I am used to folks using one or two words for an entire sentence, I am from Texas but even I didn’t get this one. I have heard “Jeet” used for Did You Eat?………funny.
I hate it when we live in an ENGLISH SPEAKING country but some shows (stupid ones at that) have to have sub titles to read because their English is so bad you can’t understand it. Plus they teach their kids how to talk??
“I find that I have to Google a lot of tv commercials to read what they are saying.I usually try to avoid them but sometimes I can’t and it annoys me when I can’t understand what they are saying.”……………………………………………………..Simple solution: fast-forward.‘fast forward’ and the mute button are my favorites.
Reminds me of the time I went to Burger King and ordered a junior whopper. The employee asked me, “Which is?” I didn’t understand the question and asked her to repeat it, and she said the same thing. I just stood there, looking stupid, at which point my husband said to me, "I think she means “With cheese?” And by golly, she did. And I didn’t even have to buy my spouse a candy bar!
In the South, a lot of words are mispronounced but then it is accepted and all but the newbies do it. They often shorten up two syllables to one, like quite for quiet or dite for diet. I guess they want to save time so they can talk faster? That’s what happens when you come from a big family. My DH used to tell our kids to be “quite” and they’d say, “Quite WHAT, Daddy?”
I sympathize with Earl. It was bad enough in the States, especially, since I have slight audio discrimination problems, but living in a Spanish speaking country and encountering teenage cashiers or even adults who mumble, elide their words, or speak at a machine gun rate to be a real challenge.I usually say: " Soy viejo y no oigo bien. Por favor hable despacio y con claridad para que pueda entender lo que está diciendo. " with a smile on my face and in a jovial manner. Sometimes it works, and sometimes I wish I had a kid who could translate.
Usually the way Earl did it, repeating the word back slowly, as it is heard, works. If not, I ask them to repeat slowly. With names I always ask them to spell it. Could care less what they think. Sooner or later they too will be on the receiving end of incomprehensible speech.
@oldfiredog: Closed captioning can be a godsend! Very useful for shows where conversation is half-drowned out by the music, or where people have thick accents. I always watch shows from the DVR, so when I just can’t figure out what someone is saying, I rewind and play it again with CC on. Some shows are just consistently a problem, so I set CC to be on with small type in a low-contrast color — that way it’s not bright/big enough to force my attention to reading it, but it’s there to look at when I just cannot figure out what they are saying.
I would love to add my 2 cents to many of the comments. They are so good and funny. instead I will add my own….If I cannot understand my server or the clerk at the mall, I lie a little and say I have a hearing problem today and please repeat slowly. Works most of the time (but not all the time)
Hawthorne almost 11 years ago
Oh, no! Grammar is bad enough! Please don’t get me started on diction!
EarlP2 almost 11 years ago
To bad my grandsons aren’t close enough to translate for me!
alondra almost 11 years ago
People like that drive me nuts. You have to ask them to repeat themselves several times and they get ticked at you for not understanding them.
jeanie5448 almost 11 years ago
I am used to folks using one or two words for an entire sentence, I am from Texas but even I didn’t get this one. I have heard “Jeet” used for Did You Eat?………funny.
ottaknow almost 11 years ago
If someone has a hard time understanding, simply re-word the question or statement.
loveslife almost 11 years ago
I hate it when we live in an ENGLISH SPEAKING country but some shows (stupid ones at that) have to have sub titles to read because their English is so bad you can’t understand it. Plus they teach their kids how to talk??
Marko56 almost 11 years ago
Fraddles? = For Adults?
goweeder almost 11 years ago
“I find that I have to Google a lot of tv commercials to read what they are saying.I usually try to avoid them but sometimes I can’t and it annoys me when I can’t understand what they are saying.”……………………………………………………..Simple solution: fast-forward.‘fast forward’ and the mute button are my favorites.
Nortley almost 11 years ago
“You got diapers fraddles?”“Depends?”“On what?”
childrenspoems Premium Member almost 11 years ago
Reminds me of the time I went to Burger King and ordered a junior whopper. The employee asked me, “Which is?” I didn’t understand the question and asked her to repeat it, and she said the same thing. I just stood there, looking stupid, at which point my husband said to me, "I think she means “With cheese?” And by golly, she did. And I didn’t even have to buy my spouse a candy bar!
jtviper7 almost 11 years ago
I’ll pass on this one…
unca jim almost 11 years ago
My all-time favorites are the Radio/TV ads that have the 400-word ‘disclaimer’ at the end, compressed into 12 seconds.They don’t get a dime from ME.
LuvThemPluggers almost 11 years ago
In the South, a lot of words are mispronounced but then it is accepted and all but the newbies do it. They often shorten up two syllables to one, like quite for quiet or dite for diet. I guess they want to save time so they can talk faster? That’s what happens when you come from a big family. My DH used to tell our kids to be “quite” and they’d say, “Quite WHAT, Daddy?”
Dry and Dusty Premium Member almost 11 years ago
I have never encountered this type of talk, and I live in Central PA. Now having said that, I suppose I will encounter it all the time now. Sigh!
Dry and Dusty Premium Member almost 11 years ago
Yeah WUZ. Switched my internet from Verizon to Comcast. Comcast outsources their tech support to WEST jabooty!
Linguist almost 11 years ago
I sympathize with Earl. It was bad enough in the States, especially, since I have slight audio discrimination problems, but living in a Spanish speaking country and encountering teenage cashiers or even adults who mumble, elide their words, or speak at a machine gun rate to be a real challenge.I usually say: " Soy viejo y no oigo bien. Por favor hable despacio y con claridad para que pueda entender lo que está diciendo. " with a smile on my face and in a jovial manner. Sometimes it works, and sometimes I wish I had a kid who could translate.
bonitabarb43 almost 11 years ago
Happy Father’s Day, Grandpa!
catmama29 almost 11 years ago
Been there, done that.
Thehag almost 11 years ago
Usually the way Earl did it, repeating the word back slowly, as it is heard, works. If not, I ask them to repeat slowly. With names I always ask them to spell it. Could care less what they think. Sooner or later they too will be on the receiving end of incomprehensible speech.
calliopejane almost 11 years ago
@oldfiredog: Closed captioning can be a godsend! Very useful for shows where conversation is half-drowned out by the music, or where people have thick accents. I always watch shows from the DVR, so when I just can’t figure out what someone is saying, I rewind and play it again with CC on. Some shows are just consistently a problem, so I set CC to be on with small type in a low-contrast color — that way it’s not bright/big enough to force my attention to reading it, but it’s there to look at when I just cannot figure out what they are saying.
Number Three almost 11 years ago
I take a Multivitamin every single day.
This strip cracked me up…
What would you do without Nelson, Earl?
LOL xxx
poppy1313 almost 11 years ago
We record most TV shows we watch on a DVR. We haft to back it up and listen again and say what did they say. Helpful when watch British shows on PBS.
Hunter7 almost 11 years ago
I would love to add my 2 cents to many of the comments. They are so good and funny. instead I will add my own….If I cannot understand my server or the clerk at the mall, I lie a little and say I have a hearing problem today and please repeat slowly. Works most of the time (but not all the time)
hippogriff almost 11 years ago
Are we coming back to Mairzy doats again?