...and I am looking forward to speaking with you soon, yes?

I just left a voice mail for a client on mine who lives in France. He is from Bellevue, WA originally I think, but has lived overseas for several years. But that's not really important. What I'm writing about today is that this triggered an image in my mind of.... my “Frenchy” look. You know what I’m talking about- the slight build, the pouty jaw, Professor Plum hair cut (from the circa 1980 Clue board game cover), the Bill Cosby-esque sweaters with woven-leather loafers that non-verbally say, “eh, I am from France, yes?” Why do I have this image as being that of a "typical" French person in my head? Perhaps from having a French Teacher for a mother and growing up in a garden of French language text books from the 80's?? But are some of these images simply timeless and actually- true?? ***see pictorial essay #2 below***

But back to the my voice mail (I'm sorry that today's post is kind of... all over the place. Can we just pretend that I'm experimenting with strem of consciousness writing style?)- While I was leaving my message, I was listening to myself in a somewhat out-of-body sort of way, and noticed that I was speaking in my “I am not an American, and trying to mute any/all signs of English being my first language” type of voice. Kind of ending every sentence on up-tone? Making statements into questions?

And I know I tend to do this when actually speaking with someone who is not a native English speaker (some people just speak LOUDER, while I adopt a faux-accent, in manner of Madonna), but I never knew that simply hearing a generic incoming call message (from the Virgin Mo-bile computer-lady with a British accent) could trigger it. Go figure. Is this just style-shifting, or something more? Something deep seeded in me….


Linguists: Your thoughts??


Hoping to return to find this posting avec comments later today. Merci!

BEHOLD!!!! Pictorial Essay #2

Exibit A: The American image of a Frenchman is all wrong, as exemplified for the following American guy trying to look French:


Exhibit B: Observe characteristics of a true Frenchman, actor Philippe Torrenton. Please note, Philippe is not wearing a beret, nor is he in the act of pouring red wine. Additional testament to his Frenchness (besides his whispy hair and forwardly-muscled mouth): What American actor would allow a non-matte finished skin tone in a head-shot?!? I'm just going to let the red leather tunic thing go, as I'm assuming it was part of the roll he was playing?


Exhibit C: Here’s a scary image- some French Star Wars buffs!
Viv la Guerre de Etoiles! (hey, if its spelled wrong, I’m sorry, I’ve never taken a French class before. So any/all French language knowledge that I have or don’t have was passed to me via my umbilical cord in utero)