Intercultural Interview
Nikole Braddy
SPCH100
Intercultural Interview
Introduction
Stacey Mente’s British accent and word choices intrigued me to learn more about the history of where she came from, Holidays celebrated in England, and what the actual word definitions and variances there are in British English versus American English. I am also fascinated by the royal family and wanted to learn the role of the royal family in England and what the Queen of England does in her role. When I first think of England, I think of fish and chips, and tea time; through this interview and research England is rich in history, culture and for Stacey, memories.
History of Bury St. Edmunds, England Bury St Edmunds began as an Anglo Saxon settlement called Bedric’s worth …show more content…
meaning enclosure such as a farm. In the 9th century Edmund became king who founded a monastery before passing away in 869. In the late 11th century the now named village Bury St Edmunds grew into a rich and powerful town of population 4,000. During the Middle Ages many people traveled to Bury St Edmunds to visit the remains of St Edmund as it was common for worshipers to travel and visit the shrines of saints. Over the centuries, Bury St Edmunds was lush in wool manufacturing and important markets attracting merchants from a wide area.
From 1327 Bury St Edmunds was controlled by the Abbot and townspeople rebelled, and the Abbot regained control and rebuilt. The Black Death of 1349 devastated the village killing half of it’s population, and once again recovered. In 1539, Henry VIII closed the Abby and Bury St Edmunds was now free from the Abbot’s control. In 1606 Bury was given a charter that granted the towns people to own it’s own local government. The Abby was destroyed by fire, and in 1914 Bury St Edmunds Cathedral was created to continue on the pilgrimage and worship of King …show more content…
Edmund.
Holidays and Traditions
The first thought about England I often think of people drinking tea, eating fish and chips, and good beer; turns out there is a lot more to explore in England’s traditions. Unique holidays such as; Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) is celebrated on November 5th signifying when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up King James and the Parliament building in 1605. “We celebrate this day by having a huge bonfire and shooting off lots of fireworks. There is also a change that accompanies the celebration that was taught to me by my mother: “ (Mente, 2014)
Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
‘Twas his intent
To blow up the King and the parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow.
By god’s providence he was catched
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys,
God save the King!
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!
A penny loaf to feed ol’ Pope.
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we’ll say ol’Pope is dead.
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray! “Christmas in England is a special time for family and share many of the same traditions that I became accustomed to in America. Instead of receiving gifts from Santa Claus, we received them from Father Christmas. The traditional Christmas Day meal is roast turkey with plum pudding.” (Mente, 2014) The Trooping of the Colors is another Holiday celebrated which is when the English celebrate the Queen’s birthday. There is a colorful parade where the Queen’s soldiers march by on horseback to honor her.
Government and
Military The British Government consists of two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (The House of the Lords and the House of Commons) are based at The Palace of Westminster, in London. The Parliament decides the laws and makes decisions on running the UK, and is led by the Prime Minister of the party that wins the most seats in the general election. The British government is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional Monarch as Head of State. People elect Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, with elections held no more than five years apart. The Queen is the official Head of State, but only rules symbolically; in reality, power belongs to the Parliament as they represent the citizens of England. The House of the Lords consists of people who have inherited family titles with a total of 675 members of the Lords. The House of Commons (Member of Parliament) has 650 members who are elected by local residents to represent an area of the country. Military strength for the British Armed Forces include; the Royal Navy, Royal Marine Corps, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief is the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II to whom they swear allegiance. The British Armed Forces to protect the United Kingdom, its overseas territories, and possessions of the British Crown. In 2012 the total enlisted force was 176,810 members of the British Armed Forces. (The Management of Defence, 2012)
Adapting in new Cultures Stacey grew up as a military child with frequent moves and had to easily adapt to different cultures and make new friends and learn new school systems. British education system starts at the age of four and graduate at sixteen. Once graduation is completed, college or a university was the next step. Another main difference with the education system is, “In American schools if I was enrolled in the 3rd grade, but in England it would be referred to as year four.” (Mente, 2014) School was difficult to adapt to and she had to be placed in a lower grade because she didn’t know her times tables since it is not necessary to learn in England until much later grades. “When I first moved to America, I had a lot of trouble getting used to how people spoke. I had a difficult time understanding the slang other people used and they had a difficult understanding me because of my accident and the different words that I used.” (Mente, 2014) Stacey goes on to mention that not only was it a culture shock but a climate shock. The first state she lived in America was in North Dakota where there was lots of snowed compared to England.
