As I picked Ewan up from school we were beginning our walk home and I asked him what the name of the teacher is who was at the door. Our conversation went like this:
Me: Ewan, what is that teacher's name?
Ewan: Miss Crellis.
Me: Miss Crellis?
Ewan: NO! Miss Crudis!
Me: Miss Crudis?
Ewan: NO, Mom! Miss Curtis.
Me: Miss Curtis?
Ewan: No that isn't her name.
At this point I'm totally perplexed because I think I'm pronouncing her name exactly how I hear him saying it but everytime I try he tells me that what I say isn't her name.
Perplexed, I dropped it and thought I'd try again at dinner to see if Jon was hearing something I wasn't hearing. When I asked him again at dinner, he said what sounded again like the same sounds and so Jon took a stab at trying to say her name.
Jon: Miss Crellis?
Ewan: No! Miss CRELLIS!
Jon: Miss Credis?
Ewan: No! Miss Crudis!
Jon: Miss Crudis?
Ewan: Miss Crutis!
So I try again:
Me: Miss Crutis?
Ewan: No! Miss Crudis!
Me: Miss Crudis?
Ewan: No- that isn't it either.
Jon and I looked at each other and laughed. We were thinking that maybe Ewan was confusing himself because he would say it a little different everytime but when we repeated the same sounds we obviously weren't saying it right.
Jon suggests that maybe the only thing we are doing wrong is pronouncing her name with an American accent. To his ears, he hears everyone calling her name with a British accent and since he may not know how it would sound with an American accent it sounds like we are saying her name incorrectly.
So we start trying to say the different versions of her name with a British accent instead of an American one.
Ewan: Miss Crellis.
Me: Miss Crellis?
Ewan: NO! Miss Crudis!
Me: Miss Crudis?
Ewan: Yes--that is it!
Me: Miss Crudis? (with american accent this time)
Ewan: No mom.
Me: (with British accent) Miss Crudis?
Ewan: Yes.
To my ears I heard no difference and I'm not sure I could even say her name correctly today. I wish we had that conversation on film because trying to write it down truly does it no justice. I think I'll ask Miss Rennison today what the teacher's name was from yesterday because my curiousity wants to know what her name really is. The mystery named teacher allowed for some funny dinner conversation and for that I am grateful.
2 comments:
Giggle. I think it's great you figured out it was an accent thing.
Miriam's school has a Spanish language program where the teacher speaks only Spanish to her students. The kinder Spanish teacher teaches Miriam's clsas one session a day--her only English-speaking session. And her name is Ms. Flores. Wait, no. It's Ms. Florrres (with a rolled r). If I do not pronounce it with the proper Spanish accent, I am immediately corrected. "No, Mom! It's Ms. Florrres! NOT Ms. Flores." This is usually followed by a "when-will-my-mother-ever-learn" sigh. :-)
This is how you spell the teachers name:
Mrs. Cruddace
So, phonetically it is cr-oo-dis with a British accent of course.
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