Eastern Kentucky accent and UK accents

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 11:13 AM 12/6/2002 -0800, you wrote:
> >>> flanigan at OHIO.EDU 12/06/02 08:41AM >>>
>
> >>Hiring practices are a toughie.  Our ESL program refused, until just a few
> >>years ago, to hire anyone but native American English speakers of a
> >>"general" Northern/Midwestern accent--no Brits need apply!
>
>Didn't we just have the results of a perception test about 3 weeks ago in
>which it was determined that Texans are the most honest, etc, etc.?  Maybe
>Stephani should look through the archives and find the results of that
>investigation.  I don't know what her prof really meant or his attitudes,
>but those findings are surely food for thought for her.
>
>  >>My grad students jokingly call me Road Runner because of my fast
> Minnesota speech,
>
>That's very interesting, Beverly, because one of the stereotypes of MN
>speech is that it is very slooowww. Remember Howard Mohr's "How to Talk
>Minnesotan"? (At least I think it was Howard)
>Fritz

Both stereotypes are broadcast, you're right.  The fast one is based on the
idea that we have to talk fast to avoid letting too much cold air
in.  Ironically, the director of the ESL program here is also from
Minnesota (born in the same county I was, in fact--Yellow Medicine County;
make of that what you will), but he talks R-E-A-L-L-Y S-L-O-W.