Report from Deep South

Dear Dr. Tanabe,

I arrived at Dallas, Texas yesterday. I am staying at one of the hotels located in Dallas downtown, and I am at STUMPTOWN COFEE right now. Here are some shares about the downtown.

On the way to the coffee house, I found the population of African-American people high here in Dallas. A shuttle bus driver in Dallas Fort/Worth International Airport was African American. So was the front desk staff in the hotel. Even opticians in the store along the street were black. Most of them were cheerful and liked to talk. I got held up talking with the front desk guy for an hour last night.

Speaking of English spoken in the south, Southern American English, I noticed that there are many differences from the kind of accent I have been accustomed in Lincoln. One of the differences was a phonetic difference. I cannot explain it from the professional perspectives, but in the phrase "terminal link”, for example, /k/ sound was almost all the time dropped and made me wonder what it was in the beginning.

I am going straight back to my room and heading for John F. Kennedy museum today. Have a great day. (Wren@Dallas)