“Stop mucking around and get on with your work” – Word variances In England, the language spoken is English; however, there are word variances in British English versus American English besides an accent. “Our word variances greatly depend on where you are from in England. Since I am from East Anglia, the most prominent differences are the way we spell some words a few examples would be; colour, centre, flavor, neighbour, and analyse to name a few.” (Mente, 2014) There is different terminology in British English to refer to objects then American English. A few examples; “bonnet” means a hood, “boot” means a trunk, “number plate” means a license plate, “mate” means friend, “holiday” means vacation, and many more examples.
Conclusion
Regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc adapting to people of different opinions and beliefs takes bravery. Stacey has shown us that moving to America was frightening for her and it was difficult to adapt to a new “version” of English and was difficult to make new friends that would accept her for her accent and differences. Stacey says, “those life experiences are the reason I am the person today. Without being made fun of for my accent, I wouldn’t appreciate my uniqueness as much as I do today. I learned that it’s okay to be different, and I bloody like it that way. After all, who wants to be a robot and have everyone act, speak, look and move the same way?” (Mente, 2014)
Works Cited
Barrow, M. (2013). What are the differences between British English and American English? Retrieved 06 27, 2014, from Project Britain British Life and Culture: http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/americanbritish.html
BBC. (2011, 6 30). Retrieved 6 27, 2014, from Church of England: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/cofe/cofe_1.shtml
Lambert, T. (2001, 12 11). A Brief History of Bury St Edmunds. Retrieved 6 27, 2014, from A World History Encyclopedia: http://www.localhistories.org/burysteds.html
Mente, S. (2014, 6 26). (N. Braddy, Interviewer)
The Management of Defence. (2012). Retrieved 6 27, 2014, from Total British Armed Forces: http://www.armedforces.co.uk/mod/listings/l0003.html
SPCH100
Intercultural Interview
Introduction
Stacey Mente’s British accent and word choices intrigued me to learn more about the history of where she came from, Holidays celebrated in England, and what the actual word definitions and variances there are in British English versus American English. I am also fascinated by the royal family and wanted to learn the role of the royal family in England and what the Queen of England does in her role. When I first think of England, I think of fish and chips, and tea time; through this interview and research England is rich in history, culture and for Stacey, memories.
History of Bury St. Edmunds, England Bury St Edmunds began as an Anglo Saxon settlement called Bedric’s worth …show more content…
meaning enclosure such as a farm. In the 9th century Edmund became king who founded a monastery before passing away in 869. In the late 11th century the now named village Bury St Edmunds grew into a rich and powerful town of population 4,000. During the Middle Ages many people traveled to Bury St Edmunds to visit the remains of St Edmund as it was common for worshipers to travel and visit the shrines of saints. Over the centuries, Bury St Edmunds was lush in wool manufacturing and important markets attracting merchants from a wide area.
From 1327 Bury St Edmunds was controlled by the Abbot and townspeople rebelled, and the Abbot regained control and rebuilt. The Black Death of 1349 devastated the village killing half of it’s population, and once again recovered. In 1539, Henry VIII closed the Abby and Bury St Edmunds was now free from the Abbot’s control. In 1606 Bury was given a charter that granted the towns people to own it’s own local government. The Abby was destroyed by fire, and in 1914 Bury St Edmunds Cathedral was created to continue on the pilgrimage and worship of King …show more content…
Edmund.
Holidays and Traditions
The first thought about England I often think of people drinking tea, eating fish and chips, and good beer; turns out there is a lot more to explore in England’s traditions. Unique holidays such as; Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) is celebrated on November 5th signifying when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up King James and the Parliament building in 1605. “We celebrate this day by having a huge bonfire and shooting off lots of fireworks. There is also a change that accompanies the celebration that was taught to me by my mother: “ (Mente, 2014)
Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
‘Twas his intent
To blow up the King and the parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow.
