"el paso accent"

[malamute]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

Mal', I can detect an accent on Teresa. I listened to three of the podcasts. Maybe those of us not used to it anymore notice. ??

She to me has a typical El Paso accent -- but a more standard English speaking accent than many have. I think you can hear that "sing-song" thing someone mentioned.

Probably I'm so used to the accent -- whatever it is that I don't hear the accent too much because I wouldn't exactly say she has a strong Spanish accent -- but maybe she does. To me Mando has the Spanish accent but still pretty standard English speaking. Fernie also sounds like a typical El Pasoan.

[atrabilius]

Thanks, Malamute. I think I can see what you mean now. Yeah, I can remember hearing that accent a lot when I was in El Paso.

[lovefood]

I also hate the "El Paso languague" I speak one or the other but not mix it.

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

I am from El Paso, and I have to admit, the El Paso accent is awful. It took me years to realize this, I just did not form that opinion over night.

People in El Paso do not know it, obviously, but go anywhere else where Spanish is spoken properly, and you will know. It is passed from generation to generation, most of my immediate family speaks it. It is from the native Mexican dialect of the north of Mexico, and as unpleasant as this is to digest, it is the accent of mostly uneducated people, usually from rural areas in Mexico.

Another bad thing El Pasoan's do is mix Spanish and English. Very poor grammar. Don't do it! People should speak one, or the other. Again, those in El Paso will not know this as everyone does it, but leave El Paso, have a conversation with someone not from the border states, and you will see a difference.

[SA747]

The "accent" is a marring of the pronunciation and the cadence of the English language by people who's first language is Spanish. For example, the word "This" is pronounced as "Theeezz" or the word "yellow" is pronounced as "yaaaahloow". It's the same accent that led to the creation of the epithet "****" to describe Mexicans and Mexican Americans, as in "I don't **** English."

[malamute]

Well accented English is at least English -- it shows that an effort was made to learn the language so I don't have a problem with accents.

[JazzOne]

Originally Posted by atrabilius

I grew up calling the University of Texas' Austin campus UT Austin; in most of Texas it's just UT and I also have to say UT El Paso rather than UTEP so everybody knows what I'm talking about. School attendance zones are "attendance zones" where I live now, but it was always "districts" when I lived in El Paso. I lived in the Andress "district" and south of the middle of Yvette was the Irvin "district."

As for pronunciation, I've noticed a strong similarity between the way El Pasoans talk and the way a lot of people from southern California talk. It's not the drawl or twang that you hear a lot east of the Pecos.

I've heard other people (particularly on the sports radio show on 600 AM) complain that UT is just UT, not "UT Austin" as we say in El Paso. Well, I am a student at the UT Law School, and I can say unequivocably that it is UT Austin. That's the name of the school on their own damn website.

The University of Texas at Austin - Web Central

I am tired of elitist *******s telling me it's just UT. Well, UT has a whole bunch of campuses. People will generally understand what you mean if you just say UT, but the name of the school is University of Texas at Austin!

[Smooth from ELP]

Originally Posted by JazzOne

elitist *******s !

This pretty much sums up Austin, Texas. That is why I want to leave.

[satxguero]

Originally Posted by Smooth from ELP

This pretty much sums up Austin, Texas. That is why I want to leave.

I agree with you about Austin-Smooth.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by JazzOne

I've heard other people (particularly on the sports radio show on 600 AM) complain that UT is just UT, not "UT Austin" as we say in El Paso. Well, I am a student at the UT Law School, and I can say unequivocably that it is UT Austin. That's the name of the school on their own damn website.

The University of Texas at Austin - Web Central

I am tired of elitist *******s telling me it's just UT. Well, UT has a whole bunch of campuses. People will generally understand what you mean if you just say UT, but the name of the school is University of Texas at Austin!

It's UT east of Dallas where I am, too. After all these years I still tend to say UT Austin like I grew up doing in El Paso.