Speech Patterns
Saturday, July 19th, 2008I’m reaching my one-month mark as a peds intern. It’s been a challenge
moving into my apartment, opening bank and internet accounts, and
adjusting to a new work environment. (Weird, but I sometimes miss the
sloooowww PGH lab secretary). But I guess one of the things I think
about everyday is if I’m comprehensible. I’ve always prided myself in
constantly trying to better my English skills. I’ve read novels
voraciously and I love the illustrated ‘Elements of Style.’ But
whenever someone asks me, "Hey, you have an accent. Where are you
from?" I can’t help but wonder if they understood what I just said.
(I certainly hope so! I pity the patient I’m endorsing). Plus, I’m
trying really hard to learn Spanish because it’s such a rate-limiting
step looking for a translator when I’m with Hispanic patients who only
speak Spanish. Just when I think I’m getting better at speaking
Spanish, I hear Thalia on YouTube and I realize I haven’t been
pronouncing things correctly. And when I think of how I speak Filipino,
I’m a bit dismayed to realize I can’t complete a 7-sentence paragraph
in pure Tagalog. Well, at least I can still curse in Pangasinan…
