :-)

Mostly I do ok here - sometimes people laugh, but I can deal with that
- what I find hard is (sometimes at least) understanding some other
people, particularly if I can't watch their face while they speak.
Someone (who must not be from around here!) spoke at the guild the
other night, and I had a hard time. Fortunately she had handouts for
us.

Next month Cynthia England is visiting, I've signed up for two classes
as well as the guild meeting(s) - I sure hope she speaks some kind of
average American, or something else I might understand...

My uneducated guess is that none of the folks who complained loudest about
the lack of *good english* could speak anything but American English, and
none very well at that. They were the same people who would refuse to try
the native dishes the Hmong brought in for pot luck supper days. My other
guess is that these same people felt very uncomfortable around the Hmong
because they couldnt understand their english easily. I couldnt either but I
was darned if I was going to let that stop me from getting to know them
better. It made for some funny conversations but I learned so much about
another culture.. and didnt need a passport!
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Dr. Quilter" wrote in message
...
I know Diana... like I said, I went to a british school from age 4, I am
well educated, etc. and still make mistakes. Looks like as a baby you
are born with an unlimited capability to make sounds (somebody here at
the UW is studying this). Then as you learn one language, you 'lock in'
some patterns and the ones that are not used are lost. I guess it is
based on the fact that some of your neuronal connections fail if you
don't use them. My friend that has a one month old girl wants me to talk
to her in Spanish, it seems that hearing more than one language at an
early age keeps you more flexible, you must 'lock in' more options.

Imagine how hard it must be for a poor immigrant. Most of the people
that leave the land where they were born are not doing to well back
home, or they wouln't have left, so most of the time you can assume they
are not the best educated/socially succesful layer of their original
society.. weird thing is, back home when people have accents we think it
is endearing... you have some people that will tell you that if you live
in a country you have to speak the language, and I agree you should at
least try and that it makes things much easier for your and everybody,
but I wonder how many of those people that made the comments you mention
were able to speak more than English, and how many would have
succesfully adapted to another country and spoken the native language
without any mistakes or misspronunciations....