To All Communi-Creators:
I spent the last couple weeks across the pond in England, mostly in London and the surrounding areas, but also spent a few days in the lands of Shakespeare - which was inspiring. All in all it was a wonderful time during which I learned three things:
1. If you're not careful it's very easy to start faking an English accent.
2. That may not be a bad thing as proper articulation and pronunciation is the key to effective communication, especially with those who do not speak their words the same way you do.
3. Colloquialisms are local.
Regarding points one and two . . . This was the interesting thing about my time in England, I met travelers from many shores and though all of us were able to speak the same language - the many subtle variations in the way we spoke the language occasionally made communication cumbersome. While good listening skills certainly helped, being cognizant of this fact and subsequently speaking slowly and pronouncing words properly made it easier to get my message across.
Regarding point three . . . What I call "leftovers" others call "take-a-way". What I call a "pet peeve" others call a "pet ache". The use of these colloquialisms were fun to sort out, but when presented in reasonable concentration mitigated effective communication.
THE POINT: When communicating across cultural boundaries, even in the same language, pronounce properly and be aware the message you send may be received differently.
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