Sunday, October 16, 2011

I cannot vote for Herman Cain for President. He just said "no deaf tax" on Meet the Press, and I feel very strongly that the deaf should pay taxes just like the rest of us.

4 comments:

  1. His is not exactly the King's English. Are you sure it wasn't "No def tax"? As in the Black slang term 'def', meaning 'cool'.

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  2. Anonymous6:16 PM

    Yes, I have noticed that with Cain. I have also heard him use "wif" for "with."

    As someone who taught both English and speech, I came to understand that many blacks reached their teen years actually unable to differentiate the difference between the "th" and "f"/"ph" sounds. It's hard to imagine that those who grow up listening to television and radio don't seem to learn to distinguish between the sounds, but many don't. Those whose ear picks up the difference still can have a heck of a hard time making the sound. It's not really too much different from what happens to Japanese trying to learn English. They haven't the equivalent of our "l" and so it come out "r."

    One of my most embarrassing moments came in a class in which I had several black students who said, "Ax" for "ask." I had given the kids a list of some of the most commonly mispronounced words (such as "mischievious"--4 syllables-- often said instead of "mischievous"--three syllables) and on the list was "ask." The blacks laughed and hooted, knowing they had trouble with the word. They shared that after years of saying it one way, it was difficult for them to make the "k" sound following the "a-s" combination. We practiced, so much so, I am afraid, that a few weeks later, in speaking casually to the class, when I meant to say, "I will ask him," out popped, "I will ax him." It took several minutes for us to stop laughing.

    Ever try to get Southerners to not make their single vowels into several syllables? Not easy, trust me.

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  3. Anonymous9:03 PM

    Are you sure it wasn't "No def tax"? As in the Black slang term 'def', meaning 'cool'.

    Ron is obviously making light of how Cain pronounces "no death taxes".

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  4. Anonymous9:20 PM

    Cain isn't a bad singer though:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keHMLOyx_hQ

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