Graham, the librarian, is from Norfolk UK. He has this fascinating, mostly incomprehensible, accent, but I usually understand him because I hang out in the library and hear him all the time.
One of my grade 5 students, finally showing some verbal English skills, asked me "Ms. Panneton, English in US, different English in England? different language, England, US?" "No," I told him, "it's the same language, some different words, different accents, it's all English."
Taras was puzzled. "But Mr. Graham in library, he speak English, but I no understand him!"
I told Graham about this, was momentarily worried that he'd be offended, but he laughed.
He and his wife Sue taught in the Canary Islands for several years. They're fluent in Spanish. I've been trying to get Graham to speak Spanish in a Norfolk accent. He refused until the end-of-year picnic and a few beers.
Photo at left is Graham with Manuel, the Spanish teacher from Guatemala, and me, listening to Graham speaking Norfolk Spanish.
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