Germany Nine - Text
- I’m 28, female, white, doctoral student.
- Born in Barcelona, raised in Barcelona until age 23 (German School in Spain, age 3-18). From then onwards, lived in Brussels (1 year), Boston (1 year), Oxford (3 years). Three native languages – Catalan, Spanish, German.
- I started learning English at the German school at age 10. Taught by German natives (in Spain).
- I’ve made the recording today, 7 November 2006.
- In the unscripted part of the recording I explain where I was raised, the languages spoken in my family and at school, the countries I have studied in since I was 23, and what places of the world people have thought I came from judging by my accent when speaking English. I currently study and work in Oxford, England.
Submitted by the subject herself, November 2006. Edited by Paul Meier 15 February 2007.
Running time: 00:05:05
Transcription of Unscripted Speech
So...my accent is supposed to be funny, as a result of being both Spanish and German, um, I was born in Spain, as a matter of fact I was born in Catalunya, which is a different region from Spain..we like to think it's a different country sometimes. Um, my father is German, my mother is Catalan, I went to a German school hmm, until I was 18--to a German school in Spain. So that means I would receive education in almost every subject in German--except Spanish Literature, of course. There I started my English classes...at the age of 10. Of course the translations would always be German, so that explains largely my German accent when I speak English. Um, at home we speak all three languages, meaning Catalan, Spanish and German. Ever since I left University, um, which was when I was about 23, I..studied..in English-speaking countries. So I spent a year in the United States, more concretely, near Boston and uh, thereupon, I moved to England where I am now, in Oxford, um, and it is my fourth year here. It's funny that um...all the international...people I've met so far, very very few of them have been able to place me as either Spanish or German. The most frequent thing I've heard about my accent is that it sounds like an Eastern European...um, person who's trying to speak English...of course uh, some people would deny that mmm, and uh....2 or 3 people have placed me rather in the United States..as in she as a--a United States accent rather than a British accent, which I wouldn't mind because I don't really like the British accent. Um..oh well, so I guess um..so much, for myself, and uh, the funny-sounding of my accent. Um, I apologize that I don't have English as a second language, it's actually my 4th language. But, nevertheless um, it's be great if you could make some use of this recording, and if not, well, it's very easy to..hit the delete button. Okay, bye.
Unscripted Speech Transcribed by Faith Harvey 18 March 2008