By god’s providence he was catched
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys,
God save the King!
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!
A penny loaf to feed ol’ Pope.
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we’ll say ol’Pope is dead.
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray! “Christmas in England is a special time for family and share many of the same traditions that I became accustomed to in America. Instead of receiving gifts from Santa Claus, we received them from Father Christmas. The traditional Christmas Day meal is roast turkey with plum pudding.” (Mente, 2014) The Trooping of the Colors is another Holiday celebrated which is when the English celebrate the Queen’s birthday. There is a colorful parade where the Queen’s soldiers march by on horseback to honor her.
Government and
Military The British Government consists of two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (The House of the Lords and the House of Commons) are based at The Palace of Westminster, in London. The Parliament decides the laws and makes decisions on running the UK, and is led by the Prime Minister of the party that wins the most seats in the general election. The British government is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional Monarch as Head of State. People elect Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, with elections held no more than five years apart. The Queen is the official Head of State, but only rules symbolically; in reality, power belongs to the Parliament as they represent the citizens of England. The House of the Lords consists of people who have inherited family titles with a total of 675 members of the Lords. The House of Commons (Member of Parliament) has 650 members who are elected by local residents to represent an area of the country. Military strength for the British Armed Forces include; the Royal Navy, Royal Marine Corps, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief is the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II to whom they swear allegiance. The British Armed Forces to protect the United Kingdom, its overseas territories, and possessions of the British Crown. In 2012 the total enlisted force was 176,810 members of the British Armed Forces. (The Management of Defence, 2012)
Adapting in new Cultures Stacey grew up as a military child with frequent moves and had to easily adapt to different cultures and make new friends and learn new school systems. British education system starts at the age of four and graduate at sixteen. Once graduation is completed, college or a university was the next step. Another main difference with the education system is, “In American schools if I was enrolled in the 3rd grade, but in England it would be referred to as year four.” (Mente, 2014) School was difficult to adapt to and she had to be placed in a lower grade because she didn’t know her times tables since it is not necessary to learn in England until much later grades. “When I first moved to America, I had a lot of trouble getting used to how people spoke. I had a difficult time understanding the slang other people used and they had a difficult understanding me because of my accident and the different words that I used.” (Mente, 2014) Stacey goes on to mention that not only was it a culture shock but a climate shock. The first state she lived in America was in North Dakota where there was lots of snowed compared to England.
“Stop mucking around and get on with your work” – Word variances In England, the language spoken is English; however, there are word variances in British English versus American English besides an accent. “Our word variances greatly depend on where you are from in England. Since I am from East Anglia, the most prominent differences are the way we spell some words a few examples would be; colour, centre, flavor, neighbour, and analyse to name a few.” (Mente, 2014) There is different terminology in British English to refer to objects then American English. A few examples; “bonnet” means a hood, “boot” means a trunk, “number plate” means a license plate, “mate” means friend, “holiday” means vacation, and many more examples.
Conclusion
Regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc adapting to people of different opinions and beliefs takes bravery. Stacey has shown us that moving to America was frightening for her and it was difficult to adapt to a new “version” of English and was difficult to make new friends that would accept her for her accent and differences. Stacey says, “those life experiences are the reason I am the person today. Without being made fun of for my accent, I wouldn’t appreciate my uniqueness as much as I do today. I learned that it’s okay to be different, and I bloody like it that way. After all, who wants to be a robot and have everyone act, speak, look and move the same way?” (Mente, 2014)
Works Cited
Barrow, M. (2013). What are the differences between British English and American English? Retrieved 06 27, 2014, from Project Britain British Life and Culture: http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/americanbritish.html
BBC. (2011, 6 30). Retrieved 6 27, 2014, from Church of England: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/cofe/cofe_1.shtml
Lambert, T. (2001, 12 11). A Brief History of Bury St Edmunds. Retrieved 6 27, 2014, from A World History Encyclopedia: http://www.localhistories.org/burysteds.html
Mente, S. (2014, 6 26). (N. Braddy, Interviewer)
The Management of Defence. (2012). Retrieved 6 27, 2014, from Total British Armed Forces: http://www.armedforces.co.uk/mod/listings/l0003.html