Re: dialectal diversity in English

--- John Cowan <cowan@...> wrote:
> Adam Walker scripsit:
>
> > But then there's Gullah and Hoitoid they really
> are
> > jibberish without subtitles.
>
> Well, okay, Gullah is a creole; no reason it should
> be mutually
> intelligible with English.
>
> > It's much easier to
> > understand the Sichuan Mandarin two of my
> co-workers
> > (sisters) speak to each other at the office.
>
> And do they indeed swap the third and fourth tones?
>
> --
Yup, and they're astounded that I understand them when
they speak Sichuan about as well as when they speak
Mandarin.  Appearently, native speakers in the office
are baffeled by their Sichuanese (or at least they
assume they are!).

Adam