Thanksgiving time came and all the relatives were gathered around the long table, or seated behind TV trays.The television was on and some folks were watching it while talking with one another.Something on television got their attention and one of the adults said, "Listen at it!" Someone else replied."Well, if that don't beat all." Simple phrases were spoken by folks whose language was simple and brief.They had several idioms that were just as colorful phrases and words that brightened the room and warmed the conversation.In school we were taught to speak differently.The way our relatives spoke was discouraged.Sometimes our parents would say things we weren't taught in school.They'd often correct themselves, as if getting rid of a mistake.Of course we learned some of their phrases and used them.They were comfortable words to pronounce, familiar. Our father's side of the family was from Arkansas and Oklahoma and they spoke with the accents native to their birth states.Their voices musical and often high , it was easy to pick up that effect in our own speech and at school my brother and I were often teased for the way we spoke.Our mother's side of the family came from Illinois and they had a tendency to talk fast.They had an accent, too, and my brother and I added that to our own speech, confusing the kids at school all the more.Our father's side of the family loved to laugh and have a good time.Our mother's side of the family was more serious about how they took life in; their joys more silently experienced and enjoyed.It was a rich picture of culture and it gave my brother and me a colorful view in life. Thanksgiving holiday was always an easy comfortable going day.It was the first real holiday of the season when everyone came together in one place, and a good time was spent happily together by all. Why did the writer and his brother puzzle other kids at school by their speeches?
They had relatives from different parts of Europe There were many mistakes in their language They added some dialects in their speeches Their speeches were lively and colorful