Ever since I came to Australia, I have been trying to tell the Aussies where I come from. When I tell them that I am from the Maldives (pronounced "all gives"), all I get is a blank stare. It is only when I pronounce it "bald wives", that I finally get a gleam of recognizance. Even then I have to explain to them where it actually is and how tiny it is.
In four years I have met only one Aussie who actually didnt recognize what I was saying when I pronounced it the aussie way. He actually pronounced it correctly or at least the way that I am used to pronouncing the name of my native country.
1 comment:
hehehe...i know exactly what you mean... can you believe i met this lady at a flight centre who corrected me when i said, i'd like to book a ticket to the Maldives (all gives)... she looks at me and says, you mean 'bald wives'... for a minute i was tempted to say, its MY country, i'll pronounce it the way i want... but i jsut thought, what the hell, as long as i get my ticket home...
reminded me of a short story i read when i was studyin lit...let them call it jazz, it was called... at the end of it, the protagonist - a young black girl says, let them call it jazz, and let them sing it wrong... let them all hives or call dives, and let them say it wrong :D
Post a Comment