Accents

            We stopped at a gas station in Mississippi, and my whole world has been turned around. I heard an accent that could have been so many adjectives, both positive and negative, that I think I have developed some sort of linguistic crush. I suspect however, that linguistic crush may be a little bit sleazy, like the first time a man falls in love with an exotic dancer. I went in the station to go to the bathroom, then bought a water for no reason, then proceeded to buy ice cream, which I really don't even like. That's how much I wanted to hear these women talk to each other.

            We left the women, and my heart, at the station, found ourselves back on the road. Now would be a good time to note the vital role of NPR on this trip. Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered, and Marketplace (hosted by Kai Rysdal, my favorite name in the business) provide, for mainly Zach and I, a constant media source when the New York Times is unavailable, which seems the case more often in the south. Even where Verizon cannot carry us, NPR stands fast, with anchors ethnically named, and accents as vague as a recorded ransom note.

            I think about this as the Mississippi Public Broadcasting donation drive is under way. Back to the linguistics. If NPR's accent, so soothing and mysteriously rooted, is a 0, on a scale of 0-5, the guy reading the news is a 1, the guy leading the pledge drive is a 2, and the women reading her personal confession of passionate love for NPR, in hopes of springing donations, is definitely a 4.

            So: Let the essential 'foreigners' read the international and political stuff, but let a slightly more regional man read the regional news, cause who would trust the yanks to report local Mississippi happenings. The guy asking for money has to be charming, cue the accent, and the women giving her personal plea has to be a woman of the people, so, cue the heavier accent. I question most the disparity between the pledge drive guy and the reading lady. Why not use the same schmaltz for the leader and the lady? I don't know what any of this means, but I took note.