Even Greener Pastures

I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she's a lazy speaker. She strikes me as someone who thinks she's being 'heavy' and memorable. What's bothering me most is that crooked lampshade.

Nikola, what can you expect when somebody starts their video with "Peace and harmony to you"? 

Her YouTube channel is called „Peace and Harmony“, which I‘m sure is why she starts the video that way.

When I first heard her, I thought she sounds just like everyone around me I hear everyday. I re-listened to the parts you referenced Nikola, but I could‘t notice anything unfamiliar about the way she pronounced anything. My first thought was she was a psychotherapist type person from Santa Cruz, California, that really wealthy city south of San Francisco that became a hippie community of sorts in the 60s. Or, she could be from anywhere around the San Francisco Bay Area too. I tried looking up more about her to see where she lives, but couldn‘t find anything. She is definitely not from the US South, like Texas on eastward. Not New York or East Coast. Not likely Mid-West, so I think the odds are pretty good she lives somewhere on the West Coast.

I think when we hear someone, and this is probably true in all languages, we first listen for clues in pronunciation to see if they are native speakers, and if so from roughly where. Once we establish they are, we forget about their pronunciation.  I know I do. I‘ve heard „recreate“ and „create“ pronounced with the stress on the first or second syllables by native speakers, with the glottal stops, and I frankly don‘t even hear the difference. I personally pronounce „recreate“ and „create“ with the stress on the first syllables but I‘ve heard it otherwise. That‘s not even taking into account regional difference, which can be extreme.

Last week in the hospital all the nurses were pronouncing „angina“ with the stress in the first syllable like ANgina. I had always heard it with the stress on the second syllable, like anGINA. The nurses said either one is okay but they prefer stress in the first syllable (I know why. Because if you place the stress on the second syllable it sounds too close to the female private body part that starts with a „v“....that‘s all I could figure).

She does have a lazy monotone way of speaking so she is boring to listen to. That is true. Sounds like a tree-hugging vegan to me from Santa Cruz, like I said (that‘s where the well-known socialist activist, Angela Davis was  a full professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz in its „History of Consciousness“ Department, but retired a Professor Emerita a few years ago. That would have been a good course for Jerry and Neal to enroll in to broaden their perspectives, „the History of Consciousness“ taught be Angela Davis. You guys don‘t know what you missed! Don‘t laugh guys, this is where I live ......

 Angela Davis was once a member of the Communist Party USA, and since 1991 is a member of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, a party I’m sure Neal and Jerry are happy to support.


They do have a catchy phrase, „Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism-
Left Unity Toward a Democratic and Socialist Future„

I have my cardiologist appointment in a few weeks with that right-winger Republican guy, Dr. Super US Military. He’s all stiff like he just got off an aircraft carrier and wants you to salute him or something. Maybe I‘ll ask if I can leave a few flyers in his waiting room for the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism. He‘d probably give me a referral to the psychiatric unit!

Davis was also, and still is, a big supporter of Assata Shakur, the fugitive in Cuba, with the 2 million dollar bounty on her head. Recall that restaurant in Oakland with the signs on the outside, „Assata Shakur is welcome here. Police keep out“? Yeah, the San Francisco Bay Area, which includes San Francisco‘s „ugly sister“ Oakland, is the best place in the USA.

Didn't the lampshade bother you, Steve???

I can't believe we have a match. Thank you so much, Steve, this is really helpful. It's funny that you're so used to it you don't really notice the difference. I found it quite distracting when I was trying to watch the video because I wasn't familiar with this pronunciation and she kept doing it Would you say those two ways of pronouncing create etc. are more or less equal or does one of them make you sound more sophisticated to fellow Californians?

Glad I could help Nikola. She just sounds totally normal to me, just like everyone else where I live. If you were listening to her talk to someone in my town like that, you‘d just assume she was a local.  As I said, I don‘t even hear the difference between her pronunciation of create, reaction, beyond to be honest with you. It all sounds the same to me. I probably pronounce „reaction“ with the stress on the second syllable (of 3), but then it sounds okay to me to pronounce it with the stress on the first syllable too for some reason. Same with beyond, create. If I pay attention I can hear a slight difference, but it doesn‘t sound strange or different to me. It may have to do with where I live.  And I can guarantee you no one from around her, the entire San Francisco Bay Area, would notice a difference or hear it.

Like I said earlier, when I first heard her I thought she sounded like a vegan psychologist from Santa Cruz. I don‘t know why. But, she could be from anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area as well. I don‘t think she looks or sounds stoned either. That‘s just the way a lot of people talk around where I live. A lot of my female clients sound just like her all the time.

I tend to talk a lot faster than she does, probably because my personality is a bit more energized or something, but as to her pronunciation, I probably unconsciously mix up the stresses on those words you pointed out and don‘t even know it. Now that you mentioned it, I‘ll have to ask my mom to say those words and she how she sounds. She would probably think I were crazy for even asking.

I have a cousin up in the Seattle, Washington area who talks sort of slow and monotone like her. If she (Anne) calls me up she talks really slowly, and then when I talk to her she tells me to slow down, that I‘m talking too fast! I get this „Now, Steven, slow down......“ It’s like her brain is in slow motion or something. So I have to slow the pace down for her or it drives her crazy. But, I have to be nice to her, because she inherited a lot of money from her dad and likes me, and put me in her trust. So if I outlive her I get lots of money. Lots. So I have to give her the VIP treatment.  But, that‘s a big IF since Anne is only 5 years older than me. She‘s got some kind of heart problem too, but it‘s minor I think (although she thinks is a really big deal). I think my heart situation is surely worse than hers.

As to you question about the differences in pronunciation, I don‘t frankly think anyone around here would even hear the difference, so no, either way of pronunciation is fine and I‘d say are equal.

That lady does need to straighten that lamp shade though