The tour guide looked the part of a wealthy lady in the 1850’s as she led us through the Belle Meade mansion (click here) near Nashville, TN. The authenticity of her “costume” was outdone only by her seemingly first hand knowledge of the original owners.
Her speech was flawless, not the least bit lazy. She pronounced the ending of each word, like “workinG”, not “workin”. She refused to contract words, like “going to” into the modern abomination, “gonna” or “want to” into “wanna”. She spoke not to put on airs, but in a way of showing proper respect for the language.
It was refreshing.
Thought for the Day: Speak clearly if you speak at all. Oliver Wendell Holmes
