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Curious things
A curious thread is starting to develop in the language and ethnic grouping that people assign to me. I hadn’t thought much of it because it’s been quite some time and I was in an entirely different region of the country at the time but it’s come up again this week. Years ago while on a booking line for concert tickets I had someone ask if they detected a trace of a kiwi accent which would have been odd enough but was doubly so because the ticket operator on the other end was from New Zealand themselves. Around the same period I recall going to view a house and being asked if I was Greek at first due to name and then on arrival by the Greek landlord. This week I was asked if there was a faint New Zealand accent there again and then face to face if I was Cypriot. Though in all fairness my first response to the Cypriot question was to ask which side of the island they thought I came from which earned the diplomatic response of the better side.
The Greek or Greek Cypriot issue is an interesting one that I can only put down to a combination of my skin tone and not triggering any of the markers for any other similar group. I’ve always called my skin brown (or yellow for regional definition) but today the assessment was olive so it’s a matter of perception. As for my accent I can only suppose that it’s because the way I pronounce certain words is subject to a regional accent e.g. I can’t pronounce my lieutenant’s name without a Mancunian accent but I can’t say ‘theatre’ without it being very old fashioned Received Pronunciation. Years ago I met a kiwi whose accent was very hard to place because he’d travelled and lived in so many places that he’d picked up an amalgamation of different accents so I can’t help but wonder if I’ve developed something of a similar issue.
Still, at the end of the day if my lieutenant is Spanish and I’m apparently Greek Cypriot then at least we’re both Mediterranean.
The Greek or Greek Cypriot issue is an interesting one that I can only put down to a combination of my skin tone and not triggering any of the markers for any other similar group. I’ve always called my skin brown (or yellow for regional definition) but today the assessment was olive so it’s a matter of perception. As for my accent I can only suppose that it’s because the way I pronounce certain words is subject to a regional accent e.g. I can’t pronounce my lieutenant’s name without a Mancunian accent but I can’t say ‘theatre’ without it being very old fashioned Received Pronunciation. Years ago I met a kiwi whose accent was very hard to place because he’d travelled and lived in so many places that he’d picked up an amalgamation of different accents so I can’t help but wonder if I’ve developed something of a similar issue.
Still, at the end of the day if my lieutenant is Spanish and I’m apparently Greek Cypriot then at least we’re both Mediterranean.