I can’t help myself, when I hear an English accent while I’m out shopping, I automatically orientate towards the person speaking. And, usually, because I make eye contact and smile, get a response. And thus I start either a brief chat with another English speaker, sharing a few moments. On occasion I’ve even spent an hour or two talking to someone, usually a visitor to our fair City.
Like the last couple of days, and again, this morning. I just happened to arrive at my bus stop as a fraught woman came rushing up to me and in French, while waving her phone in my face, telling me the bus would not stop here and that I needed to walk to the next stop and, before I’d even formed a response, she was off walking down the sidewalk. But right behind her, bemused at her antics, were a couple who came up and asked me what she’d said.
I began to explain and, one sentence in, the woman interrupted me and said, “Oh, you’re English?” Well, yes, it’s true when I start speaking French I some how end up speaking with, of all things, a Lancashire accent. I know, I’m weird. The conversation then proceeded in English, and no, before you ask, not with an accent.
Anyway, an hour later after I ended up riding the bus with them all the way to the mall, I left them there to go off shopping, while I then took another bus home. And now, I’m sitting here smiling at yet another happy encounter with a complete stranger that resulted in a swap of names and addresses and a promise to write an email.
If nothing more comes of it, and most never write, it was another day blessed with a moment of connection. And I’m okay with that.
Wow, that’s lovely! I was just thinking about how we have less of these little encounters these days. There are less people to interact with as shops and libraries gets automatic check-outs for example. I hope we don’t automate these encounters away entirely. They’re so nice.
It really was and made my whole day. I love these kinds of brief and fleeting encounters. They’re like a little gift if you’re willing to invest just a moment of your time and effort and make a connection.
Like you, I hope we don’t automate everything in places were we once might have had chance encounters with complete strangers. That would be a shame.
I think of myself as an introvert but somehow a magnet for conversations when out and about? The casual & authentic interactions and 5 minute friendships in line at the grocery or in line at the department of motor vehicles reassure me that there are good & kind people everywhere.
Indeed, Tammy, they are wonderful little moments we can have throughout our day that can make all the difference to how we all feel. Especially in these uncertain times.
I love chance encounters like that. So often people just stare in their phones these days so if something like this it is extra special.
I think we all do, just to have the moment of connection however fleeting, especially as so many of us, as you say, have our nose buried in our phones.
I, too, speak French with a Lancashire accent! Mostly because I speak English with a Lancashire accent
Ha! Ha! Thomas, very funny. In my defence, it’s more to do with the fact I lived a long time up in the North West of England, and then, my dad was a Rochdale man.
Accents are fascinating, how our expression of the same language can vary so much from place to place or even in different groups of people who live together.
It’s also interesting how people who speak English as a second language tend (at least in my casual observation) to have an accent that has nothing to do with their own culture or area where they live–which influence the accent of their native tongue–but which matches the accent of whomever taught them English. And that’s made me curious about what accent I sound like I have when I try to speak Chinese (other than “American struggling to speak Chinese”).
Accents are indeed fascinating. And, if you live long enough in one place it usually goes that you’ll end up picking up the local accent. So children usually end up sounding like their parents and where they live. Older people moving to an area, might take longer, but can pick up on the local linger (or not).
And to find out how you sound speaking different languages, record yourself. It’s hilarious because we never sound on tape how we think we sound, at least, not to my own ears when I’ve done it.
What a lovely encounter! Funny that you speak French with a British accent. You’re not British, though, right? Was your French teacher?
It was a lovely encounter, J. And, in answer to your question, actually, I’m an ex-pat Brit who moved to Quebec City some time ago. Which is, of course, French-speaking province of Canada. So yes, I have what some call a weird hybrid accent.
I really need to write an introductory post about this.
Oh what a lovely interaction! Love that you have a Lancashire accent while speaking French.
It’s one of my probably more endearing quirks. I’m not sure how the locals feel, but no one has laughed at me, yet!
I suppose I speak French with an American accent except to me, non-native French all sounds the same, so I couldn’t tell a Brit from an Aussie if they were speaking French. Can you tell if someone is English when they speak French?
I guess it’s all in the ear, and listening to the accents around you. If they all sound the same, you assume you sound the same to them too. Since living here, in Quebec, I can spot a Quebecker from a French visitor (the French is different, as is the accent, especially if they’re from Paris.)
And yes, I can usually spot the French-speaking Brits too. It’s all in the intonation.
What a fun and chance encounter. I admire people you can do that. And in the end exchange email addresses. Fingers crossed you get some mail but if not as you said it made your day.
It was more the lady more than her husband that was chatty and, I think, just wanted to talk to another English person. It really was a fun encounter, and I hope she does write but I know also life can be busy for everyone. I’m just happy to have shared those few moments.