Trapeziums

Apparently trapeziums are called trapezoids over here. Who knew?  I wish I would've taken American English 101 as it seems that Lydia is being taught all the ways of the land and I am behind on the uptake.  Already I've taught her trapezium and, although she's not stringing sentences together, she has a memory that doesn't allow me to unteach her this dastardly English word.  Because when I tell her it's a trapezoid now, it's as difficult for her to get her tongue around it as it is for me, so she just looks at me and says, '-PEZIUM!'

If I was stubborn, I'd say, 'YEAH, SCREW YOU AMERICA!  My child says trapezium, up yours!' Except I'm far too fond of being right for my child to walk around being wrong all the time. Particularly if it's my doing. If *I* want to saunter around Charleston acting all rebellious, shoving TRAPEZIUM in people's faces, then that's my deal. But how could I possibly force that on my poor little girl? She didn't choose to be born into this trap-ezoid!




 And so I have been pronouncing words like zebra 'zeeeebra'. I can't quite bring myself to say to-may-to. And I still hold onto the slim hope that she will pronounce pin, pen, pan, and pun all very differently. Unfortunately she has edged over to the dark side, saying 'heeeend' for hand and 'baaaaax' for 'box'. Sigh. I wonder how and if this is confusing for Lydia at all? I noticed the other day that she says water slightly differently depending on who she's talking to. If she's talking to me, she'll say, 'war-ta' and if she's talking to Gary, she says, 'waaaa-terrr'. Poor child.

Anyway, the thought of her having an American accent when she grows up seems so bizarre to me!  I can tell that my accent has an effect on her because I hear the other kids at daycare pronouncing their words slightly differently.  Not just because they're all different, but because Lydia has a clear differentiation between a, e and i sounds right now.  And she doesn't pronounce those 'r's on the ends of her words either!  It won't last long as I already hear it changing, and that's okay.  I'll love her however she sounds.

Thought you would enjoy these photos.  Lydia usually looks a lot like Gary. I'm fairly certain that she looks a whole lot like me in the pics up above though!