My last post

It's kind of shocking that this is the last blog entry in my first blog ever. It is even more shocking that the quarter is nearly over and my one fun class will be done. This introsem has made me more aware of the way people speak. I constantly find myself noticing differences in language everywhere more than I ever did before.
I haven't really noticed changes in the way I say things, although my family might notice things I haven't when I get home. I may have a hint of a Wisconsin accent because I have a Wisconsin roomate. She says bag so it rhymes with vague and I wonder if that has rubbed off on me at all. At times I have almost caught myself saying the word "hella", even though I just learned it a few months ago. Although if I went home and said that, everyone would look at me funny and not even know what I was saying.
I've noticed a few things about other people's accents in my dorm as well. There is one kid from New Zealand who used to speak really weird, you could tell right away that he spoke different English. Now it is a lot more difficult for me to tell. He mentioned that he was adjusting his accent to the American accent. He said it was a both conscious and unconscious thing and that it's just easier for everyone else if he just spoke "American". I have also noticed that some people not native to California have begun to adopt the word "hella" as well. Among non-native English speakers, I have noticed a few lexical differences. These are particularly funny when they involve swear words. This Chinese girl in my dorm constantly uses the s-word in the wrong context. Through her tone of voice it is clear that she d0esn't mean it in the sense that the word suggests when she inserts into conversation.
While being at Stanford, I have watched accents evolve and it's fascinating. It made me realize that language is not static, it is always subject to change. I am glad I have come to know that through this introseminar and hope to learn more about Linguistics in the future.