#61: Rocketbooming & The Rigorous Dictates of Life Around the Country.

This morning our site was featured on Rocketboom, one of (if not) the most popular vlogs on the internet. While we wish we could have been interviewed, it is still a pretty fun piece complete with a mischievous collaboration with Katrin from Ehrensenf. She somewhat predictably encourages the Rocketboom folks to vote for a certain town in Texas, which is a shame for the folks in Ramapo, New York. Click on the image to check out the video.

When you were a little kid did you ever have one of those books that listed all of the crazy laws that are still on the books across the country? Well stop gloating because I didn't. However, after stumbling across dumblaws.com I decided to do a little research into the top vote-getting states. Here are some of the highlights:

In Indiana:

•Anyone 14 or older who profanely curses, damns or swears by the name of God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, shall be fined one to three dollars for each offense, with a maximum fine of ten dollars per day.

•Smoking in the state legislature building is banned, except when the legislature is in session.

•Moustaches are illegal if the bearer has a tendency to habitually kiss other humans.

In Colorado:

•It is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor. (Denver)

•It is legal to challenge a police officer, but only until he or she asks you to stop. (Boulder)

•Keeping a house where unmarried persons are allowed to have sex is prohibited. (Arvada)

In Texas:

•It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.

•A recently passed anticrime law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.

•The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

Ah, sweet bureaucracy in action! Good thing no one needs encyclopedias anymore, huh?

heart,
Nina.

#37: Accentuating the Positive.

Sometimes when I am really bored I start speaking with a fake Russian accent. This accomplishes only two things: it drives Danny nuts and amuses me to no end.

It's really the only accent I can do well, probably because... I am Russian. Danny's Russian accent sounds more like Yakov Smirnoff on drugs who has to yell a lot and make jerky movements. Or is this the way Americans view Russians in general? In fairness, I should point out that his other accents are much better than mine, except maybe British (although this claim is disputed by Danny, who thinks he does a great garbled Mancunian rockstar impression).

This got me thinking to why we imitate accents.

If you are speaking to someone with limited English skills (or any other language), do you sometimes start to feel like the other person would understand better if you imitate their accent? This has happened to me before and than I start to wonder if I unwittingly sound a little patronizing. Does the other person even notice?

Another case of this involves kids. It's often really apparent if you talk to moms of kids aged 2-5. They start talking in a slow and deliberate manner, pronouncing every word with emphasis and pauses. There is generally a lot of exaggerated facial expression that goes along with this too. I guess it helps their kids learn, but still seems very strange to be the adult whom this is directed at. I start to feel like I'm talking with somebody with a lot of problems.

Babelfish, by the way, who we've been using to decipher all our Ehrensenf comments translates with a distinct (in this case German) accent. I haven't tried it out on the Russian yet, but something tells me it'll be a Russian one.

How do accents sound to people? I know most Russians prefer an American accent to a British one, but does this hold true for Germany too? Americans love guys with British accents, but not girls. What gives?

Heart,
Nina