New Brunswick One - Text
Subject is a white female, born in the 1930's, approximately 68 years of age. Born and raised in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Married to a United Church Minister, a stay at home mother of 3 grown children and grandmother of 7 grandchildren. Has spent 4 years living in St. Ann's Nova Scotia, 5 years in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and 6 years in Woodstock, New Brunswick (these two provinces are adjoining and considered part of The Madtimes of Canada). Also spent 9 years in Montreal, Quebec before returning to live in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Recorded on January 1, 2000 by Susan Stackhouse and edited by Paul Meier 02/05/00. Listen for the medial 't' changed to a tapped 'd' (found in 'a lot of work' changed to a 'lod a work' and 'beautiful' to 'beaudiful'). Of interest may be the pronunciation of the word 'Tudor', the weakening of many final consonants, the higher pitch employed by many women of this generation, and the use of rising intonation. Running time 00:01:53
TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH
Well, we bought this old house; it was built in 1915, but we fell in love with it and it needed a lot of work. So we-we got busy, my husband and I, and, uh, tore it completely apart. We took it right down to the studs and ins-ins, we didn’t gyp rock it; we, uh, re-plastered it. And it was a tremendous job. Um, and-and there were times when I thought that we would-wouldn’t finish it. But, uh, we finally have finished it and it is beautiful! It is, uh, has beautiful windows and, uh, it’s a, um, an English Tudor style home. And, uh, w-we love it. And, uh, this weekend we’ve-we’ve had a New Year’s party here and it has been wonderful. All our relatives and all my sister’s children and, uh, their children and all m--, our children and their children. Uh, there were thirty-one in all and we had a wonderful time.
UNSCRIPTED SPEECH TRANSCRIBED BY LYNN BAKER, 5 AUGUST, 2008