Talk In A Funny Accent...Seriously!
I remember as a kid I could never understand what the big fuss about New Year's resolutions was. It seemed a little silly to wait until January 1st to make some big proclamation. If you want to change something about yourself, change it.
The older I get though, the more I see the need for resolutions. And the more I learn about the brain, the more I understand why.
The brain organizes itself like a tree...the trunk and thick branches are the main pathways that branch into finer and finer distinctions the older one gets. So if you've been building on one habit for many years, it takes some serious pruning and reorganizing to get a different habit to grow it its place.
This brings me to my New Year's resolution...talk in a funny accent. Yes, really.
You see, for some reason some people have a lot of trouble understanding me when I talk. I don't have a speech impediment or anything like that, I just talk very fast and mumble a lot. There are times when I can speak very clearly, such as when I use my "Trust me, I'm a Project Manager" voice. But that sounds much too professional to use at home and I'm sure Adam would just ignore me anyway.
Adam in particular really can't hear what I'm saying a lot of the time. I think we'll have to have his hearing checked out, but I'm sure he'll say it will come back with excellent results, so it has to be me. Though, I, of course, feel there are many times when he doesn't hear me because he is not listening. ☺
It would seem like the simple solution would be to raise my voice. But I feel like if I raise my voice, a bitchy and demanding, or at least angry edge creeps in, especially if I'm making a request. So often I keep my voice quiet.
I have a feeling that drives Adam nuts as he often guesses at what I want or has to ask me to repeat what I've said. By the third time, I really am angry, so my loud voice sounds bitchy automatically. Thus the cycle repeats itself.
Perhaps it has something to do with the muscle tone of my mouth and the fine motor control I have there. Maybe, I thought, (and it's possible I was drunk at the time) maybe if I talk in funny accents for several days, I can break up the tone in my mouth and introduce variation to the way I enunciate, eventually making my voice clearer.
Perhaps if I can keep this resolution, I will one day be easier to understand so I turn to you oh wise ones...what accents should I try?
The older I get though, the more I see the need for resolutions. And the more I learn about the brain, the more I understand why.
The brain organizes itself like a tree...the trunk and thick branches are the main pathways that branch into finer and finer distinctions the older one gets. So if you've been building on one habit for many years, it takes some serious pruning and reorganizing to get a different habit to grow it its place.
This brings me to my New Year's resolution...talk in a funny accent. Yes, really.
You see, for some reason some people have a lot of trouble understanding me when I talk. I don't have a speech impediment or anything like that, I just talk very fast and mumble a lot. There are times when I can speak very clearly, such as when I use my "Trust me, I'm a Project Manager" voice. But that sounds much too professional to use at home and I'm sure Adam would just ignore me anyway.
Adam in particular really can't hear what I'm saying a lot of the time. I think we'll have to have his hearing checked out, but I'm sure he'll say it will come back with excellent results, so it has to be me. Though, I, of course, feel there are many times when he doesn't hear me because he is not listening. ☺
It would seem like the simple solution would be to raise my voice. But I feel like if I raise my voice, a bitchy and demanding, or at least angry edge creeps in, especially if I'm making a request. So often I keep my voice quiet.
I have a feeling that drives Adam nuts as he often guesses at what I want or has to ask me to repeat what I've said. By the third time, I really am angry, so my loud voice sounds bitchy automatically. Thus the cycle repeats itself.
Perhaps it has something to do with the muscle tone of my mouth and the fine motor control I have there. Maybe, I thought, (and it's possible I was drunk at the time) maybe if I talk in funny accents for several days, I can break up the tone in my mouth and introduce variation to the way I enunciate, eventually making my voice clearer.
Perhaps if I can keep this resolution, I will one day be easier to understand so I turn to you oh wise ones...what accents should I try?
This is a great idea!!! Maybe you could start with a nice Scottish brogue?? Those are very easy on the ears. Of course, my imitation Scottish, British, and Australian accents all sound exactly the same, haha.
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