Ukraine One - Text
The subject is a 40 year old native Ukranian woman, born 1960, who currently worked as part of the custodial staff at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. In the Ukraine, the subject worked as a car driver and lived in a small town outside of the capital. She is educated up to the high school level and has only begun learning English here in America. In the sample, the subject describes how she, her husband, and her four children immigrated to America as well as some interesting perceptions on American food. What's interesting to note is the how the subject tends to question and fight through her English at times. Notice the way in which words,especially those that are foreign are emphasized as well as the upward, almost questioning tone of her sentences and overrall speech pattern. (There is some construction noise in the recording.) Interview by Tom Picasso and edited by Paul Meier. Running time 00:05:58.
TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH
I lived in Ukraine--all my life, ah, and last eighteen months I live in America. Ah, my brother--lived, left, left Ukraine about ten years ago, He was a refugee? Yes, because, ah, when he liv-lived in Ukraine he worked at factory and he, ah, studied at university, but eh, uni-universities um, (?) government um, ex, ex, umm (I forget that word),--kick him from university, because he was, ah, Christian, Christian mmm hmmm You know (?), donÕt let people read bible, bibles and ah, he couldn't ah continue to study at university, and he got sta-status refugee, and he moved to America. He prepared paperwork, paperworks for my family and eighteen month ago I my family moved to America and we are happy here. Ah, my husband worked in Ukraine ah, rail, rail, railroad (I forget) Ðengineer--but here, he, he work, he works..at K-Mart Corporation Distribution Center (I forgot what ah, occu-occupation how would name). Ah he needs, ah, to learn English,--and then he can, he will,--can work, ah, at railroad. He likes this job. We lived in Ukraine in big city, that is capital city, Donetsk, uh,--but ah, when I married with my husband, we moved to little cit-city near Donetsk, (city name), the city of (city name). This little city but, um, it has a very big railroad station and other (?), because he work, worked ah railroad engineer, train engineer mm hmm. In America I, I see very, different, ah, fru-fruits and vegetables. Ah, in Ukraine I never see some , some fruits, some vegetables what I see here and in Ukraine.I didnÕt have enough money for, mmm, for food and that vegetables, those vegetables , ah, what I knew in Ukraine I couldnÕt buy. Ah, only some, only cheapest, I can, I could buy only cheapest vegetables, (potatoes, carrots, white cabbage.) That's all. At summertime, I could buy tomatoes, cucumbers,Égreen onion, and ah, --I ha-I had a little piece of land, mmm like yours, two rooms square. And, I growed, growed, grow, potatoes, tomatoes, but it eh, it wasn't help to my my family for a whole year, because it is too little for my family and ah, I had a goat, (goat?), for milk because my son Bogdan, he was sick from four years old, from age of four month,--and he, he (he need?) milk goat milk, and five years I had goat.
Transcription by Tom Picasso