New Yorkers speak more quickly and shift topics more rapidly. We all know that. But the way it’s done is fascinating. At least it fascinated me when I first moved to New York. Someone has the floor and talks. As soon as I know what they are going to say, I can jump in, finish the sentence to show I understand, and take off into my own turn. The northern California I know isn’t like that. Someone talks, and I lie back and listen and let them roll for a while. When they’re done, there’ll be a pause that will flash like a green light to announce that someone else can have the floor.
ATTRIBUTION:
Michael Agar, U.S. anthropologist, educator. “Speech Act Lumber and Paint,” Language Shock: Understanding the Culture of Conversation, William Morrow (1994).
